Pinkie
| Developer: Data Designs | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Millennium | Sound: |
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| Year: 1994 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Platformer | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
6/10 | |
Pinkie, the adorable extraterrestrial, is on a mission to prevent the extinction of dinosaurs in the universe! He travels from planet to planet, collecting eggs, which he stores safely in the trunk of his flying/rolling/bouncing saucer, packed with gadgets.
The game looks cute and engaging in the photos. The first level seems quite charming, with its cartoonish creatures and very high platforms, reachable thanks to the telescopic seat of our saucer (a bit like Robocod stretching its belly). I also like watching the eggs begin to hatch when they fall to the ground, with two little feet popping out before they scamper off…
Great first impression. Unfortunately, there’s very little variety, and the excessively slow pace quickly becomes boring. The idea of using a vehicle and then upgrading it by spending points in some sort of garage sounds good on paper but is underused.
Each level contains three eggs, but collecting just one is enough to succeed and move on to the next, and it’s often right at the entrance of the level, making you tempted to leave straight away to shorten the agony of endlessly repeating the same thing. Curious level design…
The boss fights are awful because even the slightest contact forces you to lose a life and return to the “world map” screen, not only making you restart the fight from the beginning, but also endure a loading screen in the process.
It’s a shame because by reducing the number of levels, adding a bit more interactive elements, and especially encouraging players to fully explore them (either by rewarding them with unique bonuses or simply not letting them progress to the next level), there was potential for a platformer that could match what was found on consoles. Missed opportunity!
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