Qwak PC

By: Derek Yu

On: December 3rd, 2008

We covered Jamie Woodhouse’s Qwak almost two (!!) years ago, when it was a homebrew GBA game – even that was a port of the originals, which came out for the BBC Micro and then the Amiga. Now it’s returned for the PC, and it is (in this author’s opinion), better than ever! The basic game mechanics have not changed, although the levels now do not scroll. What has changed are the graphics, which have been overhauled for the PC. They’re incredibly bright, colorful, and big, and combined with the compact level design, are almost overwhelming to the eyeballs.

The main premise of the game remains the same: find the keys and proceed to the exit. The original games were always fairly fast-paced, but this version feels even more so (no doubt in part because of the compressed size of the levels). It’s really frenetic and arcadey, and packed with all manner of collectibles and power-ups, including what I believe are the biggest fruit-to-player-character ratios I’ve ever seen in a game.

Qwak plays slightly like a steroid-injected kitten inside a small box filled with over-sized catnip toys, and if you can believe it, that’s actually a compliment. Even better with two kittens (co-op), to rekindle fond memories of playing games like Bubble Bobble with my friends.

So yeah, somebody approach this man and help him get the game on XBLA! It would be a perfect fit.

TIGdb: Entry for Qwak