So he LOOKS lame...who cares!?

U.S. Game Front

This Game Has A Mode Designed
For The Kids.

Traveller's Tales Is Also Responsible
For Another Favorite Of Mine:
Sonic R

In the farthest reaches of space...all seems quiet and it seems as if nothing could go wrong. Puggsy, a friendly and peaceful alien, happens to be sailing the cosmos with his little orange spaceship...However, unbeknownst to Puggsy, there were space pirates close to his location. Gorzon, the pirate leader, was in a really foul mood, so he decided to take his pirate ship out into space as well. When he and his crew spotted Puggsy's vessel, Gorzon decided that it was time for some malicious mischief. Gorzon chases Puggsy's ship and begins firing at him! Scared to death, Puggsy desperately tries to outmaneuver the pirates and so he zooms into hyperspace. Even in hyperspace, Gorzon and his gang remain on Puggsy's tail and they eventually ram Puggsy's ship which causes it to lose control. Eventually, Puggsy wakes up to find himself in an unknown world and he must find his spaceship in order to return home.

As you are probably aware, the story is generally second-rate. Gorzon just shoots you down because he sucks and has nothing else better to do. Thankfully, Puggsy isn't known as an obscure classic due to its unremarkable story. That would be left up to the other more inspired and innovative elements of the game. Puggsy brings the player into a world filled with motley backdrops, excellent animation, and interesting characters. The game has many different locales and lots of objects all over the place too. The bosses are large and fairly detailed and Puggsy's simple facial gestures are cute. It's strange to think that Puggsy is a somewhat likable character since he kinda looks like the stuff in the bottom of the toilet after some chocolate cake, but he managed to pull it off somehow.

There is a version of this game for the Sega Genesis, and while both games have good music, the music of the CD version is better for pretty obvious reasons. The game starts by presenting you with a smooth Caribbean tune. Naturally, being one who likes all forms of music, I was hooked from the start. The music is light and subtle...but also catchy and engaging. Since the demographic of this game is more geared towards kids, you won't find anything that's truly dark, but the game still has a nice variety with the tunes that are present. The visuals are decent for 1993 and the sound is a perfect match.

Like several other Psygnosis games (or games published by Psygnosis), the staffing behind the creation of this game was very small. Hell, one person that aided in the production of the game was known as "Number 1 Puggsy Fan". Whether it was an alias, a very happy staff member, or a real fan, I'm glad that I'm not the only one enthusiastic about Puggsy. The case brags about 50+ levels, 17 strange lands, Sega CD additions (that weren't part of the Genesis port), and the "TOI" system. While 50+ levels is somewhat debatable (several are very short), the "TOI" system is a neat little factor that makes this game a joy to play...So what is it? TOI is the "Total Object Interaction" system that the game uses. Basically, Puggsy can interact with loads of different items lying around the levels and different items have different factors to consider. Not all items can be used, but they still play an integral role in finishing the levels.

Puggsy can grab a shield for invincibility, a pair of shoes for extra speed (and life), shades to look good (and give extra life), and other things such as various guns and gadjets. Puggsy may have to find a certain item to put out fire or a heavy object such as an iron weight to make him heavier to fight against strong winds. Puggsy can also create staircases with items or stack buoyant objects on top of one another (or next to each other) to help create a bridge across water. You must also use cannons, keys (to unlock chests with items), matches, and various other tools to change things within the environment to help Puggsy succeed. You have passwords, but you can also use the Sega CD system memory to save your progress.

In conclusion, my only real gripes with Puggsy is that the controls are a little slippery and items are unusually "bouncy" and can bounce all over the place...yeah...that is all. Puggsy is a very balanced game and there really isn't anything seriously wrong with it. The music is slick, the graphics are stylish, and the gameplay creates hours of entertainment with various puzzle segments touched up with silly characters and some action too.

- Written by Vyse the determined -