This weekend I've been playing several very conventional platform games, some of them are worth to make their respective review, while others the truth is that not, because although most of those I played, really do not contribute much at a technical level, nor innovate in terms of game mechanics, those that I really liked at least contributed something at an aesthetic level, Some others, like the one I will talk about today, are part of the Looney Tunes universe, being part of one of the most important things of my childhood, so although the game itself is simple, by the simple fact of belonging to that franchise it gains some extra points. Its main character and protagonist is Porky Pig's, which as all those who have grown up watching this character, we know that he is quite shy and fearful, but also, this character has a particularity that we share and is that Porky is a stuttering character, being this condition something that I suffer since childhood, so in that aspect I feel identified with this character and that is the reason for today's game review.
The story of this game is so simple that it is even somewhat irrelevant, but in simple terms, it all starts when Porky was reading pamphlets about places where he would go on vacation and suddenly falls asleep, to later have nightmares that would be the levels that we must overcome .... and already, that's all the plot of this game and although it is a platform game I think the developers could have taken care to write a better story to this game, which being a Looney Tunes character there is a lot of information and elements to choose from to create a more than decent story, but well, it is not that this is something so necessary in a game as simple as this, but still I would have liked a better development.
While the graphics are not spectacular, the developers managed to recreate the character design quite well, we can see several of the most memorable and recognizable characters of the Looney Tunes, which have the role of being the final bosses of various stages and final levels, these are a fairly accurate copy of their counterparts in the animated series, even have a good set of animations that are on par with their personalities. The level designs are varied, being nightmare-inspired worlds, many of them have elements out of place, although being also a game based on the Looney Tunes world, seeing this type of elements is not something out of the ordinary. A rather curious aspect of this game is that every time we start a level or the same level, the season of that level will change, that is to say, there may be snow, rain or the scenery may be sunny, this being a rather rare and uncommon aspect, but a detail that adds a little variety to the scenarios.
The melodies and soundtrack in general fulfills its purpose which is to achieve the atmosphere and encourage the scenario in which we find ourselves or the fight against the final boss we have in front of us, a fairly necessary aspect personally and although it does not stand out too much in this aspect, what this game does in this aspect is more than decent, it could be said that in the sound aspect meets all the requirements of a platform game. And is that, Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday is just that, a fairly conventional platform game, which really does not depart too much to its genre, that is, it is not that it is a bad game, because it becomes entertaining, but in itself, is not a very innovative game and that stays with the rules, aspects, elements and basic mechanics of platform games, in which we basically have to go through several scenarios, overcome obstacles, either from a horizontal or vertical scroll environment, which also have enemies that we must eliminate or simply avoid in order to reach the end of that level and face the final boss. Its best aspect is that it is a game based on the Looney Tunes universe, which is its main attraction. Although it is a game that deserves to be played, but especially if you like or grew up watching the animated series.
Este fin de semana he estado jugando a varios juegos de plataformas muy convencionales, algunos de ellos merecen la pena que les haga su respectiva review, mientras que otros la verdad es que no, ya que aunque la mayoría de los que jugué, realmente no aportan mucho a nivel técnico, ni innovan en términos de mecánicas de juego, aquellos que realmente me gustaron al menos aportaron algo a nivel estético, tanto en el diseño de personaje como en el diseño de escenarios, algunos otros, como el que les hablaré hoy a continuación forma parte del universo de los Looney Tunes, siendo parte de una de las cosas más importantes de mi infancia, por lo que aunque el juego en si sea simple, por el simple hecho de pertenecer a esa franquicia gana algunos puntos extras. Su personaje principal y protagonista es Porky Pig's, el cual como todos los que han crecido viendo a este personaje, sabemos que es bastante tímido y a la par de miedoso, pero además, este personaje tiene una particularidad que compartimos y es que Porky es un personaje tartamudo, siendo esta condición algo que yo sufro desde niño, por lo que en ese aspecto me siento identificado con este personaje y por eso es la review del juego de hoy.
