Puggsy (GEN) Review

Received: October 28th, 2014 / Written: September 15th-17th, 2018

Year: 1993 | Developed by: Traveller's Tales | Published by: Psygnosis

Hello everyone, StarBoy91 here; passionate about video games, big retrophile, and covering another Genesis game this year--this time a hidden classic.

In the early '90s there was an Amiga demo by the name of Puggs in Space created and designed by a demogroup called Dionysus (formed up by Lee Carus, Alan McCarthy, and Tim Wright) that starred the space hopper alien Puggsy.

Image from Wikipedia; GOD I love that Roger Dean-designed logo!  RIP Psygnosis (1985-2012)

Management at Psygnosis was so impressed by the demo that they approached Dionysus to create a game based on the character--unfortunately they had no idea where to go with said character, so the demogroup got pulled out of development (though apparently, according to Wright, their version was going to be akin to something like Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet).  Enter British studio Traveller's Tales (at the time using their Travellers Tales brand), who was asked by Psygnosis if they could make the game based on Puggsy's character from the demo, and this time he got his due in the form of a platformer--but with a twist.

Written and directed by company founder Jon Burton (who designed and programmed the game) and his collaborative partner Andy Ingram (who handled the artwork and graphic design), Puggsy would see a release on the Sega MegaDrive and Genesis in Europe and America respectively in late 1993 by Psygnosis.  While the eponymous space hopper's design was unaltered from his demo roots, his color got changed from red to orange to prevent color bleeding.  Puggsy was one of the very first games developed by Traveller's Tales, after their inaugural title Leander and their joint effort with Psygnosis with the video game adaptation of Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie incarnation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.  With the game turning a quarter of a century old this year, does it hold up?

The game revolves around a space hopping alien named Puggsy who in his space travels navigates his spaceship towards The Planet and lands in its waters.  Not wanting to stay after exploring a bit, he intends to return to his home planet,...

unfortunately during his search his spaceship's been taken away from the planet's raccoon inhabitants, leaving him stranded and with little option.

On his quest to retrieve his only means to fly back to space, Puggsy will have to overcome the many perils this planet has got in store for him, defeat the five individually placed world guardians along the way, and eventually confront the Raccoon King.

And so it starts

Traveller's Tales' Puggsy is a map-based platformer not unlike Nintendo's 1990 16-bit launch title Super Mario World.  But whereas the aforementioned classic was a simple platformer, this game goes a step further by incorporating an element that proves organic throughout the entire course of the proceeding: puzzles.  But I'm getting ahead of myself; in the options screen you can determine the amount of lives you want from one to six (represented by hearts), choose from one of six control types, and input a 9x3 number password (which is a wee bit excessive if I have to be honest, but it's not that bad compared to password-driven games that used a larger amount of characters at the time) that you're given after every three new levels you access on the map.

"Go fish!"

Since I play Genesis games on my RetroGen cartridge either on the SNES or on the Super Famicom (not owning a MegaDrive or Genesis console) which requires the Nintendo 16-bit controller, I always choose the second control type in the options screen to accommodate the Sega 16-bit controller layout with the Nintendo 16-bit controller I'm playing with.  With the B button (B on the SFC/SNES controller) Puggsy can jump up in the air with how much altitude he gains based on how lightly or hard the button was pressed (hopping and bopping on enemies is accomplished by pressing down and B simultaneously, remember this), the C button (A) enables Puggsy to pick up any and all objects he comes across that he can lower or raise with his arms by pressing and/or holding down or up respectively which can be dropped or thrown or let go by pressing the same button again (depending on whether or not you held a direction button as you did so), and with the A button (Y) Puggsy can use the current item in his hands (only applies to specific ones).

Puggsy used the water pistol, it is ineffective

One very helpful aspect when it comes to holding an item is that it can help Puggsy up ledges because his arms are so small that he cannot do it otherwise, by holding up in this state he gets to stay on but by holding down he'll manage to use his buoyancy and weight to launch himself upward (and if it doesn't initially work, you could try alternating between the two directions; it's effective when it comes to holding certain items underwater or propelling himself upward from the water's surface with proper timing, for that is the key to success in this regard).

