It may look like a kids' game because you play as a boy named Johnny Dash who has to free all the puppies and kittens in a level before you can exit, but enemies that explode into gore and make a nice squishy sound when you kill them tell otherwise. There are three episodes to the game and the difficulty increases with each. It was very nice to see that each episode had mostly unique enemy types with only a few repeats being used occasionally. The enemy types were all pretty different, too. The game levels start pretty straightforward with mild puzzles and become a bit more puzzle-heavy in later episodes and levels, but not overly difficult. Some levels are pretty non-linear and allow a good deal of exploration to find loot and secrets. Some of the levels take some time to finish, too. The movement was a little tricky to get the hang of in the beginning because Johnny is a little slower to accelerate than I have been used to in other platformers. There are a few times where you really need a good running start in order to make a jump. However, the game controls pretty well though. Crawling is something I don't remember having in other platformers I've played though I'm sure others have it. You do need to use it in this game and not just to dodge. The slingshot is an interesting weapon since it has an arcing projectile that you can also ricochet off of a ceiling or wall. It has several powerups that are useful and fun. The game does have some negatives. There are two or three times where you have to crawl through things in order to advance in the level or even end the level that aren't obvious at all. Sometimes the music wouldn't play when I started the game. Maybe it's how I quit the game or something. Deleting the CONFIG file usually fixed things. The final boss was actually the weakest of them in my opinion. I expected a bit more. I recommend the game if you like older platformers. I enjoyed it even though I had not played it when it was originally released.
This year (2015) was my first time playing this fun EGA platformer. The suction cup hands were a neat idea. Robert Prince's music is great as usual. The graphics are good for that time period. The enemy types were varied and interesting. The boss battles were pretty easy though once you know the trick. Levels varied between linear left-to-right to complex and non-linear and some were quite challenging to finish.
