Kwik Snax (C64) | Retro Review
Platform: Commodore 64
Year: 1990
Developer: Code Masters
Publisher: Code Masters
Easter Sunday may have been and gone, but our love of chocolate eggs will last forever. As said eggs are still on our minds, and in our stomachs, it seems like a good time to take a look at a game about an egg. One of gaming’s most beloved eggs is Dizzy, who has starred in a whole bunch of games since his 1987 debut. His main series games are of the platform-adventure variety, which have you somersaulting around looking for items that you need to solve puzzles. Like most iconic gaming mascot-type characters, Dizzy didn’t just stick to his main series; he has had a load of spinoff games where he gets to dip his little red shoes into other genres.
A very fondly remembered example of such spinoffs is Kwik Snax which was released on the Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST and DOS. This title sees Dizzy tasked with the mission to rescue his bandmates (yes, an egg is in a band) after an evil wizard sends them to a bunch of crazy lands because they woke him up. The premise is a bit strange, but not as strange as the rescue method. Dizzy saves his friends by eating fruit. Now, there’s a lot that can be said about getting your five-a-day and all that; but how that’s supposed to get your friends back from some bizarre worlds is beyond me. The gameplay here is reminiscent of Sega’s arcade classic Pengo, as you will be pushing blocks to crush any nasties that get between you and your Vitamin C. I absolutely love this game, especially the Spectrum version, and you may even find an old let’s-play of it from way back in the Palaeolithic times of my YouTube channel.
The more astute among you may have noticed that I didn’t mention the Commodore 64 in my list of systems that this game was released on, despite this review being for that version. Well, that’s because the Commodore 64 “version” isn’t really a version of that game; it’s an entirely different beast altogether. Other than the name, box-art and the fact you play as Dizzy, the C64 game bears no resemblance to my beloved Spectum version at all.
Firstly, let’s talk about the story differences. The Dizzy Mob (Dizzy’s band) are no were to be seen and Dizzy isn’t out to rescue them. Instead, Dizzy’s quest is to rescue herds of fluffles? What is a fluffle? It’s a slightly-horrifying fuzzy creature that looks a bit like a dismembered teddy bear head with arms and legs.As for the gameplay side of things, the Pengo resemblance is completely gone. This game plays more like a cross between Flicky and Pac-Man, with some weapons thrown in for good measure. The aim is to navigate the mazes, find the fluffles and guide them to the exit without getting caught by the ravenous monsters.
The fluffles start out as eggs and then hatch either when you approach or after a period of time. Seeing as Dizzy is an egg; one can only imagine the sort of mind-bending horrors that seeing something hatch must inflict upon him. Does he not worry that something might hatch out of him and the unfathomable pain that it would cause?
Just an egg holding a grenade, leading a line of creatures that hatched out of eggs.
Just like in Flicky, you get some hefty score bonuses if you take all of the level’s fluffles to the exit in one go. But also like in Flicky, if the baddies catch up, they’ll cause your little parade to separate meaning you’ll have to go back for the stragglers.
To help you deal with the enemies, there are some weapons available. There’s a weapon roulette sort of thing before each level, giving you a chance to enter a level with a weapon. All the weapons are limited use, so make sure every shot counts. If you’re lucky, weapons and other power-ups may spawn during the stage, so be sure to grab these if you can.
Come on… Dizzy needs a brand new set of fireballs!
After completing four levels you get taken to a bonus stage. In these stages, Dizzy is holding a great big net and you have to move it backwards and forwards to grab as much fruit and save as many yolk-folk as you can to earn yourself buckets of extra points.. Be careful, if you miss one yolk-folk or accidently net yourself a bomb, the stage will come to an end.
Try and NET yourself some extra points in this bonus stage.
Even though I will always love the Spectrum version, this game is great too. It does seem pretty bizarre that it is called Kwik Snax despite sharing very little resemblance to the other versions of that title. The music here is ok but it is just the one tune on every level. I’d rather hear the Dizzy Mob playing from the Spectrum 128K version any day. There aren’t any major negatives to this game, they even got the difficulty right; a real rarity for C64 games. In all, I would strongly recommend playing this one. [8/10]
