Puggsy

n/a

Mega Drive Mega-CD
Puggsy
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD
Publisher: Psygnosis
Developer: Traveller's Tales
Sound driver: Krisalis sound driver
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code US 1994-01-06 T-113016 EU 1993-06 T-113016-50 UK 1993-06 £44.9944.99 T-113016-50 SE (Rental) 199x AU 1993-11 $89.9589.95 US 1994-01-06 T-113035 EU 1993-11 T-113035-50 DE 1993 DM 119.00119.00 T-113035-50 UK 1993-11 £44.9944.99 T-113035-50
Non-Sega versions Amiga
ESRA

Puggsy is a platform game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Psygnosis in 1993 for the Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD and Commodore Amiga computers. In the US, the Mega Drive and Mega-CD versions were released on the first day of Winter CES 1994; January 6th.

The game was notable at the time of release for having an unusual physics system which the manual calls "Total Object Interaction", in which Puggsy can use various objects for aiding him in battle, and for helping him solve puzzles to proceed.

Story

The game follows the character, Puggsy, an orange alien which has been marooned on an alien planet and got his spaceship stolen by its inhabitants.

Now he ventures into the island, searching for the whereabouts of his spaceship.

Gameplay

The D-Pad is used to move around. The button jumps; while in mid-air, the player can press and hold to stomp on enemies (stomping is automatic in the Mega-CD version). To pick up an item, press ; to drop it, press again; also, holding up or any diagonally upward direction then pressing will throw the item upwards. is used to interact with the item Puggsy is holding (e.g. while holding a shield, press to gain invincibility). Multiple items can be stacked on top of each other and carried.

The general goal of each level is to reach the exit as directed by the arrow on the HUD, though in most cases, the player will need to solve puzzles and overcome hazards using whatever objects they encounter during a level, such as a key to open locked doors, a gun to shoot enemies with, water pistols to douse flames. Just about every type of item can be carried into the goal for bonus points and extra lives (up to five items can be carried into the goal at a time). Some levels may have alternate exits that will lead the player to secret levels should they be able to find them. Certain levels will end in boss fights, in which the player needs to find a solution in order to inflict damage to a boss.

In addition to the main game, there is also a Junior mode which presents the player with a short five-level game that helps the player get accustomed to the game's mechanics. The levels in this mode are simpler versions of the levels played in the main game. The Mega-CD version also adds a Time Trial mode, and allows the player to refight any defeated boss via the title screen.

Levels

Regular levels

	The Beach
	The Cove
	The Red Woods
	Redwood Keep
	The Light House
	Angeltier Falls
	Star Fall Lake
	Splinter Town
	Badger Mill
	Pyramids
	Darkblade Forest
	Diamond Mines
	Darkskull Castle
	Fire Heart
	Aztec Temple
	Racrock Forge
	Raclantis Docks
	Raclantis Docks

Secret levels

	Treasure Trove
	Wabbits World
	Secret Tunnel
	A Hidden Place
	Lunar Jet Pug
	Star Fall Pool
	Puggs in Space
	Aztec Games
	Pugsanoid
	Shell Shock
	Fair Ohs Tomb
	Wills World
	Never Mined
	Lee And Errr??
	The End of All

