Quik the Thunder Rabbit logo Amiga Computing Gold

He's speedy, furry and blu (sound familiar?). Daniel Whitehead hunts him down like an animal.

INTRODUCTION

So there's this rabbit, see? And as all his woodland friends have suddenly turned into slavering beasts, he's feeling a bit put out. So he stops day-dreaming about the foxy,m she-rabbit from the Cadbury's Caramel advert and hops off to dispense the long ear of the law to his violent ex-friends. It's a platform game, obviously.

GAMEPLAY

Make your way from one end of the level to the other, jumping on plat... stop me if you've heard this before won't you? To be fair though, despite its generic appearance Quik is a very playable little game.

He can spin into enemies to kill them in a quite hedgehog-tactic kinda way, and then collect whatever power-up is left behind. Being a rabbit, Quik requires constant carrot and water refills to prevent a trip to bunny heaven.

You can also collect hearts to keep your energy up and potions to enhance his natural bunny skills (no, not those rabbit skills). The potions come in two flavours, red and green, and allow him to jump extra high or to zoom along at thunder-like speeds.

While under the influence of the super speed beverage, our hero is impervious to damage from enemies but can easily lose his power by crashing into a wall.

At the start of each level you'll be told what you must do. Some levels simply require a speedy exit, whereas others demand that you find a clock before making an exit.
Clocks can be found through spooky doors that take Quik back in time to a sub-game where you must clamber to the top of a themed screen (prehistoric, medieval etc.) platform by platform to claim the clock. The only trouble is that there are rolling boulders and a fiendish bird that keeps dragging him back down the screen.

Trampolines, secret passages and ladders are all present and correct to assist him in getting to the sub-game, and at the end of each zone there's a labyrinth section in. Quik's burrow where you must first locate and then destroy an end-of-level baddie.

Three similar, but refreshing gamestyles, all wrapped up in a playable chocolatey coating then.


 

ADDITIONAL INFO

Quik may very well be a speedy little chap but by far the coolest rabbit ever was Bugs Bunny, created by Bob Clampett in 1938 for the cartoon "Porky's Hare Hunt". He was not, however, very funny until Tex Avery came along and transformed him into the epitome of wisecracking, sarcastic Brooklyn attitude.

By 1962 he's appeared in a staggering 159 cartoons and received an Oscar for "Knighty Knight Bugs". His characteristic New York drawl was provided by Mel Blanc, who sadly died recently. Mel was also responsible for pretty much every cartoon voice ever, as well as Twiki the robot from Buck Rogers. A veritable star.

Classic Bugs Bunny moments include his frequent cross-dressing (thus proving himself to be a rabbit in touch with his feminine side), his immortal routines with Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck (which always resulted in Daffy's beak being blown off by Elmer) and one brilliant cartoon where he goes head to head with Wile E. Coyote,

With Bugs you always know that he's going to outwit everybody, and as such he remains a super-cool, suave sex symbol with more star quality in his teeth than all of Disney's sickly efforts put together. Bugs, we salute you.


 

The rabbit has a charming face
It's private life is a disgrace
I really dare not name to you
the awful things that rabbits do
'The Rabbit', 1925


 

SOUND

As befits a cute rabbit game, the tune is all bouncy and cheery. It probably wouldn't sound out of place on a kids' TV programme, like those quite terrifying Tiny Tots creations.

However, as is the case with pretty much every game tune ever, it has the ability to irritate you to the point of violence after about 10 minutes, so thank goodness for the chance to prod 'M' and switch it off.

Unfortunately, this shows up how sparse the sound is. A few FX for the enemies would have added greatly to the grooviness of the game. A squawk from the birds or a howl from the coyotes would be most pleasant. Inoffensive, but lacking real bite.

68%

 

GRAPHICS

There are two sorts of platform games, the normal sort and the cute sort. With a blue rabbit as its main character and various other furry animals as baddies, guess which sort Quik is. Yep, it's a cute-o-rama. And it looks rather pleasant.

The scrolling is smooth enough and the backgrounds and platforms are clearly defined and a pleasure to jump on. The best graphical aspect of Quik is the great variety of enemy sprites, all suited to their respective zones, and each animated with individuality and flair.

It's also one of those game where bonus rooms and secret routes are tucked away but easily found. You know the sort of thing - conspicuous walls just begging to be jumped through. Some you'll find by accident and others you can unearth by using games-player's intuition.

