LGR - Freakin' Funky Fuzzballs - DOS PC Game Review
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WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en
Aahhh! Freakin' Funky Fuzzballs!
Wow, there's a game with the word \\\
The word \\\ is indeed present in this game.
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"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enAahhh!Freakin' Funky Fuzzballs!Wow, there's a game with the word \"freakin\" in the title.When I saw this recently, I absolutely had to own it,so I grabbed it for a couple of bucks on eBay.Just look at this cover art.I have no idea what that is chasing him,but I tell you, that fuzzball strikes me as nothingother than freakin' funky without a doubt.And come to find out the companyresponsible for this awesomenessis nothing other Sir-Tech.Yes, that's the same Sir-Tech who is knownfor the Wizardry and Jagged Alliance games.And some of those people involvedin those also worked on this.I imagine that's one colorful résumé they have.Freakin' Funky Fuzzballs,or FFFFFFFFis full of awesomeness on the outside,but what about the creamy center?Ooh...Aahhh...Sir-Tech floppies.Sorry, as a PC gaming geek, this is...This is the good stuff.The manual gives you some nice illustrationsand all the information youcould want regarding the game.I see no mention of a story or plot anywhere,no mention of what universe you're even in,why you're a funky fuzzball,and who or what is out to get you.I suppose it does not matter.There's also this sheet of paper that is a requirementdue to some rather off-putting copy protection,which of course greets you at the game's start.Whatever. I've seen far worse.*ahem* Dragon's Lair...After the generously colorful artwork,the first thing I noticed once the game's openedis the completely radical music,which is just a short AdLib loop,but man, is it freakin' funky.After selecting some options,and a cool little reference to either H. G. Wellsor Max Frost and the Troopers,you jump right into the game in its first time period:ancient times.FFF is a simple-looking puzzlegame of deceptive difficulty.You are the freakin' funky fuzzballand you must find the key to get to the next level.In the first world, it's a bitreminiscent of games like Q*bertActivision's Frostbite andI'm sure something else that's soobvious it's not coming to mind.You move your funkified ball of freakin'fuzz around the map using the numpad,removing blocks by walking over them.There is at least one enemy oneach map that you'll have to avoid,or you'll get your strength zapped,with all sorts of nifty swearinghappening at the bottom of the screen.Being a Sir-Tech game, I supposethey couldn't resist the urgeto include all sorts of fantasy elements,like strength, vitality, scrolls, potion, magic and armor.In the first world, all you have to worryabout is your strength and vitality.Vitality is the maximum amountof strength, which is your health.You can replenish your strength byabsorbing things like pizza and coffee,through some sort of bizarre fuzzball osmosis, I guess.Once you get the required amountof keys, it will let you know.And then you must find the door to exit to the next level.And that's really about it.It's the same basic idea for 15 total levels.The main thing that changesare the methods of surviving.In these first levels, you'll want to makesure that you don't block yourself offfrom an area you need to get to, or it's game over.Input high score, try again.You'll need a randomly-appearing magicwand in order to cross these gaps.But act quickly, because the enemies willrun towards them and make them their own.And they react instantly to noticing them,so you'll have to be pretty close in orderto have any kind of chance of grabbing it.It's also of note that you really can't outrun them,since the quicker you move, they quicker they move.Kind of like in Rodent's Revenge and similar games.It almost feels like turn-based gameplay in real time.Next you'll move on to the medieval levels,which now include armor, shields, scrolls, and the like.Armor reduces the damage you'll take,shields shield against one attack,potions restore 100 strength,and scrolls cast a randomtemporary spell, either good or bad,like making you invincibleor turning you blind.The blocks don't disappear onthis world, they just change color,so it's all about avoiding the enemiesand uncovering as many blocks as you canuntil you eventually get the items you need.The other big changes later onare the modern and future worlds,which introduce diagonal gameplay,using 7, 9, 1, and 3 on the numpad.This is where the difficulty spikes,since coming from the previouslevels to this is really unsettling.Level 15 is the end where you'llneed to use dynamite on an end boss,but that's for you to experience yourself.There's also a multiplayer modewhere you can either take turns with up toten players going through the game as usual,or with one player playing as the enemy,which is exactly how it sounds,and is somewhat enjoyableif you're into annoying your friends.And that's Freakin' Funky Fuzzballs.It's not bad for a little while,and the first few times you play through it are enjoyable,if only to see what comes next.The music is fun, the graphicsand animation are good enough,and the controls throw you for a loop here and there,but otherwise they're pretty spot on.Still, I can't recommend it entirely,just because it's nearly the samething each time that you play.And since there are only 15 levels,and they're pretty much the same thing repeatedlywith very little changing.It's not like games like Lode Runnerwhere you keep playing over andover to see the myriad levelsand consistently changing puzzles.I'd still recommend giving it a playthrough.But don't set your hopes too high.\n"