Guardians

	Herman the Hermit
	This boss is one of three bosses that is only fought in the Mega-CD version of the game, encountered at The Beach. Herman will attack by jumping up and down, and periodically blow bubbles containing shells. The player will have to pop the bubbles and drop the shells on Herman's head to hurt him.
	Polly Pirate
	Fought at the end of The Cove, Polly jumps around firing at Puggsy. All Puggsy has to defend himself is the odd fish that gets washed up on deck. The player has to position Puggsy near the fish and fire it at Polly to inflict damage.
	The Emperor's Old Clothes
	The boss of Redwood Keep attacks Puggsy by dropping his large hands onto him. To defeat him, the player has to position Puggsy on top of the switches embedded in the floor to open trapdoors in the ceiling above the boss, dropping balls on his head.
	Flour Power
	The miller fought in Badger Mill will throw bags of flour at Puggsy. The player will have to use the levers where Puggsy is standing to operate the claw and grab the flour bags, then place them onto the conveyor belt to drop onto the miller.
	So Pharaoh So Good
	Fought at the Pyramids, the pharaoh flies around in a large raccoon head-shaped ship and emerges from its nose, holding a plunger. To attack the pharaoh, the player must have Puggsy step on the pressure pads on the floor to fire a plunger at the pharaoh, while also taking care not to get hit by the plungers. This boss is also the only boss fought in Junior mode.
	Darkskull Castle Guardian
	This unnamed boss, encountered only in the Mega-CD version, is fought in Darkskull Castle. He is a mouse who wields a possessed sword that flies all around the castle with him hanging onto the hilt. The player has to avoid the sword and butt stomp the boss whenever he flies low.
	Halitosis the Dragon
	This boss, fought in Fire Heart, attacks by tiptoeing back and forth and breathing out fire. The player must wait for him to stop attacking, sneak near him, and jump into his jaw to damage him.
	Racrock Forge Guardian
	An unnamed mech that is fought in Racrock Forge in the Mega-CD version only. This boss fight sets itself apart from the other bosses in that it is an FMV with Puggsy's sprite overlayed on top of it. The mech flies around the room underneath the platform and tries to attack Puggsy using the flamethrowers attached to its arms. Puggsy cannot do anything to the boss, so he must avoid its attacks and survive until the room fills up with water and the boss eventually gives up and sinks. Due to the FMV nature of this boss fight, the player cannot pause the game here, and Puggsy will die in two hits.
	If Looks Could Kill!
	The final boss of the game and the king of the raccoons, who attacks Puggsy by trying to stomp on him, dropping mines in the room, and firing laser beams from his eyes, all of which the player must avoid. The only way to defeat the king is to stand beneath him when he is about to fire his lasers, then move away so the lasers bounce off the floor and directly back into his eyes.

History

Development

The Puggsy character originally came from a Commodore Amiga demo named "Puggs in Space", which proved to be so successful that an entire game was made out of it.

A Super NES version of the game was planned, but cancelled, and sequels were supposedly in the works before being axed too. According to designer and programmer Jon Burton, the SNES version was completed, but the home console market crashed before release due to a flood of publishers trying to get a slice of the market which led to oversaturation, and as a result the Mega Drive version of this game and Wiz 'n' Liz had very poor sales. As such, publisher Psygnosis quickly dropped their plans to release SNES ports of those games. However, SNES conversions of some of the music tracks would be repurposed for the Mega-CD version.

Versions

The Mega-CD version offers new levels and boss fights, an improved soundtrack and full motion video cutscenes.

Production credits

Mega Drive version

• Game Design and Programming By: Jon Burton
• Graphic Design and Artwork By: Andy Ingram
• Level Problems and Design By: Jon Burton
• Creature Sketches By: Will Thompson
• Music and SoundFX By: Blythe Joustra Productions, Matt Furniss, S.Hollingworth of Krisalis Software
• Project Management: Steve Riding
• Play Testing By: Charles McNair and Tony Parkes

Puggsy has been Jamie Tested

Thanks to Martyn Chudley 4 Wiz n Liz stuff

Try to complete all 51 levels for extra ending

There are various hidden cheats if you can find the place to carry them out.

• A big hi to: Chris Dave Mark Will Chaz Martyn Stu Phil and everyone else

Source:

In-game credits

Mega-CD version

• Game Design: Jon Burton
• Programming By: David Dootson, Jon Burton
• Graphic Design and Artwork By: Andy Ingram
• Level Problems and Design By: Jon Burton
• Creature Sketches By: Will Thompson
• Music and SoundFX By: Blythe Joustra Productions, Matt Furniss, S.Hollingworth of Krisalis Software
• Project Management: Steve Riding
• Play Testing By: Tony Parkes and Charles McNair

Puggsy has been Jamie Tested

Thanks to Martyn Chudley 4 Wiz n Liz stuff

Try to complete all 51 levels for extra ending

There are various hidden cheats if you can find the place to carry them out.