All in all it looks good and solid. All the platform requirements are there and it handles like a dream.

81%

 

OPINION80%

Casting aside all previous platform games, Quik is really a perfectly little game. Admittedly, my first reaction to a platform game about rabbits was not printable in a family publication, but I was won over by the sheer professionalism of it all.

The difficulty level is spot on, with just enough effort you can get through the first three or four levels. Probably more suited to younger players, due to its simplicity and cuddly approach, but despite every aspect of it screaming "cliché" it comes across as a very fun game.

It even stands up well alongside the competition. Highly recommended, much to my surprise.


Quik the Thunder Rabbit logo

Bei Titus weiß man, wie der Hase läuft: Nach zwe Plattform-Ausflügen hat die franzözische Softwareschmiede die betagten "Blues Brothers" nun in Rente geschickt - und ein blaues Karnickel als Nachfolger eingesetzt!

Der letzte Stamm freier Langohren befindet sich in einer akuten Notlage, neigt sich der Möhrenvorrat doch rapide dem Ende zu. Also wird Quik, der schnellste Hasenfuß weit und breit, ins ferne Land des Zauberers geschickt, um dort ein magisches Samenkorn aufzutreiben...

Den unendlichen Karottenvorrat vor Augen, hetzt das Karnickel nun stickgesteuert durch vier mehrteilige und weitverzweigte Levels, in denen meist horizontal gescrollt wird.

Es geht durch Wald und Wüste, Meer und Eis, wobei allerorten Feinde, Höhlen und Hindernisse warten. Verschnaufpausen zum Betrachten der hübschen Landschaften sind da nicht eingeplant, während die im Weg stehenden Gegner über-hoppelt, umgerannt bzw. umgerollt oder mit einem gezielten Sprung attackiert werden.

Sobald nämlich eine Schlange, ein Wüsttenfuchs oder Eisbär den (Hasen-) Braten riecht, ist der Energievorrat in Gefahr - zum Erhalt der drei Bildschirmleben sind somit die herumliegenden Herzen ebenso wichtig wie frisches Wasser und Futter. Wie gut, daß so mancher verschiedene Widersacher Speis und Trank hinterläßt!

Bloß vertragen einige der Gegner mehrere Hiebe, andere sind gar gänzlich unbesiegbar. Und selbst Zeit zum Weiterspielen muß erkämpgt werden, indem Quik in einer Parallelwelt (sprich: vertikal scrollende Extra-Abschnitte) sogenannte "Qronos" findet, die eifersüchtig von einem besonders schrägen Vogel bewacht werden.

Glücklicherweise ist der Weg dorthin mit Hinweispfeilen und Statuen halbwegs vernünftig ausgeschildert, ansonsten muß unser Langohr jedoch weitgehend ohne Unterstützung zurechtkommen. Im Falle eines Ablebens bedeutet das beispielsweise den Neubeginn am Anfang des gerade bereisten Levels.

Technisch ist die Hasenwelt in Ordnung, schon weil das Programm automatisch den Chipsatz des 1200ers erkennt und mit feinem Parallaxscrolling honoriert. Die Animation des Hauptdarstellers ist auf allen Amigas gleichermaßen prima gelungen (etwa wenn Quik getroffen am Boden liegt und die sprichwörtlichen Vöglein zwitschen hört), und die Sounduntermalung geht auch ganz in Ordnung.

Daß dieses Jump & Run trotz manch netter Idee, dem abwechslungsreichen Leveldesign und der fairen Steuerung kein Überhammer ist, liegt daher wohl eher in der Natur der Sache: Bei der aktuellen Plattform-Schwemme ist die Innovation ja schon längst auf der Strecke geblieben...

Wer also noch ein knuddeliges Hüpfical sucht, dessen Schwierigkeitsgrad selbst auf der leichtesten Stufe nicht ohne ist, der darf diesen Hasen getrost in den Disktopf werrfen - Levelcodes beugen dabei ja den ärgsten Verdauungsschwierigkeiten vor. (ms)


Quik the Thunder Rabbit logo

Did we hear cries of "hooray bunny, bunny, bunny" from Cam as this fell into his hands? No. Strangely we did not.

