Mediocre prehistoric origins
Dinosaur platforming mechanics does no favors
For whatever reason, I used to be enamored with Chuck Rock. Maybe it was the colorful graphics, or it was the “charming” platforming. Whatever it was, it isn’t here in modern gaming and with critical hindsight now, I can safely say it should have rolled back under the rock it slithered from.
There isn’t much to the threadbare bedrock of Chuck Rock. You, Chuck, are a prehistoric meathead who isn’t capable of more than a few words and grunts. You’re tasked with retrieving your kidnapped wife, Ophelia, from your love rival, Gary. You traverse through six stages, gut bumping dinosaurs and other creatures, lifting heavy rocks to solve puzzles and eating various foods to replenish your health. Occasionally, you’ll fight a boss who tries to keep you from your beloved and eat you. Just about everything is hostile and there are many natural obstacles threatening you on the journey.
It seems, however, that no one mentioned that the actual gameplay was the real threat here. For starters, nothing does anything well. Chuck is lethargic and aimless without a true sense of purpose. I get it, he’s a caveman, but that gimmick falls flat fairly fast. He’s a chore to control in a hop ‘n’ bop that’s aping Super Mario World, and it’s aping the terrible parts while trying to be cute.
While the graphics are nice, knowing what’s a hazard and what is useful isn’t the easiest to discern. Some items blend well, and some enemies look like they could be helpful items. It’s a shame considering the graphics are clean and deeply hued with a comic book ink feel. Chuck has a nice sprite and matches well with the concept as do the dinosaurs. However, while they look nice, nothing nice can be said about the soundtrack. It’s monotonous and boring, and there’s nothing that stands out. It’s boring and goofy, much like the gameplay and the concept, which does nothing to endear anyone looking for a nice solid early Super Nintendo or Genesis platformer.
What we have here is a failure to capitalize on an established platformer. Mario set the standard a year earlier with the excellent standard-bearer Super Mario World. Core should have taken a look at that and emulated what they saw. They didn’t, and we’re stuck with something that, while cute, is nigh unplayable in some spots and a chore in others. Let’s be glad that with a better discerning eye, I learned to leave some games in the Stone Ages.