Gherbert Groundhog in Save the Date

Intro

It’s Groundhog Day, again! Well at least it is at the time of writing. Hopefully it isn’t again tomorrow or I’ll have to try to convince Andie MacDowell to fall in love with me and frankly that sounds like a logistical nightmare.

Poor Gherbert has much to collect.

Story

One particular groundhog who is very aware of the date and is having relationship issues of his own is Gherbert. Our hero has a very special date lined up with his sweetheart, but disaster has struck! His stuff has been swiped by some jealous forest dwellers and scattered all over the neighbourhood. Can Gherbert retrieve everything before he’s late for his date at eight?

Gherbert Groundhog in Save the Date is a colourful platformer that sees you take on the role of the alliterative anthropomorphic rodent as he explores the woodland to recover 18 pilfered items he needs to set up the perfect date. He’s only a little fella so he cannot carry more than one item at a time, which means he/you must make a lot of trips back and forth around the beautifully designed levels, as you transport each item back to your den.

Plumbing new depths

Graphics

When I was a kid I was obsessed with a lot of things, one of which was comics, the likes of Whizzer & Chips, Buster, Oink and of course the Beano. Another was the games of Gremlin Graphics. Not that I ever got too far with them without a few pointers from the Speccy mags of the time, but I adored the characters. Playing games starring Jack the Nipper, Thing on a Spring & Monty Mole made it feel like I was stepping into the pages of one Fleetway’s finest.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Ric “PuttyCAD” Lumb had a similar experience growing up, as his artwork is just bursting with the same character, energy and quirky humour of the comics and games that I enjoyed all those years ago. I mean just look at the little alligator fella in the above screenshot, isn’t he a smasher!

I’m up the bloody tree!

Gameplay

With Jeff “Psychic Parrot” Murray on coding duties, Gherbert Groundhog in Save the Date is a game that plays as beautiful as it looks. Each room is extremely well designed and is an absolute joy to navigate. The challenge is fair too, there are none of the nasty plungers that you get in Monty Mole here. I mean, the piranhas can be a nuisance, but at least there’s a pattern to them.

I love all the little touches in the game too, the punny room names and the sheer riot of colour which makes full use of the vibrant Speccy colour palate and says to hell with the clash, like all the best Speccy games do.

This was a game that I was really looking forward to from the moment I first clapped eyes on a preview screenshot, and I was delighted that it didn’t disappoint. I’ve come back to it a few times since but still not managed to complete it. The main reason is that the time limit is so strict, but it is beatable, I know there are a few screens I can shave vital seconds from. When I try to speedrun however, that’s when I end up making silly mistakes & losing lives! Given enough practice I know I’ll complete it, after all if Bill Murray can learn to play piano and ice sculpt given enough time, then anything is possible.

I mean would it even be a Spectrum game be without a toilet!

Verdict

Gherbert Groundhog in Save the Date is a fantastically playable and beautiful game that is everything you would hope for in a Speccy platformer. This is one you’ll want to play again and again.

Info

Release Date: 15 March 2022
Original Publisher: PuttyCAD/Psychic Parrot
Machine Type: ZX Spectrum 48k/128K
Price: $1.99
Digital Download: https://puttycad.itch.io/gherbert-groundhog-in-save-the-date

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