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Captain Planet and the Planeteers is a platform puzzle game from 1991 and was bundled with many A500+ machines. The premise being to save the Earth by completing many ecological quests; using five unique characters - each with special skills.
After the most underwhelming title screen imaginable (above), the game itself opens with the option of choosing which of the five planeteer levels the player wishes to begin. There are two levels open to the player from the start, and more open up as previous levels are completed.
Level 1 features the fire character; who can use his skill to fry enemies and destroy the landscape. There are at least three 'missions' which must be completed within each level. Level one requires the destruction of radioactive blocks in order to unlock a planetary orbiter; which the player then pilots on the way to repairing the ozone layer, and returning several polar bears back to the north pole.
At this stage, the difficulty curve is easy and fun for all ages, and it isn't long before the player is hooked by the design. There are also several features built into the concept which help the player along. For example, each of the five planeteers has some way to break a fall from a high platform - and in level 1 it is an inflatable balloon which can be activated mid-fall and which takes the player back to their previous position. Another great (and unique) feature to this game is the fact that once an enemy is taken care of, the kill is represented by a cute little icon which follows the player around; and gives multiple bonus rewards until the player dies. By the end of a level, a player can amass a whole troop of followers - so that any bonuses received will be multiplied many times over.
The second selectable level is the water character; who can use her skill to freeze objects and enemies, and to make ice platforms onto which she can jump to negotiate the level. The missions involve purifying a polluted lake using a special submarine, saving fish, rescuing several dolphins by turning on a tap located at the top-left corner of the level, and releasing the chains which hold the water (and the dolphins) in place.
Now the landscape gets so much more involved and play slows down as the player has to time and ease past many potentially fatal traps. This also means the levels now begin to get many times harder, and take many times longer to work out and complete. After the second level, plays can take 30mins to an hour before a winning formula is discovered which can get the player through with the minimum of fuss.
After the five planeteer levels are successfully in the bag, the player then gets to play a final bonus level featuring Captain Planet himself. CP can fly (which saves on exploring time) and has the ability to use all the special powers of the planeteers; fire, water, love, wind, and boulders of earth. He can use any two of these skills at any time, and can swap between them by flying into special skill pads dotted around. At the end of the game, CP gets to take on his arch foe, Duke Nukem.
There are sevel things which make this game stand out very well. First the graphics; which use the capabilities of ECS so well that a casual onlooker may swear they are looking at an AGA game. The sound is also of the same high standard, with many high quality sound effect as well as several catchy in-game tunes. The action makes up for a lack of speed with a sheen of smoothness which runs through the entire game - and frame rates never slow down even with plenty of frantic antics going on.
On the downside, the difficulty curve for this game is ruthless, and requires many repeat plays before the player has any hope of finding out what's going on. If the first level could be easily aimed at children, the difficulty and length of later levels can leave even dedicated teens and adults in frustration.
Overall, this game makes any Amiga shine with quality, and rightly so. The levels are very intricately designed and offer the player lots of things to see and do. Any one of the levels could have been an entire game on the C64. However, the levels (after level 1) are so huge that it can be infuriating to find more relentless puzzles long after any initial enthusiasm has wained. This game is definitely for the patient.
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AGA quality on an A500+. All the graphics are polished, well defined, and colourful - with no jagged edges of blocky textures anywhere.
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The SFX are clear and fresh, and give an extra depth to the environment. Almost everything has an effect that goes with it. The main tunes can be very catchy and are long enough to fend off repetitiveness.
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Playability is great on earlier levels but gets frustratingly slow and difficult on later ones, requiring patience and much trial and error.
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| A very good effort, and one which could have been a flagship on the Amiga if it wasn't for the difficulty curve and later sprawling levels. |
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