Skunny - Back to the Forest

Skunny jumps. That's basically all you need to know about this straightforward platformer from the early nineties. It alternates left and right, hops over obstacles, collects items and avoids enemies. The kind of game you could've picked up in a bargain bin for pocket change next to a Jazzercise VHS tape.

You play as a small critter — a skunk, as the title suggests — trying to make his way back to the forest. The game spans several levels, each featuring platforms, simple hazards and the occasional chunk of humus that counts toward your score. The graphics won't blow your mind: the character is tiny, poorly animated, the backgrounds are pretty drab. But these are the classic pixel-art bits DOS was made of back then. Sound? Simple bleeps and bloops that won't get on your nerves.

Gameplay is pure mechanics. You move, you jump, you dodge. The jump physics are nothing special — lacking any grace, almost like the character's sitting on a spring getting bounced into the air. Controls do the job, nothing more. Each level lasts a few minutes, then you've seen everything it has to offer. There's none of that irritating simplicity that could make a game compelling; instead you just get a placid, tedious slog.

Skunny deserves a place in the archive as an example of what a sketchy flea-market purchase looked like in those computer bazaars. It wasn't particularly sought-after, wasn't part of any legendary series, and didn't shine in graphics or gameplay. Still, it had its moment — it was part of that flood of superficially simple entertainment you'd grab from a catalog without thinking twice.

Today it might be fun to fire it up and see how little it took to pass as playable entertainment thirty years ago. It's not a bad game, just forgotten. And forgotten because it didn't deserve to be remembered.