Pistol fire

Puggsy is one of those one hit and you die kind of games for if you get in contact by an enemy (even if you failed to hold down and B at once), its projectile, a hazard (like a fire) or in a handful of stages fall offscreen then you'll lose a life, by which point you'll resume your progress at the spot (generally speaking)… luckily there are a couple items doubling as health supplements that will help you survive more than one hit and make the proceedings more playable (and bearable): the sunglasses and the trainers.  By using the boxes holding the respective item inside you'll be equipping them, and the latter is a huge saving grace for it not only enables you to move at a faster pace but it also lets you jump and hop higher than you normally would without the trainers on.  Each level can be revisited once you've beaten it, and if you wish to return to the map without having to reach the exit all you have to do is press all three face buttons while the game is paused (particularly if you just wanted to get the sunglasses and/or trainers or in a highly probable scenario if you feel you messed up to the point of no return); this, however, cannot be done during the boss battles.

Raccoon boss towering over you

And speaking of boss battles, these are the only instances where you have more than one health as both Puggsy and the world guardian in question have a got a health of six (excepting one whose health capacity is half of that).  The goal of each level is to reach the exit that's represented by the raccoon door, and you'll know that you're in a boss level if the square level marker is big; defeating them is the only way to move forward, but if your health is completely depleted then you'll have to replay the level anew in order to face them again.  During the map screen the A button will set aside the area window or bring it back into place, the B button toggles between the area window and current password (you'll know you got a new one when it automatically shows it if you previously left it in the area window), and the C button shows the world guardians screen as well as let you know which ones you took down and which ones have yet to be defeated.

Well, that's a creepy-looking fish if I saw one

The visuals in Puggsy are really good, aiming for a rather detailed aesthetic through and through while not sacrificing its sense of color.  During the opening beach levels there is a distant moon in the backdrop with a series of fossilized fish below the sand, there is a sense of visual depth as you explore the forest levels with the rows of trees in the background, in the levels taking place in the city with raccoon citizens there are old-style houses, the inside of the pyramid levels are immersive due to the looming Egyptian-themed raccoon décor in the backdrop, and so forth.  The badger mill levels have got chains in the foreground that augment its sense of atmospheric depth,

and occasionally--whether in the dimly lit levels, behind a waterfall, or when Puggsy finds himself underwater--there are moments that simulate color layering so seamlessly (considering the Sega 16-bit doesn't have color layering effects like Nintendo's 16-bit console does) whether it be the use of dithering or reducing the brightness in half.

They say he who holds the conch holds the power

Puggsy is an interestingly-designed alien with his big body stretching down to the floor to the point where he doesn't seem to have legs of any kind, his seemingly unwavering smile, and big nose.  His movements are incredibly fluid, whether it be his walking animation (sped up if he's got the trainers on), hopping up and falling down, sliding forward or backwards (depending where you face should you be standing on an angle), and hanging animations (all depending on the shifting weight and buoyancy), and I really like the sense of follow-through when it comes to his antennas (I think?).  It's a neat detail seeing him raise and lower his arms when he's holding an item in his arms (little by little, there's two different sets of raising and lowering), and when he loses a life there's a shocked expression from his face with mouth agape as his sprite gradually bounces up then falls offscreen.

Alternate between raising and lowering to

gain altitude

Before I played this game I knew there was a level (albeit a secret one) littered with wabbit cameos from Raising Hell Software's Amiga and MegaDrive/Genesis game Wiz 'n' Liz: The Frantic Wabbit Wescue, which was done and released roughly around the same time as this game.  What I didn't know before finally accessing Wabbits World was just how fluid their animation was, and they're just background characters here which I genuinely found impressive.  I haven't played Wiz 'n' Liz, so I'm not sure if the same applies in that game, but considering Puggsy's credits thanks that game's designer Martyn R. Chudley for the wabbit graphics, it may very well be the case.

