Developer: Visual Concepts Publisher: Acclaim Release: 10/91 Genre: Action
Trog is one of many NES and arcade games that is long forgotten. Even Midway, its publisher did little to keep it alive despite releasing many retro collections. But why is that? There were many games that followed in Pac-Man’s footsteps. Trog is one of the most unique, not just for its Claymation graphics but also its mechanics. I remember the NES home port being heavily advertised which is why I rented it in the first place. I went in with no expectations and was surprised. This is a solid game in the arcade that remains so at home despite losing its most defining feature.
The Trogs in the title are not the playable characters. In fact they are the enemy. You are a dinosaur out to collect all of the eggs scattered around each level before the trogs (short for troglodyte) make a meal of you. The trogs come in many different flavors. At first they simply roam the maze randomly but if they see you will aggressively follow in pursuit. Every five levels or so they get new ideas and create new inventions to get you. Soon they create spring shoes to leap around the map, rub sticks to create fire, and flinging wheels at you. There are also environmental hazards such as mushrooms that slow you down, tar pits, and holes. Funny enough the stupid trogs are susceptible to these same hazards as well!
While the general gameplay is similar to Pac-Man there are a number of key differences. You are not completely helpless. You can punch enemies to temporarily remove them from the field at any time. The maps have no borders so if you are not careful you can walk off to your death. Aside from punching cavemen in their single eye there are a number of power-ups. Hot tamales let you breathe fire, ice blocks freeze all enemies while red flowers increase movement speed. The best is the pineapple which transforms you in to a T-Rex to turn the tables and eat the trogs instead. Power-ups drop constantly making them an active part of the game lending it a different flavor. If you are crafty enough you can even skip levels too……
Although Trog follows the Pac-Man formula the ability to beat the bastards up at any time lends it a different air. The maps are smaller forcing more frequent confrontation and there is a greater variety of traps and obstacles to contend with. I like the poetic simplicity of Pac-Man but appreciate the dynamism at play in Trog. Islands fall in to a few categories: ice islands have buildings that produce wheels that chase you. Catapult islands have….catapults that help you jump around the map. Then there are the simple ones like river divides which are self-explanatory and tropical islands that are dense with palm trees you must navigate around. Despite the diversity the game repeats around round 25 which is disappointing as the layouts feel identical, making the last 24 stages feel weak.
As a single player experience Trog is passable. As much as I like the game halfway through it begins to repeat itself which is disappointing. But in multiplayer it takes on another life. With two players now you must compete to collect color coded eggs in order to score bigger point bonuses. Having to work around each other as well as the Trogs is a trip. The back half of the game introduces neutral eggs that both players can collect which begin a mad dash that can easily lead to mistakes. I only wish the game were not so repetitive toward the end. While competing against a buddy can distract from that somewhat it can only do so much.
In the arcade Trog uses Claymation graphics to stand out. It made for a striking look that was unique for the time and also helped distinguish it from Namco’s series. Sadly the NES port loses that and a lot of the charm of the game to boot. By no means is this an ugly game; by NES standards it is decent. It simply looks generic and makes little use of the system’s color palette. To its credit many of the funny animations remain but like so many later arcade games it suffers heavily in the transition to the little grey box.
In Closing
Trog! offers a humorous take on the maze-chase genre. Its mechanics, power-ups, and coop provide a fresh experience for fans of classic arcade games. While it may not have the depth of some of its contemporaries, its lighthearted approach and gameplay make it a worthwhile addition to any NES collection.
