| Introduction
The Pink Panther first appeared in 1964 and was actually
part of the opening credits for a film by director Blake
Edwards. The credits, however, proved so popular that
the sophisticated but mischievous feline soon landed
his own cartoon series. The rest as they say is history,
although what's current is the fact that even today,
the Pink Panther is still popular and hence its starring
role in this platform game by Wanadoo.
GamePlay
Although considered a platformer, Pinkadelic Pursuit
contains enough variety to border on the action/adventure
genre. One of the most innovative aspects of the game
is the use of gravity effects which differ according
to the environment. As such, being outdoors, underwater,
or even in space offers very different challenges as
well as control issues.
This is all linked to a story line too bizarre to
even try and summarize here. The various levels themselves
are reasonably big, so you may occasionally lose your
way with little in the way of help as to which direction
you should be heading in. Wander around long enough,
however, and a short, sometimes cryptic, message will
pop up at the base of the screen, giving you at least
some indication of your ultimate goal.
The inventory is an interesting addition, with an
on-screen icon indicating that you're required to utilize
one of the many objects in your possession to solve
a puzzle, although exactly which one isn't always clear.
For example, in one level you must call a fireman, drop
a piano on him, take his fire extinguisher and then
put out a furnace before you are allowed to exit the
level.
You may also think something like pink paint would
be useless, but it's a great help if you do happen to
get lost, as it can be used to indicate where you've
been. You'll also be required to don disguises to pass
guards and even enter a jousting tournament in order
to win the princess.
The password system is refreshingly simple, generated
from a choice of four game related icons. Unfortunately,
there are no extras, so once you've completed the game
there's little reason to go back to it. There was some
scope for the developers to extend this as the various
mini games such as Jousting or Catapulting would have
made enjoyable one or two player challenges, but I can
only assume that both development time and budget made
this impractical.
Controls
The control appears to change from level to level
but is relatively simple, which is fortunate because
the manual gives little guidance outside of the basics.
However, one section where we did come unstuck was the
flying section, where instead of using the expected
'D-pad' control, actually uses the 'A' and 'B' buttons
for dive and climb. Average gamers should work all this
out in no time at all, but novice gamers may find it
a little confusing.
Graphics
Although the visuals may at first appear to be little
more than above average, they actually fit the style
of gameplay perfectly and the animation is wonderful.
The Pink Panther struts around the screen just as he
does in the numerous cartoons and at the beginning of
all those Peter Sellers movies. The cut scenes are also
rather refreshing, with the developer opting for some
hand-drawn full screen animation, which tie the levels
together in a very humorous fashion. The real highlights
here though are the on-screen effects utilizing the
GBA's ability to create transparencies, and both the
water and weather effects are excellent.
Sound & Music
The various soundtracks that run through this title
are some of the most inventive I've heard in a long
time and what's more, they're all so clear that even
with the GBA's limited speaker output, you don't even
need headphones to enjoy them. Best described as a mixture
of an Austin Powers score and some seriously 60's Lounge
Lizard tunes, the background music never fails to raise
the particular section it accompanies to a much more
enjoyable level. There are also some nice sampled spot
effects, which add both humor and depth to the proceedings.
Overall, the audio department adds greatly to the atmosphere
to the game.
Final Comments
Pinkadelic Pursuit could have been a huge disappointment
as the bulk of the game offers absolutely nothing you
haven't seen before. Thankfully, however, the whole
package is saved by some novel gameplay ideas and above
average presentation. It won't suit everyone of course,
but fans of platform games searching for something a
little different might consider adding it to their collection.
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