Image from Wikipedia; Happy 25th Anniversary, game I've yet to play

I'm not sure why I expected anything less, as beforehand I thought their animation would be basic; probably because the enemies have basic and minimal animation compared to the titular character.

He shouldn't run with scissors in his hands

Or at least that would be the case if he had his trainers on

The enemy roster comprises of raccoon variants (including a snow-themed palette swap in the snowy levels, those with beards, female ones with dresses and bonnets, and mummified ones), mice variants (such as those acting as guards and those with slightly oversized mine helmets on), fish, clams, bats, sentient bouncing knight helms, sentient snowmen, snowman heads, et al.  They all have a cute, cartoony style about them, though they don't really have an animation or an incredulous reaction for when they're disposed of as their sprite freezes upon taking damage as they fly off and/or disappear offscreen (and this also applies if Puggsy collided with them head on).

"Thirsty?"

Which brings me to The Planet's world guardians: all of them have got a somewhat imposing design about them regardless of size.  One example is the anthropomorphic parrot boss adorned in pirate garb, which is a unique twist, another is a blue-robed raccoon that is larger compared to you who gradually bops his head and lowers its paws (sometimes at the same time), and there is a dragon boss who's larger than you and moves backwards or forwards by tiptoe which I found funny considering it does that on all fours while holding a devious grimace.  They are all well-designed which makes up for the fact that they don't have any animation for when they're defeated (except the second world guardian who's revealed to be three normal-sized raccoons on a totem pole on a unicycle passing off as huge).

All right, I found my ship, and I didn't have to fight a...

And the Raccoon King at the end of the Racatlantis Maze...

Well, CRAP!

is the biggest baddie in the entire game, taking up practically the entire screen, with a face that screams nightmare fuel coupled with his threatening red eyes and darkly imposing stature (this in spite of the fact that he doesn't animate at all).

One boss encounter in the pyramids is visually impressive considering the MegaDrive/Genesis' technical capabilities as the boss in that segment is a raccoon-themed spaceship that scales in and out.  Any other company would've redrawn the sprite at differing distances, but in this case Traveller's Tales accomplishes it so seamlessly.  The closest the Sega 16-bit comes to achieving Mode 7 level effects of Nintendo's 16-bit powerhouse.

"Did someone order bread?"

One emblematic aspect of Traveller's Tales' video game catalogue as a whole, especially their MegaDrive/Genesis games from the '90s, is that they would push the hardware to its limits by accomplishing technically impressive effects that were not thought to be possible at the time given the system's limitations.  That same quality applies to this game as well, for they managed to feature over two-hundred and thirty colors on the same screen, particle effects (namely the flame effects of the fire the dragon spews at you and the game over screen where the words fade in the dust swept up by the current), the aforementioned scaling pyramid boss, and the fight you have with the parrot boss transpires on a ship constantly rocking back and forth via rotation effects (another largely unheard of effect on the Sega 16-bit).  Do you want to know how I knew all that?

Because after a point during the credits sequence it tells you what Puggsy used to make it what it is by advertising itself.  It's great to know that Software Creations' Nintendo 16-bit cult classic Solstice II/Equinox wasn't the only game during the '90s to promote itself in one form or another.

One of the more deviously designed puzzles:

stacking enough coins to open the way out

But the most impressive effect in this game, in my opinion anyway, happens right from the outset.  After the Sega logo and shortly after the "Psygnosis presents" title card it initially starts with just the depths of space, but then all of a sudden coming from the upper left corner of the screen is Puggsy's spaceship as it flies closer to the screen but then veers towards to the upper right corner of the screen as it flies towards The Planet.  The amazing thing about the spaceship at this point is that it is fully rendered in 3D (accomplished through silicon graphics), and even though it's only a few seconds long I find it incredibly impressive considering it was done in 1993.

Look out, he's about to toss flour at you!

