A Call To Arms For The Adventures Of Shuggy

Some games come out and they’re overshadowed by something massive, something that people are drawn to, and the little game that took a lot of effort to make and distribute gets forgotten and left by the wayside. It’s one of the unfortunate side effects of the industry that we all love.

Let’s see if we can help then shall we?

The Adventures of Shuggy was one of those games, coming out the same day as Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 it was simply overshadowed by one of the biggest franchises in gaming, not just video gaming. The guys at Valcon Games want you to know that Shuggy is still there, looking as cute as ever, but I’ll let them tell you about it…

Remember how David took on Goliath and won? Well, someone forgot to tell Xbox 360 players, because when The Adventures of Shuggy, one of the best reviewed little games to come out on the platform in recent months, found itself released on the same day as the mega title that is Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, it definitely didn’t come off best. Even having a Day-Glo purple vampire for its central character didn’t help its visibility with gamers who rushed to buy the digital version of the successful fantasy trading card game, bowling the little guy over in the process.

But the critics noticed it. Gamepro gave it 90 and said it was: “a puzzle/platformer that’s not only challenging and addicting, but also adorable”. Eurogamer gave it 80 and proclaimed: “The controls are silky smooth, the visual style is adorable, and it doesn’t involve shooting men in the face. All this for less than the price of a Spectrum game.” And Totally360 said its jazzy soundtrack and brilliantly bright colours took gamers back to their roots. “Shuggy offers a nostalgic journey to the past in a game that is both addictive and enjoyable to the end.”*

David Johnston, Shuggy’s creator, who set up Smudged Cat Games to develop his first XBLA product, believes that his much loved game could yet take on the big boys of the download market.

“It’s really hard to get attention initially when you’re pitched against a monster like Duels. But I think all gamers need a bit of variety and what could be better relaxation when you’ve spent hours concentrating on the exhausting intellectual complexities of a TCG than a super addictive retro platformer with bats and a vampire?”

So like his namesake, the Biblical David, he is taking aim at the giant. And he says the stone in his slingshot is the free demo of the game which is available for download. “Next time you feel like a break from spell-bashing, please, please, try it out,” he says. “When you do, you’ll remember the sheer pleasure of the kind of real games that got you into gaming in the first place.”

The Adventures of Shuggy was published by Valcon Games in June 2011 and is available on the Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points.