Jersey Devil (video game)

Jersey Devil
Developer(s)	Megatoon Studios[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]
Publisher(s)	PlayStation PAL: Ocean Software NA: SCEA JP: Konami Microsoft Windows Infogrames
Composer(s)	Gilles Léveillé
Platform(s)	PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	PlayStation PAL: December 12, 1997 NA: June 1, 1998[1] JP: June 24, 1999 Microsoft Windows NA: 1998
Genre(s)	3D platformer
Mode(s)	Single-player

Jersey Devil is a 3D platformer developed by Behaviour Interactive located in Canada,^[2] and released worldwide for the PlayStation and PC. Jersey Devil, the protagonist of the game, is a Jersey Devil, although he has more characteristics of a bat. His primary mission is to stop Dr. Knarf and his army of mutated vegetables and prehistoric monsters. Jersey Devil uses his punch, jumping, and gliding abilities to defeat his enemies. In many areas of the game, it is necessary to collect all five letters of Knarf's name to proceed, adding a puzzle element to the gameplay.^[3]

There are six areas in the game with three levels each: two main levels, and a secret bonus level unlockable if the player's Nitro power level is high enough.

Plot

The game opens with a short, animated segment that serves as the intro to the game. Dennis, a mutated, humanoid pumpkin, enters his master, Dr. Knarf's lab with something he found in a small cage. He interrupts Knarf as he is about to dissect a mutant eggplant in order to show him, and the creature in the cage is shown to be the main character, Jersey Devil, as an infant. Knarf begins plans to dissect the infant in order to study him, but realizes that when Dennis interrupted him earlier, he ruined his last scalpel blade and locks Dennis in a cage outside before leaving to fetch more. While gone, one of his plant monsters tries to eat the infant Jersey Devil, but he eludes it and then begins to wreck the lab while Dennis watches helplessly from his cage. Knarf returns to find his lab in ruins and the Jersey Devil holding a bottle of Nitroglycerin, which he dangles in the air before suddenly dropping it and destroying the lab almost completely, the result of which sends him flying far away into the middle of the nearby town of "Jersey".

The cutscene then flashes forward to many years later, the town has grown into a city, and mutant vegetable monsters are seen chasing after and kidnapping the residents of the city. One of them stops while passing by a television store window, which is playing the evening news, and watches curiously as Dr. Knarf is mentioned, revealing him to be alive and the mutant vegetables his doing. The news then goes on to mention "mysterious sightings of the legendary Jersey Devil", as a figure suddenly appears behind the mutant and pulls of the mask he is wearing, revealing him to be Dennis, who also survived the explosion. The figure, revealed to be Jersey Devil, leans down and says "Boo!" scaring Dennis away, when he picked up by Knarf as he drives past in his car. The scene then pans back towards Jersey Devil, finding instead only empty streets, before revealing Jersey Devil up on the rooftops, looking down over the city as the title screen appears.

Reception

The game received mixed reviews; criticism was mainly focused on the camera and graphics.^[4] A common praise given to the game was its orchestral score by Gilles Léveillé.^[5][6]

References

Notes

References