Puggsy's music and sound was provided by Matt Furniss and Shaun Hollingworth of Krisalis Software, both of whom also worked on that department with Raising Hell Software's Wiz 'n' Liz: The Frantic Wabbit Wescue, the Genesis version of Core Design's Wolfchild, and the MegaDrive/Genesis conversion of Silicon & Synapse's awesome action/puzzler The Lost Vikings among many, many other credits on their huge resumé (and if the name "Krisalis Software" sounds familiar to you, that's probably because you were acquainted with their bizarrely premised Soccer Kid, which Furniss and Hollingworth also provided music and sound for).  And considering the reputation of the Sega 16-bit's sound samples as a whole, the soundtrack is honestly pretty good despite the technical limitations.

I've got my eye on you, literally

The compositions are well-written and catchy, the instrumentation is aptly-chosen, and they greatly amplify the respective atmosphere of each areas' levels that you partake in (plus there are plenty of themes that are quite catchy in their own right).  The opening beach levels have got a bouncy calypso tune accompanying them, the Red Woods theme is deeply immersive and mysterious, the interiors of Redwood Keep have got a grand majestic theme complementing its areas, Star Fall Lake has got a pleasant theme that sounds so alleviating with an appropriate dream-like quality to it (and is among my favorite songs in Puggsy), the pyramid themes are atmospheric, and the badger mill theme is relaxing to listen to, to name plenty of examples.

Imposing raccoon décor is imposing

The opening title theme does an exceptional job at drawing you into the game and getting you pumped for what's to come, there is a dark theme that plays when you access the world guardians screen in the map (which also plays during the hidden Lunar Jet Pug level), the boss themes are energetically supercharged and have all got their individual themes dedicated to them, the cue that plays during the meanwhile segments is ridiculously catchy yet endearing all at once, the final boss theme is foreboding and menacing, and the credits theme for when you beat the game is so rewarding when all is said and done culminating in a great finish.  The sound effects are quaintly selected, like whenever Puggsy lands on the ground (regardless of how high he fell from), the sound for when a switch has been activated, when an enemy has been hopped and bopped on, and when a world guardian sustains damage.

What's this?  A bat in a Traveller's Tales game?

Ya don't say!

On the title screen is a Junior mode which is essentially a primer for those playing the game for the first time, but as per usual it's only through playing the normal game mode where you gain access to the lion's share of the game.  The levels available in Junior give you an impression that it's a fairly straightforward platformer, when the reality is that there is more to it than the sum of its parts (did I use that phrase properly?) not just in terms of gameplay but in terms of puzzle-solving, which you'll find very apparent in all the levels unavailable in Junior.

Match the correct equivalent items, or face

the wrath of the butterflies who are highly

impervious to your jumps

Puggsy was well-received in its heyday, and there were plans for an SNES version which was roughly complete, but because both this game and fellow Psygnosis release Raising Hell Software's Wiz 'n' Liz: The Frantic Wabbit Wescue didn't make an impact in terms of sales (coupled with the oversaturation of publishers in the video game market, according to Jon Burton), the Nintendo version got cancelled to everyone's dismay.  It would, however, see a release on the Mega-CD/Sega CD in 1993 as well which had more content than the MegaDrive/Genesis original from what I looked up, and in 1994 Puggsy would become playable on the Amiga computer.  While it had fallen under the radar at release despite the praise from those that had played it, over time there has been a cult following dedicated to it earning the love and appreciation it so long deserved.

Pretty sadistic, I know, but how else is the

recipe on the cauldron going to be complete?

