Johnny Dash's bash 'em smash 'em adventure takes him into the evil Under World of Count Chuck. The story starts when Johnny's dog Tex is kidnapped by the Count, along with hundreds of other pet dogs and cats. The friendly bed monster under Johnny's bed tells Johnny where Tex was taken, and how Johnny can use his secret closet passageway to get to the Under World himself. Count Chuck plans to turn all the pets into an army of undead monsters, so Johnny grabs his slingshot and leaps into his closet. The Count will not turn his dog Tex into a monster, not if he can stop him!
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Great spooky vibes but it gets worse as you progress.
A game that really loses its steam around episode 3, but one that has a lot of unbridled imagination. I feel this game doesn't get as much love given that it was a DOS platformer (a lot of DOS platformers tend to get ignored, kind of like Commander Keen). This is a really solid platformer that is perfect to play around October. The slingshot is such a unique weapon, which really sets this game apart from others of the genre. I also love the idea of saving pets to thwart the main villain, especially cats. My only downside is the third episode, where it introduces too many new ideas very late into the game to the point it becomes confusing to the player. Aside from that I highly recommend this game!
This is probably the worst offender of the Shareware curse. The first episode is dense with great levels with intricate design. Episodes 2 and 3 drop the ball. There's a few of very brief levels and a few of them where the layouts are "first draft".
That said, this is one of the better Apogee platformers. The movement feels very good and the trajectory of Johnny's slingshot has a lot of depth. The inclusion of some problem-solving elements like using blocks to reach new heights and stuff like hitting the knobs on stoves to turn them off make the environments more reactive in a way that was unfound in other contemporary platformers like Duke Nukem and Commander Keen.
The audio is great with both catchy Halloween music and delightful sound effects. I don't like the EGA colour scheme but the graphics are pretty good. I think that blue-haired zombie is a simple but excellent design.
I don't think it's a crime that this game is mostly forgotten but I think at least the first episode is a solid platforming experience.
That said, this is one of the better Apogee platformers. The movement feels very good and the trajectory of Johnny's slingshot has a lot of depth. The inclusion of some problem-solving elements like using blocks to reach new heights and stuff like hitting the knobs on stoves to turn them off make the environments more reactive in a way that was unfound in other contemporary platformers like Duke Nukem and Commander Keen.
The audio is great with both catchy Halloween music and delightful sound effects. I don't like the EGA colour scheme but the graphics are pretty good. I think that blue-haired zombie is a simple but excellent design.
I don't think it's a crime that this game is mostly forgotten but I think at least the first episode is a solid platforming experience.