Q-Boy (video game)

Q Boy
Q Boy's title screen
Publisher	Sachen
Developer	Sachen
Console	NES/Famicom
Date	1994
Sound engine	Sachen

Q Boy, not to be confused with the Famiclone of the same name, is a platformer for the NES/Famicom made in 1994 by Sachen.

Story

Original story taken from the game's manual (original Engrish left in):

Far away in the Q Galaxy, there is a glittering planet where lives numerous odd animals. For having the Rainbow-Flower, animals there all have happy and peaceful lives. However, good times don't last long. A bad guy named Dr. Mouse comes and takes the Rainbow-Flower away. He establishes a base there and tries to rule the world with the Rainbow-Flower. At this critical time, here comes the brave Q~Boy. Can he help the animals to defeat Dr. Mouse and find the Rainbow-Flower back again?

Overview

Despite being graphically themed after the Kirby series, the gameplay itself is entirely original.  Q-Boy can attack enemies by firing puffs of air at them.  He can also do mid-air jumps, but how many he can do depends on the fill level of the Power Meter. Enemies can be defeated by knocking them into another enemy, the edge of the screen, or a wall. A regular puff attack will knock back the enemy a few feet, though they'll be sent back further if the player charges their attack (by holding down B and then releasing). Some enemies cannot be blown backwards, and must be avoided. The goal in most of the levels is to reach the end of the stage, which is always set up in a horizontal fashion. There's a boss at the end of each world, which must be defeated by deflecting their projectiles back at them.

The Power Meter is a main part of the gameplay, as Q-Boy's mid-air jumps and attacks are fueled by it. The meter is defaultly set to a maximum of three squares. Q-Boy's regular puff attack takes off one-half of a square, where a charged puff will take off one whole square. A mid-air jump will take off a whole square, allowing Q-Boy to mid-air jump up to three times at maximum power. If Q-Boy's Power Meter runs out completely, he will stand still, unable to move, until his meter fills back up. Q-Boy can also recharge this meter by staying on the ground (it won't recharge in the air). The meter fills up quicker when he's completely exausted, though the player will lose all control of him during this time.

Trivia

• By pausing the game and pressing Select during gameplay, the player's sprite changes from Q Boy into Mario.

• 

  Chen flies by during the Q Boy credits.

  Pressing Select at the title screen will take the player to a Stage Select screen, where they can choose what stage/cutscene to start at, the number of lives (up to 32), and even listen to the games music in the Sound Test option. The Sound Test does not have all the music used in the game, however, as it lacks the title theme.
• The game was originally called Puff Kid, but this was changed by the time of its release. The reason may have something to do with the Famiclone of the same name, either to confuse people into buying this game or to promote their system.
• The manual, as with Jurassic Boy 2 and Rocman X, lists certain objects not found in the game. In this case, listed under "Obstacle" is a Steel Ball (which is an obstacle that can be used as a weapon) and a Battery (Dr. Mouse's base).
• The ending features a cameo of Chen the Dinosaur, the protagonist of the NES game Jurassic Boy 2.  Interestingly, he's green with red sneakers in this game rather than pink with black sneakers like in his own game.