The great thing about independent programmers is that they do what they do for the sheer love of it. Jamie Woodhouse’s Qwak is a great example--it’s certainly a labor of love, given that he’s been developing it, adjusting it, honing it, and polishing it till it shines for nearly 20 years.
This latest Mac version of his 2D arcade-style platformer is the culmination of countless hours of devotion stretching back to its initial release on Acorn computers in 1989, through much-lauded Amiga iterations in the ’90s, and a none-too-shabby attempt that appeared on Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance a few years back. Why, you may ask, does he insist on revisiting the same game time and time again? The answer must surely be because it’s brilliant. We came to this game full of nostalgic joy, but fully expecting that our rose-tinted glasses would soon be fogged by tears of disappointment. How wrong we were.
A Qwaker's work is never done.
What looks like a game that was acceptable in the ’80s, but somewhat embarrassing in the “noughties,” turns out to be truly addictive. It involves getting a duck from the start point to one of the exits. But you first need to collect all the available keys in order to unlock the exit, and many, many hazards block your path. These can take the form of homing enemies that chase you, regular bad guys whose regimented movements prevent progress, spiky balls that damage you, and skulls that kill you outright. Many enemies can be destroyed with your egg-launching weapons, but ammo is in short supply. In addition, your route to the keys (and the exit) is impeded by blocks, gates, collapsing platforms, and the like, which can only be surmounted by flicking switches, collecting keys, and navigating your way around a level in a specific way.
This being an old-school game, you only have three lives and three continues with which to complete the 80-odd levels provided. What’s more, unlike modern games that hold your hand through difficult segments, the learning curve here is steep. Get past the first 10 or 15 levels and you’ll find yourself in a world of pain.
Getting to the exit is just one facet of the gameplay. Through the online scoreboards the game demands that you replay levels in order to collect every gem available and beat the scores of players the world over.
Fun old-school gameplay. Eighty-plus expertly designed levels. Two-player option. Online high scores. Free trial. Universal binary.
It's all about the points.