(A monorail train pulls into a sumptuous station. The floors are densely carpeted and the air slightly scented with lemon grass oil. As the travellers disembark, they're greeted by young, good-looking and well dressed guides who take them over to expansive leather sofas. After a few minutes of wait, a three foot high blue bunny is invited to sit down. A well spoken lady begins the interview.)

Interviewer 1: Good morning sir. As you are aware, in less than three weeks the planet Earth will plunge into the sun and be incinerated. Death for all inhabitants is certain but, for a fortunate few, life will continue in the Star Cruiser Ede 2. You are here today to be evaluated, to ascertain whether your skills and talents are worthy enough to be preserved. Your name please?

Quik: It's Quik.

Interviewer 1: Quik? That's an odd name. Even for a fluffy-wuffy blue bunny rabit.

Quik:: Actually, I'm not a rabbit in any real sense. I'm a video game character.

Interviewer 1: Ahh, well, in that case, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. Although there are 250,000 places for electronic persons, they're being processed in a different section. The monorail will take you there. Goodbye.

BENCH
(Another monorail, another station. This time, the floor is tiled and overhead signs reading 'Queue Here' direct an odd assortment of video game characters towards barricades. Quik is forced to stand for three hours, nodding sympathetically at Turrican's marital problems and grimacing at tales of the Barbarian's infected ingrowing toenail. Eventually his name is called and he sits on a hard wooden bench that's seen better days.)

Interviewer 2: Okay Quik, gimme a rundown. Whatta you do? Whatcha good at?

Quik: Well, as you can see (He stands up and twirls round) I'm very cute. I can also run quickly (power-ups permitting), jump very high (always assuming I can find a trampoline) and do lots and lots of cartwheels, smacking the bad guys as I go.

Interviewer 2: Waitaminute. You meanta say you're one of them?

Quik: One of what?

Interviewer 2: You know what I mean scumbucket. One of, you know, THEM.

Quik: I'm afraid I still don't follow you.

Interviewer 2 (hissing): A platform game.

Quik: Why yes, that's exactly what I am. Why, is that a prob... (He is clubbed unconscious by guards in riot gear and thrown into an open-topped wagon.)


What about a slippy-slidey ice world?

PROD
(Not so much a station, more a railway siding. The monorail slows and Quik is thrown out. Guards with cattle prods and tinted visors sling him across the concrete floor towards a desk. The interviewer checks his sawed-off double-barrelled shotgun before shuffling a pile of forms.)

Interviewer 3: I've got to tell you Quik, the chances of you catching that shuttle are pretty slim. The last thing the remnants of civilisation need is a bunch of lame platformers. Okay, do you have a level based on HR Giger with funny aliens?

Quik: No.

Interviewer 3: That's good. What about a slippy-slidey ice world?

Quik: Yes, one of my four worlds is all slippy and slidey, with funny sledges and snowballs and things.

Interviewer 3: Bad move, bunny. Tell me about your sub-games and unique features.

Quik: Well, on certain levels, I've got to find doors that lead to the time travel sections. I've then got to jump my way to the top of the screen while a flying creature keeps picking me up and dropping me. Also I can get killed in several ways. I can fall down the numerous bottomless caverns dotted around, or I can die of thirst, hunger or accumulated wounds.

To prevent this, I've got to find water, carrots and heart icons, which are dotted around and also released by the baddies when I kill them. There are even little signs saying 'Joke' dotted around for little or no reason, which is a feature I've never seen in any other game.

Interviewer 3 (tutting): Well, it's hardly groundbreaking stuff, but I suppose it could be worse. Okay, we'll move on to the Sonic test.

Quik: Errm... what's that?

Interviewer 3:: It's just a standard thing we do. We look for things like Green Hill Zones, cute bad guys and stuff like that. Then we watch the character's special move, and say "Spin (insert name here) spin" and if it looks too much like Sonic the Hedgehog then...

Quik: Yes?

Interviewer 3:: Then:

Quik: Yes?

Interviewer 3: (patting the shotgun): I blast 'em with this here twelve gauge.

Quik: Ulp.

Interviewer 3:: If you've got anything you want to cough up, then now would be a good time.

Quik: Sob. Okay, okay, so the first of the four worlds looks every such a lot like the first level of Sonic, even down to there being different ways through each level. And I do spin a lot, but whereas Sonic does it facing the direction of travel, I face out of the screen and smile at you, so that can't count, can it? (Chokes) Can it? And I'll admit that my speed power-up may look a little like the Sonic's speedy boots, but it wasn't deliberate, honest. (Blubs.)
Oh, please don't kill me, I'm just a little fluffy blue rabbit trying to make an honest living. (Begs.) Have a pity on me.