• A big hi to: Chris Dave Mark Will Chaz Martyn Stu Phil and everyone else

And Remember That:

11125 SQRD MINUS 181

13307 SQRD MINUS 712

21385x21386 SUB 1875

is a silly maths question

Special thanks to Fiona for all her support and great cooking

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Puggsy/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Mega Drive print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #52: "November 1993" (1993-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Game Players (US) #0612: "Vol. 6 No. 12 December 1993" (1993-1x-xx)
• GamePro (US) #54: "January 1994" (199x-xx-xx)

Mega-CD print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #52: "November 1993" (1993-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Game Players (US) #0612: "Vol. 6 No. 12 December 1993" (1993-1x-xx)
• GamePro (US) #54: "January 1994" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #16: "December/January 1993/1994" (1993-xx-xx)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #16: "December/January 1993/1994" (1993-xx-xx)

Print advert in Consoles + (FR) #25: "Novembre 1993" (1993-1x-xx)

Print advert in Video Games (DE) #1993-12: "12/93" (1993-11-22)

Mega Drive print advert in Hyper (AU) #1: "December 1993" (1993-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 60 Consoles + (FR) PAL 91 Computer & Video Games (UK) PAL 90 Computer + Video Giochi (IT) PAL 90 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 70 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 7 (RU) 70 Gamers (DE) 60 GamesMaster (UK) PAL 86 Hyper (AU) 86 Joypad (FR) PAL 84 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 90 Mega (UK) PAL 78 Mega Action (UK) PAL 63 Megablast (DE) PAL 81 Mega Force (FR) 88 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 86 Mega Play (US) NTSC-U 85 MegaTech (UK) PAL 90 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 89 Player One (FR) PAL 95 Power Unlimited (NL) 72 Score (CZ) 64 Sega Magazin (DE) 92 Sega Power (UK) PAL 79 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 82 Sega Zone (UK) PAL 87 Świat Gier Komputerowych (PL) 67 Todo Sega (ES) PAL 84 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 62 Video Games (DE) PAL 80

	80
Based on 30 reviews

Puggsy

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, SE (Rental)
Cover

Mega-CD version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source Consoles + (FR) 89 GamesMaster (UK) 88 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) 87

	88
Based on 3 reviews

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score GamePro (US) NTSC-U 70 Gamers (DE) 67 Joypad (FR) PAL 84 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 71 Mega (UK) PAL 80 Mega Action (UK) PAL 70 Mega Force (FR) PAL 83 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 86 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 90 Sega Power (UK) PAL 81 VideoGames (US) NTSC-U 90

	79
Based on 11 reviews

Puggsy

Mega-CD, US
Cover
Disc Manual

Mega-CD, EU
Cover
Disc

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
✔	CRC32 70132168 MD5 2a7290076430f4c735feaf8a46d9bfe6 SHA-1 5f4d1acd1b8580e83952e1083cfa881b0ec5b9fd	1MB	1993-09	Cartridge (US)
✔	CRC32 5d5c9ade MD5 01db4442a585c0cdb7737f53723167c4 SHA-1 89a347f35c4d0d364c284f2f32f708d0378b8735	1MB	1993-09	Cartridge (EU)
✔	CRC32 e13ed54e MD5 2cdb70531bce1d00e8b305ba59259e48 SHA-1 10108f33438782b315557314c31d89170dbd28bc	180kB	1991-11	YouTube video	v0.1			Page
?	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	541,613,856		CD (EU)	T-113035-50
✔	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	548,258,256		CD (US)	T-113035