La historia de este juego es tan simple que incluso es algo irrelevante, pero en términos simples, todo empieza cuando Porky se encontraba leyendo panfletos sobre lugares a los que iría a vacacionar y de repente se queda dormido, para posteriormente tener pesadillas que serían en si los niveles que debemos superar… y ya, ese es todo el argumento de este juego y es que aunque sea un juego de plataformas creo que los desarrolladores se pudieron haber esmerado es escribirle una mejor historia a este juego, el cual al ser un personaje de los Looney Tunes hay mucha información y elementos que elegir para poder crear una historia más que decente, pero bueno, tampoco es que esto sea algo tan necesario en un juego tan sencillo como este, pero igualmente me hubiese gustado un mejor desarrollo.
Si bien el apartado grafico no es algo espectacular, los desarrolladores lograron recrear bastante bien el diseño de los personajes, podremos ver a varios de los personajes más memorables y reconocibles de los Looney Tunes, los cuales tienen como rol ser los jefes finales de varias etapas y niveles finales, estos son un calco bastante exacto de sus contrapartes de las series animadas, incluso cuentan con un buen set de animaciones que están a la par de sus personalidades. Los diseños de niveles son variados, al tratarse de mundos inspirados en pesadillas, muchos de ellos tienen elementos fuera de lugar, aunque al ser igualmente un juego basado en el mundo de los Looney Tunes, ver este tipo de elementos no es algo fuera de lo común. Un aspecto bastante curioso de este juego es que cada vez que empecemos un nivel o un mismo nivel, la estación de ese nivel cambiara, es decir, podrá haber nieve, lluvia o el escenario podrá estar soleado, siendo este un aspecto bastante raro y poco común, pero un detalle que agrega un poco de variedad de los escenarios.
Las melodías y banda sonora en general cumple con su propósito el cual es lograr ambientar y animar el escenario en el que nos encontremos o la lucha contra el jefe final que tengamos en frente, un aspecto bastante necesario en lo personal y que aunque no destaca demasiado en este aspecto, lo que hace este juego en este aspecto es más que decente, se podría decir que en el aspecto sonoro cumple con todos los requisitos propios de un juego de plataformas. Y es que, Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday es simplemente eso, un juego de plataformas bastante convencional, el cual realmente no aparta demasiado a su género, es decir, no es que sea un juego malo, porque llega a ser entretenido, pero en sí, no es un juego muy innovador y que se queda con las reglas, aspectos, elementos y mecánicas más básicas de los juegos de plataformas, en lo que básicamente tendremos que recorrer varios escenarios, superar obstáculos, bien sea desde un entorno de scroll horizontal o vertical, los cuales además habrán enemigos a los que debemos eliminar o simplemente evitar para poder llegar al final de ese nivel y enfrentarnos al jefe final. Siendo su mejor aspecto es que se trata de un juego basado en el universo de los Looney Tunes, el cual es su mayor atractivo. Aunque es un juego que merece ser jugado, aunque especialmente si te gustan o creciste viendo la serie animada.
Porky Pig is right up there with Garfield as a character I would have very close to the bottom of my list of cartoon characters to license for an action game. 😂 Wonderful review, the game sounds like a fun excursion but is not a challenger for say, Capcom's Mickey Mouse games on SNES.
I may have to track this one down as it was just of no interest to me back in the day. Didn't help that gaming publications pretty much ignored its release outside of EGM giving it a pic and a paragraph in one of their CES or E3 overview articles and that was pretty much it.
This game is decent, but it's not going to change your life either, it's fun to pass the time.
I totally get your connection to Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday! The nostalgia factor alone makes it worth playing, especially for fans of Looney Tunes. Sure, it’s not the most innovative platformer, but the little details, like the changing seasons in each level, are a cool touch. Plus, seeing classic characters as bosses adds to the fun. I agree that the story could’ve been more fleshed out, but for a simple game, it still manages to entertain. The fact that you feel connected to Porky because of his stutter makes it even more special. Overall, it’s not groundbreaking, but for what it is, it’s definitely a fun throwback to childhood. Nice post man! I really love Loony Tunes and Porky Pig is one of my fav ones!
Porky is a very comical character, his first versions was a totally different character from what he is now, I think it was because of the time when he came out, but I found that change curious.