Zool and Donk the Samurai Duck game reviews (Commodore Amiga)

Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension - Review

(Gremlin Graphics, Commodore Amiga Game, 1992)

I am a bit of a grumpy old bugger if I am honest. I have reached that point in life where, if something doesn't please me then I don't waste my time on it. I certainly get irritated more easily than I did twenty years ago, which doesn't bode well for Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension...

Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension was released for the Amiga in 1992 and was intended (as so many 'mig platform releases were) to be a rival to Sonic and Mario. It is a smooth, bright, colourful and fast moving platform game, featuring ‘Zool’ who is (can you guess?) a ‘Ninja of the Nth Dimension’. This means he is a weird alien thing with a mask on, who looks quite like an ant with four legs (or two legs and two arms. Do ants have arms? I digress...).

The story is that Zool has to navigate seven lands and beat the final boss of each in order to become a Ninja. He can jump, run, climb, crouch and slide into enemies killing them. He can also spin attack if you press fire while jumping. He can fire his weapon to dispatch the many bad guys and along the way he can collect extra power-ups to help him progress, including: a smart bomb, an ability to split into two doubling his firepower, a double height jump, a shield, a time bonus and (of course) the obligatory extra lives.

Gameplay is pretty standard platform fare, though you will encounter a number of mini games which break things up a bit. The introduction music is a fairly painful techno tune, with the remaining in-game effects being decidedly unremarkable. At the time of release Commodore threw its weight behind the game, making it the lead title in the Amiga ‘Zool pack’ which was bundled with the (then) new Amiga 1200, the pack also including the excellent Pinball Dreams, somewhat less than excellent Striker and useful but probably underused Transwrite. The combined Amiga press gave the game almost universally high scores upon release, with many rating the game in the ninety-something percentage range.

But for me, it just doesn’t happen. The end result is simply not the sum of the parts, with a number of negative aspects that spoil the game. Firstly, the screen can become quite cluttered with foreground, background, stuff to collect, enemies, bullets and the flying fragments of things you have just shot. I have mentioned this before in other reviews but I will say it again; 8% of the male population are shade blind and I am one of them. If you get overly ambitious with too many objects and colours flying about, all some of us see is a confusing mush.

The worlds are quite samey too and, while the theme changes, the gameplay doesn't. It doesn't take long before you start to feel that there is nothing new to see. I have never been particularly enamoured by platform games that use random blocks scattered about for no apparent reason to form the play area. I much prefer those where you feel as if you are navigating something that feels more real and logical, with the platforms forming part of the overall landscape. Gods, Ruff 'n' Tumble and Superfrog are examples where the player is presented with a more ‘realistic’ world to explore. Simply dumping a series of random shapes across the screen feels lazy and gives the game zero character (and before anyone shouts “Super Mario Bros” at me, I will certainly concede that some of the Mario games can be guilty of this and if the rest of Zool was as perfect as any Mario game then I would be more than prepared to make an exception!).

Unfortunately, it isn't. In fact the game irritates endlessly by committing virtually every cardinal sin possible for a platform game. Frequent blind jumps which often turn out to be into spiked pits or onto bad guys? Check. Annoying icy sections that make controlling your (already quite skittish) character just that bit more unpleasant? Check. Traps that come out of the floor and take your energy with zero warning? Check. Tricky wall climbs to negotiate only to be ambushed at the top and knocked back down, to either have to start the climb again or onto spikes to die? Check. Bad guys that re-spawn endlessly so you can clear an area; jump back five seconds later and get overwhelmed? Check. It feels as if Gremlin spent weeks researching the elements that make a platform game annoying and then made sure that all were included. Oh, and while it comes on just two disks, it doesn't recognise a second drive and there are some pretty long loading times.

It also suffers from one of the most unpleasant and in-your-face commercial tie-ins ever seen in a game. Without the funds to complete the title, the developer went cap in hand to lollipop manufacturer Chupa-Chups, signed a sponsorship deal and this resulted in the final game containing more lollipop references than an episode of Kojak. In completing the first ‘sweet world’ it is hard to progress without a Chupa-Chups logo half the size of your screen staring at you.

However, putting irritating gameplay, confusing screens, poor level design and tasteless commercial tie-ins aside, the main killer for me was that I simply didn’t care. Some games make you want to protect your character. Zool doesn’t. I would play, I would die and I would start again. There was nothing that made me want to get further, to see more of the game.

Platform games are very much my thing. Over the years I have fallen in love with a number of them, including Superfrog and Gods on the ‘mig, Crash Bandicoot on the PlayStation and I have played more than my fair share of Mario games. I have invested many hours to see the very ends of some of those games, but I am afraid that, despite trying many times to progress and be seduced by its colourful ninja-ly antness, Zool still leaves me utterly cold.

