Retro Corner: 'Puggsy'

First released: Mega Drive, Amiga (1993), Mega-CD (1994)
Now available for: N/A

Puggsy, a bright orange alien who crash landed on a raccoon-infested island, wasn't one of the most memorable platforming mascots from the 16-bit era. And unlike other platformers of its time, Puggsy was less concerned with speed and precision than with objects that would help you make your way through the adventure.

While there were dozens of objects available, they all shared similar properties as keys to stack on top of each other to reach higher ledges or for sheer novelty value, but all were useful in their own way. It was all governed by a physics system, with each object given its own shape, weight and buoyancy, reacting differently to slopes and water.

It made for unique but occasionally fiddly gameplay, especially when climbing ledges (using it to bounce from the arms and over) and across large distances, especially in a stack that would easily topple over.

It wasn't a pure puzzle platformer, though. Stages were vast and filled with hidden nooks and crannies, and of course, roaming enemies, which could be defeated with traditional head bounces or firing weapons and throwing objects. The island location was also a vast place to explore, and while it featured all the usual platforming tropes of sandy stages, forests and mechanical bases, the excellent art style and slightly dark tone provided a wonderfully adventurous feel.

Puggsy was also famed for its secrets and branching stages. Certain levels had hidden exits that led to additional routes on a map, allowing you to bypass stages and boss encounters. Secret areas featured nods to Puggsy's demoscene past, as well as a cameo from fellow Psygnosis title Wiz 'n' Liz. Elsewhere, an infamous lighthouse had you organise children's building blocks to spell out different words for cheats and unlockables.

While the Mega Drive and Amiga versions were similar in terms of visuals and content, the Mega-CD edition featured bonus FMV sequences, new bosses and an additional nine levels. A SNES version was also completed but never saw the light of day, with developer Traveller's Tales hoping one day to track it down and release it on the public domain.

Puggsy unfortunately didn't gain much in the way of sales or critical acclaim, but it's a fondly remembered adventure that pushed physics gameplay long before it became the norm today. It's also one of the first outings for one of today's successful developers, TT Games, creator of the best-selling LEGO series. We'd like to think its fondness for collecting bricks and items perhaps stems from this quirky platformer.

Do you have many fond memories of Puggsy? Add a comment to the space below!