Puggsy was a game I knew about over a decade ago but didn't really know more about it until around a year or two before I decided to purchase my copy on October 2014, especially since it was done by Traveller's Tales (my main reason for being interested) whose prior mid '90s fare I played before then was Toy Story on the PC and SNES, Mickey's Wild Adventure on the PlayStation One (which I got to experience because I grew up in Europe during the first decade of my life and visit the continent pretty much every year because some relatives live there, as it never saw a release in America in physical format; something about Sony of America not wanting 2D PlayStation One platformers or some nonsense, but I digress), and Sonic 3D Blast on Sonic Mega Collection for the Nintendo GameCube.  It was the sixth physical Genesis cart I got, and I enjoyed it from what I played, but I got stuck in one segment which kind of deterred me from continuing it.  It wasn't until the start of this month that I decided to give this game another go, and during my playthrough I discovered why I got stuck the very first time I played it: I played it wrong.

WHOOOOOOA!!!!!!

To put it into perspective, this is an action/puzzle platformer, and as such there are going to be moments of puzzle solving.  The real issue for me back in 2014, however, was that I did not recognize that I had to hold down and B at the same time to dispose of enemies by jumping on them, as before then I thought the only way of disposing of them would be with the invincibility shield item activated and the pistols (water and normal) and jumped over them if they got closer, and the fact that I did not consider it at the time makes me feel awkward in hindsight because as a result (I got stuck on a Redwood Keep level) I missed on the really great qualities this game had to offer (and learning the return to map code and the traction-augmenting trainers opened this game's worlds and wonders up for me).  It wasn't until almost four years after I got the game that I got a true appreciation and taste for it, and I am so sorry it took me this long to right this wrong, because Puggsy on the whole is an incredibly fun game to play.

Jon Burton's Sega 16-bit classic is superior in every way, shape, or form to the watered down Nintendo 16-bit conversion, in my opinion, no offense to Chris Stanforth; to be reviewed in 2019

I do have more of a fondness for Mickey's Wild Adventure growing up playing it, and the original Sega 16-bit version Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse which I got to play last month is a lot of fun too (head over heels better than the inferior SNES version I caught up with last year; what happened there??), but Puggsy may very well be the best out of all the Traveller's Tales games that I played.

"Hope you don't mind if I take that"

The game excels with its gameplay once you know how to play it (properly), but it excels even moreso when it comes to its puzzles.  A mere handful of levels are fairly straightforward, but the majority of them will require a varying amount of puzzle-solving.  Some paths are initially blocked because it's locked so you'll need a key, and at other points it will require something more involved.  There is a great deal of ingenuity when it comes to the puzzle solutions, and one example of this is a mummified raccoon with the eyeball on it in this one pyramid level where using the controller in Puggsy's hands gives center focus on the raccoon which you'll have to navigate by moving left and right (bearing in mind that it jumps on occasion) until it touches the correct switch that enables Puggsy to leave the area.

Tiptoeing dragon

Other examples of puzzle-solving are a level involving getting all switches activated by guiding the bag of flour riding on a conveyor belt in the proper direction which Puggsy will have to operate himself sometimes, another instance involves stacking just enough coins by tossing them behind a tall obstacle trying to manage to get them inside the slim gap which will take numerous tries, there is a blocked exit that will require you to dispose of obstacles through explosives in order for the mine car to go through, there is a matching style game where you have to throw in the correct items that resemble the ones you're supposed to match in order to unlock the exit otherwise it leads to irreparable results (irreparable, that is, until you press all buttons while paused to go back to the map to start the level again), one later level involves you putting certain ingredients inside a cauldron with an item you need to progress underneath a table which can only be accessed by tossing a different item towards its direction while moving fast, et al.  The way these puzzles are incorporated are very innovative, very intuitive, and frankly quite ingenious, even if I'll admit that certain ones might be a bit tasking

One of my least favorite puzzles in the game

(in particular the penultimate level leading up to the Raccoon King in the Racatlantis Maze as it not only entails buoyancy but also balance).  And it's made all the easier if you've got trainers on.

So this is what it's come down to?  Shooting at

evil bouncing snowman heads?

