Plok

Plok! offers two difficulty modes: "Normal," which includes the entire game, and "Child's Play," which removes the harder stages and reduces both the speed and hit points of enemies. Players can earn "Plokontinues" by collecting four P-L-O-K tokens, with one token awarded for completing a level without losing a life. If a Game Over occurs, the player restarts with a score of 0, three lives, and at the most recent Plokontinue checkpoint.

Saving is limited to two "Permanent Continue Positions," which are unlocked after defeating the Bobbins Brothers and Rockyfella bosses. These allow the player to resume from specific points even after resetting the game. The game does not include a password feature.

As king, Plok resides on Akrillic, a large island in the fictional archipelago of Polyesta. One morning, Plok discovers that the big square flag atop the pole on his house's rooftop has been stolen, prompting him to set out in search of it. He spots the flag on Cotton Island from afar and sails there to retrieve it. However, during his search, Plok encounters several impostor flags, including a pair of underpants and a striped scarf, which only frustrate him further.

Eventually, Plok encounters the culprits responsible for the fake flags—the Bobbins Brothers, two giant creatures his grandpappy had warned him about. Plok battles the brothers to retrieve his flag.

In the summer of 1988, Ste and John Pickford, employees at Zippo Games—owned by John and their friend Steve Hughes—were struggling to complete games for 16-bit Atari ST and Amiga computers, with many projects being canceled. They learned that Rare was seeking developers for Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) titles. At the time, the console had yet to gain popularity in the United Kingdom. Despite viewing the 8-bit system as "horribly overpriced and terribly underpowered," the Pickfords accepted the offer due to financial necessity and their admiration for the work of Rare founders Tim and Chris Stamper during their time at Ultimate Play the Game. Zippo Games became the only company Rare consulted for NES development.

Although initially skeptical of the NES, the Pickfords' experience working on Ironsword—along with the Stamper brothers’ requirement that they play Mario and Zelda games on the console—gave them a newfound appreciation for the system. This shifted their development priorities from focusing on technical sophistication to emphasizing the player's experience. This design philosophy ultimately shaped their approach to Plok!.

Upon release, some critics declared Plok! the best Nintendo release of 1993, as well as another classic by the company, the best platform game of the year, and one of the all-time best in the genre. However, Plok! was often compared to many other games of its kind, and even the most favorable reviewers expressed skepticism about playing yet another average, colorful, cutesy platform game.

Some critics ultimately thought it was and criticized its lack of depth. A frequent comparison was made to Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), particularly in its "sugary" tone and Plok's speed ball attack; GameStar's FI derogatorily labeled the titular character as "a puny version" of the Sega franchise's blue hedgehog, criticizing his weird design and calling him names such as "hot pink reddy coloured duck penguin thing" and "freaky pork chop."

In 2009, North American company Super Fighter Team released Zaku, a horizontal shooter for the Atari Lynx, which features a special guest appearance by Plok.

The Pickfords later launched a Plok webcomic. The webcomic takes place 20 years after the game, featuring new characters as well as returning ones like Rockyfella. The comic occasionally used pop-culture references from other games and media, along with in-jokes and commentaries on the game's development and future.