Welcome to GamesRadar's daily blast of all things pertaining to the ever-growing field of game music. Each post will introduce new sounds, games, composers and fan-made remixes of gaming's greatest aural achievements.
May 10, 2010
Game: Plok
Song: Main Theme
Composers: Tim and Geoff Follin
Above: The theme music from Plok
What cartoonish mascot did you get fooled into caring about in 1993? Bubsy? Aero the Acrobat? Cool Spot? Don't even think about saying Puggsy, or you and I are no longer friends. Lost in all the carefully manufactured wackiness that year was Plok – a game, character and soundtrack that deserved way moreattention than they received.
Plok was special for a few reasons. For one thing, he could detach any of his arms or legs and throw them at enemies for damage; launch every limb at the same time and his poor little amputated torso would be forced to hop along the ground until they returned. The game was also incredibly colorful, with dazzling, oversaturated sprites that popped almost painfully off the screen. But the music is what lingers in your memory above everything else… I rented Plok only once during my childhood and I still can't get the tunes, especially that title screen music, out of my head.
Scroll back up and hit play again. Listen to that simulated harmonica! The wailing guitar solo! Those celebratory trumpet effects! The playful and energetic percussion! Rumor has it that when Shigeru Miyamoto first heard Plok's theme song, he didn't believe it was coming from a regular SNES and that the composer must have installed a modified audio chip. If true, his shock is understandable – this sounds more like a big band jam session than a 16-bit computer file. You can't help feeling a little happier as the infectious, building beat washes over you.
Above:Even Pikachu loves Plok!
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