Plok

It's been said that Miyamoto was shown Plok and was seriously impressed by it, to the point that he reportedly showed interesting in publishing it. It's even been said that he ranked it right up there with Mario and Sonic as one of the best platformers of the time, which really surprised me considering how divisive Plok is nowadays. Whenever I hear anyone talk about Plok, all I hear about is either the typically incredible Follin OST or the game's crushing difficulty, so I can't help but wonder, what could have Miyamoto seen in Plok?

Plok has a pretty unique structure for a platformer, but it's a structure that I mostly think works for the game. The main premise is that Plok's flag was stolen so he goes over to the neighboring Cotton Island to chase after it. After getting the flag back, he goes home only to find that a swarm of fleas took over all of his other flags, so he travels across his island of Akrillic, fights off the fleas, and dives into the fleapit to take the battle to them. Simply put, it's basically a revenge thriller with Plok playing the role of a John Wick or a Sisu, and I find that absolutely hysterical. You get to see Plok's thoughts between each level and it always gives me a laugh to see him working himself up over his flags being stolen, it really makes for a uniquely charming and offbeat protagonist that's easy to get behind. But from a gameplay standpoint, this twisty story allows for a game that never really settles. Each of Plok's four worlds has a completely different vibe to it befitting its place in the story. Cotton Island is a lighthearted tutorial, Akrillic has more puzzle-like level design and tasks you with taking out all the fleas in each level, Legacy Island is a short flashback world with a monochromatic look, and the Fleapit is a lengthy final gauntlet with a bleak atmosphere and strictly linear stages.

From a core game design standpoint, I think Plok is generally well-designed and shares a solid amount of elements that I think really would appeal to a big Nintendo guy like Miyamoto. Plok controls incredibly tightly and responsive, and having both a short hop and a big spin jump (which I suppose is quite reminiscent of Super Mario World) makes platforming feel really comfortable. The main hook of the game is that Plok can toss his limbs at enemies, at the cost of having less mobility until he's able to retrieve them. This is probably the most Nintendo-esque aspect of Plok, it's a strong central mechanic with a number of purposes that the game proceeds to flesh out across its campaign. It offers a satisfying way to defeat enemies, but you can't spam or else you'll be left without any limbs for a bit. But it's not until Akrillic when Plok really comes into its own, as it introduces switches that take away once of your limbs. So now there's puzzles revolving around hitting switches, and being left with a somewhat gimped moveset until you can retrieve them. I think the levels in Akrillic are the high point of Plok for this reason, they really utilize your moveset to create some engaging bits of puzzle/action/platforming, with each level tossing a new idea at you and fully exploring it. With these gameplay elements in a vacuum, I can see why Plok could've have gotten Miyamoto's attention.

However, keep in mind that I said in a vacuum. Because while parts of Plok definitely show some brilliance, the final product doesn't really come together in the most elegant fashion. Those cool limb puzzles I mentioned? They only show up in Akrilic, as in just one out of the four worlds. Cotton and Legacy Island are incredibly short and basic, and the Fleapit has you learn to pilot eight completely different vehicles rather than actually be tested on the skills you've learned throughout the game. So in terms of quality, only about a third of Plok is around the 8-9 range, and the rest is around a 6-7. And then there's the difficulty. The thing is, I don't even think Plok is especially hard on a level by level basis. There are a few moments of BS like whenever you have to dodge rolling objects and those stupid doors in Creepy Forest, but most of it is challenging but reasonable. However, when you add in the fact that you have a lives system, and that you can only have a single continue out at a time, and that dying without a continue sends you back about a third of the game, and that there isn't a save feature or even a password feature in what should be a two hour game assuming you don't die, and you get one of the most needlessly punishing video games I've seen for reasons that are completely preventable. What do Ploktinues actually lend to the game besides wasting your time? Why aren't there even passwords in a two-hour long platformer from 1993? I think Plok is a good game overall, but I can not in good faith recommend that you play it without, at the very least, savestates.

On the other hand, though, one area where Plok pretty much completely succeeds, and that's the presentation. Plok has this very colorful and flowery visual style that almost resembles a messier version of the Yoshi's Island artstyle, and it looks pretty great. The highlights are definitely the backgrounds though, which go for this really soft and pleasing watercolor look. And of course, the soundtrack by Tim and Geoff Follin is absolutely stellar. As a matter of fact, I think this might even be their best score period. Most of their work on the NES is known for a single really good track per game. Pictionary and Solstice have the title theme, Silver Surfer has the Stage 1 theme, but Plok has like half a dozen tracks on that level. From the way Cotton Island evolves from a generic bouncy first level theme to a full on rave, to the vibey Beach theme that almost tricked me into thinking it was CD quality at first, to the Hotline Miami-ass Boss theme, to the mystical and proggy Akrillic, to that heavenly drop in the Fleapit theme, Plok's soundtrack easily ranks among the best on the SNES.

Plok is probably the perfect example of a solid 7/10 game. It's a game that certainly had the potential to be something really special, and at times, I can see why someone would hold it up as a serious cult classic or even one of the SNES's best platformers. It has tight controls, an interesting multi-purpose main mechanic, a charmingly goofy story, pleasant visuals, a phenomenal soundtrack, and some really good level design in spots. However, the game also makes a few really preventable mistakes that stops it from elevating itself above that 7/10. The first and last thirds of Plok pale in comparison to the strong middle section in terms of level design, and the godawful continue system and lack of a save feature artificially increase the difficulty from standard retro tough to punishingly brutal. Still, I'm glad I gave Plok a chance because I did overall have a good time with this one, even if there are things I wish it did better.

7/10