Ernie's Big Splash (MS-DOS)

If you tumble into the water a few times in a row and survive, that is no injury — it is a game. Ernie's Big Splash is a DOS puzzle game from 1986 that older gaming enthusiasts and puzzle lovers spend their time on, people who expect neither 3D graphics nor an orchestral soundtrack. It is Blockade, it is problem-solving, it is waiting while your brain laboriously runs through all the options.

You play as Ernie, whom you have to get from point A to point B, which sounds simple. But it isn't. The way is full of obstacles that you change through movements and logical steps. The game takes place on a single, graphically simple screen — nothing glorious, just lines and square little characters. The goal is clear, but getting there takes thought. It is not a race of reflexes, it is a race against your own brain and patience.

The controls are straightforward, intuitive to the point of boredom — move, jump, turn. The game forces you to plan your move ahead, because a wrong step means a restart. It is not about pace or action. Nor is it about great fun every single moment. It is about a cycle of trial and failure, which is sometimes frustrating, sometimes satisfying. At moments it seems you are stuck in a trap that cannot be solved, and then suddenly you realise the right approach. That is the simple magic.

Seen from the perspective of the time, it was solid entertainment for players who wanted something other than shooters and platformers. Today it has aged in the very things it had — the graphics have not changed at all, the hitboxes are unpredictable, and playing it without a DOSBox emulator is difficult. The puzzles repeat again and again, so once you know the solution, the game loses all its appeal.

Who should play it? A retro game collector who wants to see what the older generation enjoyed back when there were no 3D effects. A lover of logic games with no rushing and no timer. Someone who remembers DOS and wants to catch another whiff of this very game — not because it was brilliant, but because it was simply there. You can try it in the browser through emulators such as DOSBOX Online, and if it doesn't click in the first ten minutes, go and play something else without any guilt.