I realise of course that opinion makes the world go round. There will be those that hate Crash, or Gods, or even Mario. And they are absolutely entitled to their opinion. They may harbour a burning desire to be an alien-ninja-wannabe-ant-thing, in which case they might well enjoy this. It isn't completely dreadful by any means, but the overriding feeling I get whilst playing Zool is one of irritation or even downright annoyance. More than anything it feels like a missed opportunity, because the bones are there. The actual game mechanics aren't bad. His movement is pretty slick and it all runs quickly and smoothly. Had the programmers taken just a little trouble to iron out some of the fairly obvious gameplay faults, it could have been a quite enjoyable little platformer. As it is, I can't even bring myself to play it any further to get any more screen grabs; it really does irk me that much.

So there you are. It is some platform game. Solid enough, but with enough flaws to ultimately make it more annoying than fun and therefore one that I cannot recommend. If you want a top quality and highly enjoyable Amiga platformer with added guns, I suggest you check out Ruff 'n' Tumble which beats Zool into a cocked hat.

Graphics - 80%

Bright and very colourful, but a bit cluttered for my taste. Some game developers would have done well to remember that 8% of men are shade blind.

Sounds - 45%

What sounds there are aren't particularly impressive. The introduction techno music is fairly unpleasant and in-game you are treated to a series of plinks, plonks and electro-drum sounds that sound like a child playing with the special effects section of a Yamaha keyboard.

Grab-Factor - 85%

It is fairly standard platform fare so isn't hard to get the hang of. You may want to consult the manual to see what the various power-ups do but most are self-explanatory.

Playability - 60%

It all works fine. Game mechanics are decent enough, but for me it was all too busy, there were too many platform game clichéd flaws and there was nothing that made me want another go.

Verdict- 67%

AG 17/12/2018

Donk the Samurai Duck

Donk the Samurai Duck - Review

A poultry-based platformer boasting a ridiculous number of levels

Developers: Cryptic Allusion, The Hidden, Supervision Entertainment Ltd.

Publishers: GOAT Store, The Hidden

Release date: 1993

Recently, I seem to have found myself reviewing platform games in batches that share certain similarities. A few months ago I looked at Deep Core and Deliverance - both of which appeared to have taken inspiration from Gods - and now following on from my recent reviews of Alfred Chicken and Qwak, I have been playing Donk the Samurai Duck, another cutesy platformer featuring a hero of the poultry variety.

Getting my ducks in a row

Once the game has booted there is an option to select either a “Normal” or an “AGA” mode; oooh - very nice, extra marks for that. The AGA mode is noticeably more attractive, with higher detail in the backgrounds and some impressive parallax scrolling in evidence.

There isn't a huge selection of game options (just two in fact), but one of them is to choose between using either up or the fire button to jump. Brilliant! For once, the fire button isn’t needed for anything else, as your weapon is an automatic spinning attack when you jump, and using fire to jump makes control so much easier. There is also the choice of a one or two-player game, with the two-player option being split-screen simultaneous play, making for a frantic competitive experience.

You play as Donk. This sword-wielding duck is portrayed via quite a large character sprite, but he looks good and quite distinctive. I confess to not being quite sure why he is a Samurai, aside from wearing some armour and bearing a small sword. There are no other obvious references to it in the game and it feels very much like a half-hearted attempt to make him stand out and give the title some kind of USP.

We’ll gloss over that though. Your mission is to battle through the levels to reach the fortress at the end of each world, where you face off with your arch enemy; Eider Down (Ed. – “Groan!”).

Your movement is largely limited to travelling left, right and jumping, so everything appears pretty straightforward to start. As well as delivering your spin attack, your jump also allows Donk to crash through fragile parts of the landscape to access new areas.

Have I seen you somewhere before?

Once into the game, things feel rather familiar. Although the backgrounds and play areas are busier, first impressions did remind me of Alfred Chicken. In particular - the oversized yellow gems are almost identical to the blue ones featured in Alfred’s platform jaunt.

Once all gems on a level have been collected, the screen turns red, an alarm sounds, and you have to race to the exit before a 90 second timer runs out (I am sure that any similarities with the end of level dashes in the Alien Breed series are purely coincidental...). This sounds hectic, but in reality 90 seconds is more than enough time, especially if you use your noddle and leave the gems nearest the exit to collect last!

Size matters

I must mention the size of the game, as there are seven worlds to explore, each containing a meaty 16 levels. That gives a total of, um (reaches for calculator), 112 levels?! Hmmm. That can’t be right? Must be my chubby fingers. (Checks calculator again.) Wow, it is right - ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE LEVELS! That is extraordinary, considering that many platform games offer only four worlds, with just three or four levels each.

The levels aren’t short either. By the time you reach the third, you will be exploring a sprawling area which will probably necessitate the use of the in-game map (which can be found in a bonus box). This brings up a funky, neon green map which scrolls easily in any direction, enabling the whole level to be viewed, and showing the locations of any remaining crystals and the exits. The levels might not quite match the size and complexity of those in the likes of Turrican II, but some aren’t far short.

