Hook (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
168A playthrough of Sony Imagesoft's 1992 licensed-based platformer for the NES, Hook.
I really liked the Hook movie when it came out. In hindsight, I suppose it wasn't that great, but as a kid, I watched it over and over again. I also loved the SNES game - a neighbor got it when it was new and I borrowed it more times than I could count. I remember being curious about the NES game, but I quickly dismissed it after seeing some rough reviews and unflattering screenshots in magazines. A lot of people did, it would seem.
The game roughly follows the plot of the movie - you, as adult Peter Pan, have to return to Neverland to save your kids from the evil Captain Hook. Donning your best Dollar Store "Green Fantasy Jerkin" Halloween costume, you take to the wilds of Neverland ... searching for cupcakes and peaches?
Alright, so the game doesn't match up with the movie, but most NES movie games didn't, so that's hardly an issue.
It seems that the largest criticism people leverage against the game is that it's too difficult. I think that this complaint stems from the utter uselessness of Peter's knife, but here's the secret to enjoying Hook: forget that you have a weapon. You never need to use it, and you'll only make yourself miserable by insisting on stabbing everything in sight.
Each level is a small maze of sorts, and to gain access to the exit, Peter has to collect all of the special items that have been scattered about. Sometimes there's a switch to hit or a trail of fairy dust to bounce across, but for the most part, you're jumping over enemies and grabbing random items. I usually dislike this style of game (*cough* Dennis the Menace *cough*), but this one is pretty okay. The maps aren't big enough to get lost in and the items aren't difficult to find, so the level design rarely becomes a frustration.
There are two other stage types to be found as you cruise around the Neverland map. The first, the flying stages, have Peter soaring through the skies from a third-person "chase cam" perspective, collecting orbs and avoiding lightning. They're an easy and simple break from the standard fare, but what is going on with that view of Peter's backside?
The other mode, the 1v1 fighting mode, is used for boss fights. In the fight against Rufio, you have to remove Rufio's shirt with your sword. Pictures of Peter and Rufio's torsos are used to indicate how much life they each have remaining. The last fight, against Captain Hook, isn't quite as suggestive, but just as strange when you have pirates trying to massage your ankles.
It's a strange game, but I enjoyed Hook. It feels like Ocean's movie-based games with its large character sprites, colorful backgrounds, and grating but catchy music, but the control is much tighter than in games like RoboCop 2 and Darkman, and it's not unfair in its difficulty.
Hook is by no means a classic, but it's decent.
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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