Hook

Genre: Action Developer: Sony Imagesoft Publisher: Sony Imagesoft Players: 1 Released: 1992

When I was a young boy of the age of ten, my mother took me to the cinema along with my little brothers. One of the movies that I was allowed to see at that time was Hook. Well, as little as I was, I really enjoyed it – the colors, the action, pirates, adventure – everything that I liked. As of today, I still have good memories of that movie. I remember saying “Rufio!” and “you’re the Pan.” Ah, good times…

So, some years passed, and I eventually got a Mega Drive because I wanted Ghostbusters so badly. Instead, I saw the game, Hook. Bam! Flashback! Good movie and good times meant that I wanted that game. I bought it and at home was playing it constantly. What can I say? I liked it… Yes, I liked it.

If you know the movie and you know Peter Pan, then there’s no explanation necessary to go into the tale. However, if you have never seen the film or are only familiar with the Disney film, then here’s the tale. After falling in love with Wendy’s granddaughter, Peter has left Neverland to marry her, grown up and become a lawyer (and a good one). He’s also a workaholic and forgets to spend enough time with his kids. His wife wants to go to Wendy’s birthday in England, and they do, only to find that Hook came to the house and abducted the children while he was at the party. It’s up to Peter to save them from Hook’s evil clutches (clutch?) with the help of the Lost Boys.

Well, that’s the tale in short. You begin the game as the fat Peter doing an obstacle course to get your real sword back, and at the end Rufio is waiting to see if you are the real Pan. Then, it’s off to the forest, the snowy mountains, caves, and eventually to the docks where Captain Hook is waiting. There are ten levels in total with seven bosses. Some are easy, and some are difficult, but all in all most only need three hits each, and they’re gone. Later bosses need six hits before they walk the plank.

Peter walks a little slowly, not like he’s gliding or anything, but he just moves a little slowly, as though he’s in no major rush. Jumping is the same too, and it gives the gameplay a really floaty feel. It doesn’t bother me because the Pan is smooth in what he’s doing, and it’s never really a problem. If you want him to be fast, try the Master System version where he’s on crack or something. In the Genesis game, just hold the punch button and he’ll start to run. Aside from this, the controls are fine for me, and they do the job well enough.

The graphics look nice, and that’s really it. There’s nothing more to say here about it, other than that it looks just like the Sega CD version. It’s nothing great, but it’s not bad either. Both pale next to the colorful and detailed visuals in the SNES port, but the lack of color is really the only difference. It’s a shame that they didn’t make this one shine because in the first levels it all looks colourful, even the backgrounds. The later levels, however, are a little bland, except for the pirate village. The music rounds out the presentation decently with catchy tunes (though nowhere near the level of the Sega CD game) and they fit perfectly with the levels.

All in all, Hook is a nice game but a little too easy. The whole thing can be played through in a little over an hour. It’s too bad that they didn’t give this game some fairy dust because then it would have shone a bit more, at least in comparison to the other two superior versions. If that’s not a deal-breaker, then I really encourage people to try this game. Yeah, it’s another platformer on the Genesis, but it’s just some great fun, and you might even find yourself coming back for this one. Take some time to visit Neverland, and if you don’t, then I’ll find you. I can do it too! Don’t believe me? Back off man, I’m a lawyer!

Bangarang!