"Kwirk™" (Game Boy)

A cool, slick game based on logic, block-arrangement puzzle. Despite not having an ending, the character himself is a joy to see.

Games with simple storylines are often the easiest games—I don't know who said that, but that's enough to get one to think. Is it? This game, Kwirk, would like to say something about that. Easy: Get your friend Kwirk to rescue and save his girlfriend Tammy by solving and getting through the mazes, floor by floor, going up the building. According to the instruction manual, the story is written like this:

Chill out, dude.

Kwirk™, the Chilled Tomato, is in a bit of a stew. And he needs someone to help him chill out.

See, it's like this: Kwirk and his girl, Tammy, were out painting the town tomato red, when they decided to check out this cool, subteranean labyrinth beneath the city's sizzling, hot streets.

Well it seemed like a good idea at the time. But that's when all the trouble started. Because somehow Tammy Tomato disappeared down there—probably kidnapped. But we're not positive.

Either way, Kwirk wants her back. (So does Tammy's mother.) Which is why we've got to get to her—before she turns into a, well, a vegetable!

Together you and Kwirk must solve puzzle after puzzle in this master-minded underground maze. Sometimes Kwirk's veggie buddies, Curly Carrot, Eddie Eggplant and Pete the Pepper will step in to lend a hand.

You'll rotate giant turnstiles. Move mammoth blocks. And fill in cavernous holes. All the while looking for a way out of this puzzling predicament.

It's exhilarating. And exasperating. And just when you think there's no way out...Yeah! You figure it out!

Funny how even Tammy's mom wants her back as well. Other than that, it's quite a story with a simple plot. What's not so simple is the game itself.

Like most games, the first levels are easy and get more difficult as you progress. Each stage also has the option to either redo the entire stage from its original layout/position, or undo a step you just made. Make friends with those options because you'll be using them frequently as you play!

Along the way, you'll notice some extra characters in the stages as an added challenge to help Kwirk find his way. They are as follows, according to the instruction manual:

• Curly Carrot
His eyesight is terrific.

• Eddie Eggplant
Keep him away from the Parmesan.

• Pete The Pepper
When he's hot, he's hot.

Had this game reach the Million Seller Award, I'm willing to bet they'd make plushies of all these characters.

For the more difficult, harder stages, you get stumped often to the point where you think to yourself, "Who the hell would figure this out?" Some puzzles are so difficult, you'll shut the game off and play something else. Yes, 'to each their own,' yes, but sometimes, the stages inflict a huge dent in your brain that you'll end up running to the front door of your residence to get some fresh air. What I'm trying to say is, the difficult, last levels of the game—via Story Mode—is that hard to solve.

After you beat the game, it....loops back to the menu. That's right, it's one of those games that does not show the final cut scene and have credits scrolling. This may disappoint some video gamers despite putting in all that effort to solve the puzzles only to find they don't get some congratulatory message for all their work. Yeah....

The controls are excellent; The graphics are okay, and epitomizes the aesthetics of the Game Boy back in the nineties; The music is neutral but can get to you when you're trying to solve a level. Granted, it's not screechy and ear-bleeding but it's alright (depending if it compliments your style of music).

Other modes included are a VS Mode, allowing a two-player competition, and an Endless Mode. You even have options for viewing the puzzle, from either the top down or a bird's eye view.

Despite having no credits, this game is a rare one and not often talked about. However, it holds as one of the most difficult games to play (without using a walkthrough). However, unless you're a huge puzzle fan, you may end up playing this game once or twice, then putting it back on the shelves never to touch again. Still, its challenges present even today's video gaming enthusiasts a run for their logic-solving skills.

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he managed a personal blog made back in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming (software development) and video production, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, playing old video/DOS games, digital video archiving, and listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

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