Cud Lee's Quest

A cuddly platformer?

I remember playing this quirky platformer by Robert Dytmire many years ago and I enjoyed its alternative style. It uses rather "odd" mechanics which are weird at first but wouldn't life be boring if every platformer played the same? Anyhow, Cud Lee (geddit?) was originally aimed at a younger audience with interesting child/tutor features but I also think there's something quite charming about this that appeals to everyone.

The aim is to fight our way through the hoards of baddies to rescue captured Pixies at the end of each level. It sounds easy but you better watch out for a range of enemies who are happily roaming through the screens. It's this mechanic which I adore because they are literally wandering the screens going about their business - whether you can see them or not. These suckers love to jump and many are really tough and can even fire weapons.

The joystick controls are the first thing that hits you because thing feels low-gravity with super-weird movements. Collecting power-ups is a good idea to increase speed, jumping abilities, weaponry and extra lives. Keys will unlock doors and some walls can be climbed like Zool because of "strange knobby things"...

Gotta love the baddies and their freaky jumps but watch out for the little blue guy's arrows!!

Aesthetics?

Graphically, this is no Hoog or pretty much anything else from the Atari ST's PD library. Backgrounds are a boring black and the environments aren't anything much to write home about. However, it's got a certain charm with the character sprites being the best thing. They are so many and so well-defined too, I love 'em!

Sound effects are made from a mix of chip and samples which works really well. The 'WORRR' when something dies is quite pathetic. So pathetic that I loved it to bits. Hey, it's a PD game... Come on!

Weapons are great and can be powered up to kill these hopping crazies with great efficiency!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Cud Lee's Quest is crudely entertaining but one I'm unsure will appeal to everyone because it's hardly a conventional platformer. What I love is the freedom we're given and the speed at which to explore our strange world. Also, the ability to float (err jump) with such great efficiency through the screens - that is superb!! Genuinely, one of the silliest yet most compelling games I've played - so why not have yourself a daft hour? Enjoy it!!

Grab the disk image if you're tempted?