Previous Next

Poor old Moritz. In his first adventure, Pink Pills: Manic Moritz & The Meds, he dealt with a nightmare visit to the vets, and now he's been somewhat drafted to Liverpool FC to help the win the title. I guess Mo Salah is injured again. If football correlated quips aren't your thing, never fear, I'm here to actually talk about this game which is based on football. Ish.

To be honest, it's more akin to the classic single-screen platformers like Manic Miner or Chuckie Egg, but with a nice well-themed soccer objective. You play as Moritz the dog as you navigate twelve screens chocked full of all the usual football motifs. Crazy rival players, jobsworth refs, unhinged goalkeepers, angry fathers on the side-lines, floating skulls (?!)... you get the idea. Guide our good boy safely through these dangers to unlock the match ball, score a goal and move onto the next stage. If you touch a hazard, you get a yellow card; 9 of these will result in a red card and it's game over.

It's quick to play, approachable larks with some lovely touches of fun and joyful tunes, and working out the correct paths to complete each leel require a delicate deft touch and subs bench full of patience. But is it a football game? Well, it's what football would be if Miner Whilly signed a contract with Fix-It Felix Jr.

Football game or not, it's famously familiar but also uniquely original at the same time.

Some of the presentation of this neat little title is rather lovely, and I feel really elevates the game a tad from being a so-so platformer to an engaging quick blast of fun.

The graphic stills are cute and full of joy with little comedic additions; the idea of a dog being signed to a major football team is worthy of a grin in itself, and the supporting jingles fit the bill nicely. A looping rendition of "Here We Go" runs throughout and the level and celebrations are accompanied by a call back to David Whittaker's 'Stardust' tune.

Also, the task of carrying out three objectives per level ending in Moritz scoring is rather nice.

That said, level design is on the basic side, visuals in-game are serviceable, nothing exciting but a step up from Moritz's previous adventure.

Sadly, it's all rather short and with only twelve levels the game doesn't last long.

Maybe some extra time and a penalty shoot out would have helped this reach the playoffs, but instead we have a solid mid-table effort.

As cute-looking as this Moritz offering is, it is let down in its uninspiring level design. The layouts have a feel of being quickly cobbled together and don't provide the player with many memorable moments. The collision detection is a bit off too, which frustrates the hell out of me as I like my platformers to be tight.

Presentation 70%
Great comic-strip style cover art and some lovely drawn loading screens with simple but functional menu and game screens.

Graphics 60%
The still images trigger a smile with colour and happiness. Basic in-game visuals with confusing sprites.

Sound 76%
Renditions of well-known tunes are aplenty, paced and programmed well. A bit of synth speech also, but no SFX.

Addictive Qualities 55%
You'll pick up the idea quickly and be satisfied at level completion. Dodgy collision detection though.

Lastability 45%
Once you grasp it, it's not difficult to finish. Short in playtime.

Overall 62%