Chuck Rock is a 1991 slapstick side-scrolling platform video game developed and published by Core Design for the Atari ST and Amiga computers. A Commodore 64 port followed in 1992 and an Amiga CD32 version in 1994. The game was subsequently published by Krisalis Software for the Acorn Archimedes. Virgin Interactive published the game for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System, and the Game Gear. Sony Imagesoft published the game for the Sega Mega-CD, Super NES, and Game Boy.
The character of Chuck Rock was an early mascot for Core Design before the introduction of Lara Croft in the 1996 game Tomb Raider, and the character of Chuck Rock himself and his family even featured in some UK comic books of the 1990s.
Chuck Rock spawned two video game sequels.
Plot
The setting of the game is a fictional prehistorical Stone Age-era world that is shared by both neanderthals, woolly mammoth, saber-tooth tigers, dinosaurs, and various assorted wild primeval monsters such as prehistoric mammals, giant insects, human-eating plants, and other exotica; thus, the setting is similar to that of films such as One Million Years B.C., or television shows such as The Flintstones or Dinosaurs.
The eponymous Chuck Rock is an overweight, square-jawed caveman characterized by loutish and lewd behaviour perhaps influenced by the lad culture of the 1990s. Chuck has a limited vocabulary (his favourite phrase being "Unga Bunga" and not much else), has a balding head cut into a punk-style mohawk, eats whole dinosaur-steaks raw in one bite, and has a penchant for picking up rocks and throwing them at things, hence his name. Chuck is a guitarist and singer (or shouter) in a rock band along with some other cavemen, his attractive wife Ophelia Rock, and a long-haired dinosaur bass player; and whilst on stage he wears a long wig to hide his balding head.
One day, Ophelia Rock is kidnapped by jealous local bully Garry Gritter (a pun on the name of contemporary pop star Gary Glitter) and carried off to Gritter's hang-out in the creepy dinosaur graveyard. Chuck must go to her rescue, searching for her in primeval jungles, swamps, lakes, an ice-capped mountain top, caves, and even the insides of a gigantic dinosaur.
Gameplay
Chuck Rock is an multi-directional-scrolling action-adventure puzzle platformer where the player, as the titular caveman, rescues her love interest, Ophelia, who is held hostage in a jungle by Gary Gritter. While Chuck watches TV, Gritter knocks her unconscious while she does laundry, carrying her away. The game lasts five levels (Jungle, Cave, Water, Ice and Graveyard) each with three-to-five scenes and a concluding boss battle, and provides the player three lives and one continue. Parallax scrolling is present in all versions except the Atari ST. The enemies include dinosaurs (such as small ones that pop out of eggs) and spiders, and Chuck attacks them by thrusting his beer belly, kicking while above ground, and chucking rocks and boulders. Additionally, rocks can shield Chuck from hazards that fall from the top, and boulders can be used as platforms, which is occasionally necessary to obtain certain bonus items. Some animals aid in Chuck's journey, such as flying lizards that he eats, a brontosaurus that he rides, and a crocodile that serves as a seesaw for him to bounce over a wall.
Reception
Reported Computer and Video Games (CVG), Chuck Rock was one of the most popular home computer games upon release. Writing for Mean Machines, Julian called Chuck Rock the best platform game of 1992, Rich the best since James Pond 2: Codename RoboCod (1991). Steve of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) called it one of the best action-adventure video games since Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) for its new elements to the genre.
Play Time writer Ray named Chuck Rock one of the funniest mascots to compete to Sonic. Writers of EGM praised its successful combination of humorous elements and "heavy gameplay", Steve arguing Kato and Ken (1990) was the only other game he played that had it. The graphics were frequently acclaimed, called excellent, exceptional, and superb. Ray and the EGM writers spotlighted the humorous animations, Martin noting Chuck's standing animation and Ray the enemies, who he described as "lovely drawn". Julian of Mean Machines described the environments as beautifully-drawn. Ray labeled the graphics a primary motivator for playing the game. EGMs Ed claimed the Sega Genesis could have used more upbeat titles like Chuck Rock.