DEATH
Interviewer 3:: Okay, well, I suppose I'll give you the good news first. I've checked your credentials and you're actually not at all bad. I can see that the hidden nasties that lurk behind foreground scenery are supposed to be tricky when in fact they just slow you down, but I'll let that one side.

The inherent Sonic-ness of your game's frankly a bit naff, but seeing as you're just another generic platform game, I'll drop that one too. The long and short of it Mr Quik is that I'm not going to blow you away with the shotgun.

Quik: Phew

Interviewer 3:: However, being cute and entertaining for a few hours simply isn't enough. To get that golden ticket on the Star Cruiser, you need to look good, play well and be imaginatively put together. Second Samurai's packing his bags right now, 'cos he's got the kind of varied gameplay and oomph that you need to survive when playing through the endless aeons of space. Whereas you're slightly better than average, which means only one thing.

Quik: What's that?

Interviewer 3: We're leaving you on Earth. You're going to fall into the sun and die along with everything else that's average.

Quik: Oh dear.


A WORLD OF CUTE

Quik the Thunder Rabbit
Hoo-hoo! Watch the funny bunny run!

Quik the Thunder Rabbit
Wahay! Spin Sonic Spin! Or Quik, maybe.

Quik the Thunder Rabbit
Fyuk! It's a fat and funny birdy-wirdy!

Quik the Thunder Rabbit
Coo! You rascally fox on a barrel, you.

Quik the Thunder Rabbit
Titter! A pesky vulture - with glasses. Giggle.



Quik the Thunder Rabbit logo

What has big floppy ears, is covered in fur and has particularly good eyesight? Not Tony Dillon, that's for sure. Ever the talkative type, we thought we'd let him 'rabbit' on about Titus' latest platform romp.

Titus are a software house who have been incredibly quiet for the last two years. Now, they've come back with a game that really is a lot of fun.

There isn't really a lot of a plot, in Quik - the Thunder Rabbit but with a game as odd as this one, you don't really need much of a storyline. Essentially, you are a rabbit with fairly unusual habits. One who eats carrots and drinks water like there is no tomorrow, but has a bit of a personality problem, that has resulted in most, if not all of the other woodland creatures to turn against you and want to kill you.

All you want to do is get from one side of your world to the other, and if that means you have to fight back and take on everything that moves, then so it has to be.

SPINNING WHEEL
Unlike most platform games that have come out in the last couple of years, you don't damage enemy characters by jumping on their heads. Instead, a quick touch of the fire button turns you into a rolling ball of fur, with which you can launch yourself Sonic-Like against the opposition, smashing them to pieces in the meantime. There is no limit on the number of times you can spin around the screen like a pinball, but doing it does use up your food and water reserves, so you always have to be on the lookout for a top up.

ENEMY TACTICS
The enemy sprites are as varied as you could want them to be. From snakes with hypnotic vision that fixes you to the spot to caterpillars with electrified spikes on their back all the way to foxes that unicycle on large boulders, before kicking them towards you. A lot of care and attention has been paid to the enemy, and it really has paid off. There are a whole string of different tactics you can apply to taking on the enemy such as rebounding off walls, slamming them off ledges and it really adds to the game.

As does the variety of backdrops and tasks for each stage. On some levels all you need to do is find the exit, which is usually on the extreme right of the level. On others you need to find a clock before you can move ahead, which is usually hidden on another sublevel, the door to which is hidden away somewhere on the level. Each level itself is huge, and laid out in the form of a very complicated maze, so just finding your way around is a real challenge.

Thankfully there are arrows and sign reading 'This Way' dotted around the screen to help you on your way, although sometimes they'll just lead to a dead end, in which case you'll be confronted with a sign reading 'Joke'. Ahh, that French humour.

STRANGE BUT GOOD
Visually the game is wonderful. There is a real character and charm that makes it stand out quite a bit. Take the main sprite, for example. At first glance, it doesn't so much look like a rabbit as a small child in a rabbit costume. His face is very well animated, breaking out into a smile whenever he collects everything, and the way his ears bounce around when he jumps is just adorable.

Quik - the Thunder Rabbit. It has an odd name. It's a little odd to play. But then, odd is interesting!