The goal of each level is to reach the exit, and in most cases there are two; there's the easy to reach exit and then there's one which take an involved amount of puzzle-solving, or if that's not the case then it might be in a portion of the level that will involve Puggsy reaching for a higher ledge or portion of the level (and in one instance underwater, alternating between holding up and down as you gradually "swim" upward as you hold onto the conch).  Since the two exits are in different spots, naturally it means opening up new and separate levels on the world map.

Heads up

Puggsy, both the back of the box that I saw online and the game itself on more than one occasion, boasts that it's got fifty-one levels and urges you to complete them, but technically there are six additional ones--the catch with those is that they are not entirely canon to the game as they are only accessible via a special password (which you'll know worked if all twenty-seven numbers suddenly revert back to zero), but they are worth exploring in their own right (including one with a message telling you what Leander was retitled as when ported to the Sega 16-bit console).

Completing the last of these six levels will lead to a cute thank you message from the Traveller's Tales.

In speaking of Leander, it's nice that Jon Burton incorporated cameos not just from the company's first game (albeit as a statue) but also from the wabbits from Raising Hell Software's game in two of its secret levels (one for each); it gives Puggsy a bigger sense of scale, like it could be taking place in the same universe as these games.  Okay, maybe I exaggerate, but it's a nice and thoughtful gesture regardless as it shows how smart Traveller's Tales was (and is) as a company to take their time to acknowledge these titles so early in their career.

A "silly" maths question, or a complex maths question?  Regardless, get your calculators ready

As for the special password required to access those six extra levels if your were curious, it comes in the form of this question during the credits sequence, with the answer being (you're welcome):

123 765 444

177 075 537

457 337 735

Ziplining

There are plenty of levels on the map, whether it be the normal kind (some of which are accessed by taking a hard to reach exit), the boss fight levels represented by big squares, and the most secret levels as represented by question marks which you'll know you've beaten when it's white as opposed to yellow.  There are a handful of secret levels that are quite brief and based on pre-existing arcade games like Taito's Space Invaders as you shoot upward towards enemies (including a tiny man driving a car... what?) and a paddleless equivalent to Arkanoid as you have to destroy the blocks above you while not falling down the evenly spaced gaps and catching the heart lest you go back to the map and start over.  One secret level in particular, Lunar Jet Pug, is so brief but difficult as you have to navigate yourself on a tiny UFO while avoiding collision with the vector-style ground as if it were something out of an old vector-based Atari coin-op like Asteroids and Lunar Lander.

One secret level will lead you to a room with a message saying "HERE IS A SECRET ROOM", and the cool thing is that you can take some of these letters and form a word by stacking them properly (carrying them from the bottom letter; stacking items is also key to reaching high places at points).  One example you're given during the credits is "HEROS" which if you carry all five letters spelling that will take you to a special screen, but what should happen if you spell another word and carry it out the exit door; like, say, "CHEAT"?

"Hear ye, hear ye!  We have someone who knows how to spell 'CHEAT'!"

It was only for the Lunar Jet Pug level, I promise, but I wanted to show what would happen if you carried that word towards the exit of A Hidden Place.  Not only will it give you infinite lives and health (until you resume from your last password) but it will turn Puggsy and all the letters in the map and the numbers in each upper corner sharing his color to green.  It's bizarre, yet it's a very interesting result.

Letting go at the proper time is key

The first time I beat it I only managed to access most of the levels, but for my very next playthrough which was right away I wanted to see every level Puggsy had to offer from the beginning.  Admittedly I was curious if I had to manually count if I had made access to all fifty-one levels because there is a lot of them and the only means to continue your progress is through a password, but luckily an automatic message will show up letting you know that you got them all and the award for achieving that is a well done compliment with a few visuals... which will stay permanently until you turn the game off.  The boss fights are interestingly implemented as a lot of the time the reason they sustain damage is because they left stuff for Puggsy to use against them (like switches and getting out of the way of ricocheting lasers--so really, their demise comes their own undoing) and once the adventure is over after the defeat of the Raccoon King we have an epilogue.

Oh, that's pleasing and really great to know; as long as there is no sequel baiting we're se---

………...why?  Just... why?