You start on an adventure map, and here you choose to access each level, a game mechanic reminiscent of Super Mario World. Some of the levels contain a secret hidden exit which, if found and used, will alter your path through the game.

Variety is the spice of life

Donk can take three hits before losing a life and this is cleverly indicated by the top and bottom of the status bars changing colour; from blue, to magenta and finally to red. However, while this is innovative, it isn’t as straightforward as a simple three-section energy bar which would probably be easier to see. Still - kudos for trying something different.

There are numerous bonuses and power-ups to be found, giving you extra lives, bombs, shields and lots more. You are allocated a generous seven lives, and the restart points and the option to continue on the “Game Over” screen means you don’t have to return to the beginning each time for repeated plays. There is a good save/load game feature too, accessed from the adventure map.

BONUSES

The following bonuses can be collected or activated in play:

GEMS - All the gems must be collected to open the normal exit on every level.

RESTART POINT - Donk will return to this point when he loses a life.

INVISIBLE PLATFORMS - When found, these will magically appear.

SWITCH - Switches are used to turn switchable blocks on and off.

SWITCHABLE BLOCK - Donk can pass these when these are turned off but not when they are turned on.

MAP - Allows Donk to view the whole level (only available in one player mode).

TELEPORT - teleport stations can be used once to swap the two players positions (in two player mode only).

HIDDEN EXIT - These open special paths on the adventure map. Not every level has a hidden exit.

EXIT - Normal exit that can only be opened by collecting all the gems. Every level has a normal exit. Opens normal paths on the Adventure Map.

DRILLABLE PLATFORMS - Donk can jump through the weak points in platforms.

POWER-UPS

The following power-ups can be found and collected:

EGGSTRA LIFE - Does exactly what it says.

SHIELD - Donk is invincible for a short time when wearing this flashing shield.

EGGY BOMB - This gives Donk an extra bomb. When activated this destroys all aliens except Eider Down

EGGSHELL SHIELD - This gives Donk an extra shield that can withstand five attacks.

JUMP - Donk can jump higher than normal.

FLOAT - It’s easier than flying but watch out for the aliens.

REVERSE - This automatically causes Donk's controls to reverse.

OLD TIMER - Donk can use this Egg to slow down the opposition.

A bit quackers

So far, so good then. But it’s not all positive. When negotiating a level, it’s not always easy to differentiate foreground from background, meaning that I frequently jumped onto blocks that just weren’t there. Even the very first level has large areas made up of red metallic squares and I struggled to get to grips with the fact that they were background tiles.

Even worse, some of the platforms that can be jumped on seem to be playing fast and loose with the words “collision detection”. There is little margin for error, as if Donk lands near an edge he sometimes finds himself sliding straight through, often onto some unpleasantness lurking underneath. Many platforms are quite small and there are some long and fiddly stretches of jumps which, when coupled with the skittish collision detection, make life more difficult than perhaps it could have been. There is a fine line between “challenging” and “downright annoying”, and the game skirts it continually.

Unfortunately the bad stuff doesn’t end there. There are frequent leaps of faith, and some enemies appear very suddenly, giving the player virtually no time to react, often resulting in the loss of a life. Then there is the issue where you might spin attack a bad guy, only for Donk to instantly die. A return visit to the manual will highlight a helpful warning that, “Not all enemies can be killed...”, but there appears to be no way to know which are invulnerable and must be avoided, apart from simple trial and error and then remembering next time. I can’t believe that this is really necessary (or fair) on a game boasting 112 complex levels.

But, the most annoying thing of all is the “quack” noise every time you jump. It may have been funny the first time and perhaps for the first few minutes. But for the whole game? I found that it got extremely irritating, very quickly!

What could have been?

So, Donk the Samurai Duck is a real mixed bag. There are plenty of moments that will make you go “Oooh!”, but these are more often than not immediately followed by a platformer cliché flaw that will turn it into an “Nnnngh!” .

On the plus side, it is predominantly a well-put-together, good looking and absolutely enormous platform game with more than enough bells and whistles to keep the player entertained. And there are some really nice touches that elevate it from the crowd, the simultaneous two-player option in particular being great fun.

Regrettably though, it also boasts its fair share of issues, and some are significant enough to relegate it from the premium titles to sit amongst the also-rans. It’s not awful - far from it, but equally it has the potential to have been so much better.

Graphics - 84%

Bright and colourful (as you would expect for the genre), with some excellent parallax effects on display in the AGA version.

Sounds - 65%

The sound effects and music are generally good. But they are all overshadowed by the constant quacking every time you jump, which does become irritating.

Grab-Factor - 76%

Easy to start, but plenty of trial and error is needed.

Playability - 81%

Despite the many faults that irk, this remains a playable game, offering plenty of challenge and millions of levels (well, 112 anyway!) so it delivers stacks of longevity too. And the two-player game is a lot of fun. But on the other hand, there is a “reverse the controls” power-up. Eugh. I’ll say no more...

Verdict - 77%

AG - August 2024

Featured in Amiga Addict magazine, issue 33.