Troddlers
| Developer: ATOD | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Storm | Sound: |
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| Year: 1992 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Puzzle-platformer | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 2 simultaneous | Rating: |
6/10 | |
A line of little men, as clueless as Panurge’s sheep, marche in single file, blissfully unaware of the dangers surrounding them. Sound familiar?
In truth, Troddlers isn’t just a pale imitation of Lemmings. It borrows liberally from Solomon’s Key (Tecmo, 1986) and Boulder Dash. Three pale imitations for the price of one!
To start with, the little guys have no special abilities—aside from walking, which they do exceptionally well. Their feet stick to every surface, letting them stroll up walls and continue their march across ceilings, heads dangling downward. Your role is to guide them using your avatar: a larger character with the power to make blocks appear and disappear, much like the wizard in Solomon’s Key. These blocks serve as both platforms and obstacles, steering the troddlers (the creatures) along new paths. The number of blocks you can use varies from level to level, and some blocks come with special effects: ice blocks are slippery, bomb-shaped blocks explode, and arrow-marked blocks … well, you get the idea.
As in Lemmings, you’re given objectives before each level. Most of the time, you’ll need to safely escort a certain number of troddlers, but other goals include collecting diamonds or wiping out a rival tribe (same creatures, different colour, ergo evil).
My impressions? The game is well-presented, controls smoothly, and is pleasant (thanks, music!)—at least at first. The difficulty ramps up gradually, levels flow nicely, and there’s a good amount of variety—unlike a certain Timekeepers. Still, I’m left wanting more. Everything feels so small compared to its inspirations. There are fewer monsters than in Solomon’s Key, fewer ways to solve puzzles than in Lemmings, and less freedom than in Boulder Dash, as the levels are confined to a single screen with no scrolling. The 99 levels of single-player mode are over far too quickly. Perhaps adding difficulty settings, new objectives for replaying levels, or a level editor would have helped?
The two-player mode extends the game’s lifespan somewhat, offering 75 additional levels (cooperative or competitive), and thankfully, it doesn’t require two mice.
A Super Nintendo version was released in 1993.
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