*sigh*  I already went over my disdain for when games set up or hint at follow-ups that ultimately never ended up happening on a few occasions in the past, so I don't wish to reiterate why I personally find those teasers in the end frustrating at the risk of prolonging my already lengthy review, so I'll just move on.  Traveller's Tales probably had plans for Puggsy to appear in a sequel during development, but was discarded entirely when Puggsy didn't sell well despite the positive reception it had gotten; that's too bad.  =(

Racatlantis: The Lost Empire

It's a shame that Puggsy ended up being strictly a one-off affair and didn't get released on the SNES, but I am glad that I have the means to play it through the RetroGen because it is very fun while it lasts (I can't help but feel bad for taking almost four years after I got it to realize that once I learned how to play it properly) for there is a great deal of depth and ingenuity when it comes to the gameplay and puzzles when viewed as a whole.  And there is a lot of lighthearted charm through and through, whether it be the character and enemy designs as well as the inventive nature behind some of the puzzles (certain secret levels even have quirky titles dedicated to them, including the six non-canon ultra secret ones), and Puggsy himself is very likable despite the fact that we don't really know all that much about him aside from being a space hopping alien.  Also, the huge abundance of exits and levels during the course of the game make a really strong case for its replay value, and there is a ton of it.

Because it wouldn't be a lighthouse without

any (candle) light, now would it?

If you were curious about Puggsy then I highly recommend it, whether you like good platforming action or whether you like good puzzle-solving in your games, or better yet as a hybrid of the two genres for there is plenty of both to satisfy both parties.  Throw in a detailed sense of atmosphere, clever little Easter eggs sprinkled here and there, a good degree of challenge, and plenty of special effects that were ahead of their time as far as the MegaDrive/Genesis was concerned, and you've got a worthwhile hidden gem, which may be the best game by Traveller's Tales from the '90s.  Definitely worth hopping into!  =D

My Personal Score: 8.5/10

d(^-^)bTO EACH THEIR OWNd(^-^)b

P.S. In this one level there is a puzzle where you have to place the letters M, R, and C in the correct spot (whereas the other letters spelling "chrome" are unused) which is only revealed through a chrome light because the area is dark.  I wondered: could that be a subtle reference to Martyn R. Chudley who worked on Wiz 'n' Liz: The Frantic Wabbit Wescue?  Because those seem like they would be his initials.

P.S. 2 In relevance to Puggsy (somewhat): during the credits for Traveller's Tales' subsequent platformer Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse there is a name that always catches my attention under the U.K. Quality Assurance segment, and that's "B.Y. Puggsy".  I don't know whether that's a real name or a pseudonym, but considering it's only present in that game (also because there's no Puggsy cameo) it's too bizarre to not bring up.  o~O  Or maybe, it's a subliminal message of some sort; hmmmmmm………

P.S. 3 Over a week ago I saw Corin Hardy's The Nun in theatres, the newest spinoff to James Wan's The Conjuring movies, and I thought it was okay (better than I thought it would be, I might add); nothing great, nothing terrible (well, aside from the jump scares, maybe dial those down a little in the future, or a lot rather?), just okay.  I liked it enough for its creepy and foreign atmosphere, settings, and acting, but it doesn't hold a candle to The Conjuring and its sequel in my opinion because it doesn't have the overarching family element, genuine thrills that are earned, and emotional resonance that's prevalent in those movies, but with this one I felt that they were trying somewhat to recapture some magic from said movies as I was invested in some of its characters (James Wan's involvement as script writer helps; like this one scene in the cemetery that was intensely shot) but is undermined somewhat by the overreliance of jump scares and hindered by some questionable moments.  Still, it was better than John R. Leonetti's Annabelle from four years ago, which is really not that hard a feat and was all I was hoping for before seeing it.

Happy 25th Anniversary, Puggsy!!!  =D

Thank you for reading my review, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think (neither spam nor NSFW comments are allowed); hope you have a great day, take care!  =D