Plok!

Plok! is a 1993 platform game developed by Software Creations and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls the hood-headed titular protagonist, the king of the island Akrillic, who is defending it from fleas spawned by the Flea Queen, hidden beneath the island's surface, as well as other bosses attempting to usurp Plok's power. Plok's versatility lies in his four detachable limbs, which can be used to attack targets and enemies, along with various power-ups scattered throughout the game's colorful stages, referred to as "presents". The history of Plok! began in the late 1980s as a self-funded coin-op project by Ste and John Pickford called Fleapit. They developed it while working at Zippo Games and programmed it for Rare's 'Razz Board' hardware. The project was canceled in 1990 following the closure of Zippo Games, but was later revived as an SNES game developed at Software Creations after the Pickfords were promoted to higher positions, with Ste becoming an art director and John a producer. Software Creations self-funded the game, with the Pickfords retaining ownership of its intellectual property rights. A port for the Mega Drive was planned, but was canceled for unknown reasons.…

Plok! is a 1993 platform game developed by Software Creations and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls the hood-headed titular protagonist, the king of the island Akrillic, who is defending it from fleas spawned by the Flea Queen, hidden beneath the island's surface, as well as other bosses attempting to usurp Plok's power. Plok's versatility lies in his four detachable limbs, which can be used to attack targets and enemies, along with various power-ups scattered throughout the game's colorful stages, referred to as "presents". The history of Plok! began in the late 1980s as a self-funded coin-op project by Ste and John Pickford called Fleapit. They developed it while working at Zippo Games and programmed it for Rare's 'Razz Board' hardware. The project was canceled in 1990 following the closure of Zippo Games, but was later revived as an SNES game developed at Software Creations after the Pickfords were promoted to higher positions, with Ste becoming an art director and John a producer. Software Creations self-funded the game, with the Pickfords retaining ownership of its intellectual property rights. A port for the Mega Drive was planned, but was canceled for unknown reasons. Plok! received positive reviews from critics, who praised its innovative ideas, variety, music, presentation, versatile protagonist, and level design. However, some noted skepticism about its similarity to other colorful platform games of the era. The Pickfords attributed the game's underwhelming sales to the market saturation of mascot-driven platformers. ==Plot== As king, Plok resides on Akrillic, a large island in the fictional archipelago of Polyesta. One morning, Plok discovers that the big square flag atop the pole on his house's rooftop has been stolen, prompting him to set out in search of it. He spots the flag on Cotton Island from afar and sails there to retrieve it. However, during his search, Plok encounters several impostor flags, including a pair of underpants and a striped scarf, which only frustrate him further. Eventually, Plok encounters the culprits responsible for the fake flags—the Bobbins Brothers, two giant creatures his grandpappy had warned him about. Plok battles the brothers to retrieve his flag. After defeating the Bobbins Brothers and reclaiming his big square flag, Plok sails back to Akrillic, only to find the island overrun by "fleas"—two-legged blue insects that hatch from eggs and hop around. He learns that the flag theft was merely a ruse to lure him away from his island. Determined to reclaim his home, Plok travels across Akrillic, defeating every flea on the island's surface to restore his kingdom. Partway through the game, Plok places the big square flag back where it belongs outside his home and takes a break, sitting on the foot of a statue of his grandfather, Grandpappy Plok. Reflecting on the situation, Plok wishes he had found an amulet to help him deal with the fleas. He falls asleep and dreams of his grandfather's quest for an amulet 50 years earlier. In the dream, the player assumes the role of Grandpappy Plok, who sails from Akrillic to Legacy Island. Much like his grandson, Grandpappy faces bizarre obstacles, discovers artifacts (including Rockyfella), and encounters the Bobbin Brothers along with their third sibling, Irving. After defeating the Bobbin Brothers and Irving, Grandpappy finally uncovers the amulet he had been seeking. He returns triumphantly to Akrillic. Back in the present, Plok wakes up and discovers that the amulet is hidden at the base of Grandpappy's statue. Equipped with the amulet, Plok gains the ability to "charge" his buzzsaw jump attack by sacrificing the shells he has collected. With his newfound power, Plok's mission to reclaim Akrillic from the fleas resumes with greater determination. Plok then ventures into various locations around the island, confronting creatures attempting to overthrow Akrillic: Penkinos, a group of inflatable, floating magicians of mysterious origin living in the northern part of the island; Womack, a spider residing in the island's center whose long legs serve as its weak points; and Rockyfella, the spirit of the island's soil, who resides beneath the mountains in the island's southeast and harbors resentment toward Plok for planting flagpoles in the ground. After eliminating all the enemies on the island, Plok journeys to the Fleapit, the source of the fleas, where he utilizes various weaponized vehicles. He confronts the Flea Queen, the leader who hatched the fleas, using a high-tech "secret Super-Vehicle" equipped with bug spray to defeat her. Following the battle, Plok returns home to rest on his green chair. ==External links== The Plok Archive, part of the Pickford Bros.'s official site Plok at Gamespot.com

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