Hook scores 7/10 in the verdict of The Games Market editorial team.
Once Upon a Time
HOOK... Second star to the right and then...
by Simon Larocca·April 26, 2025
Rufiiio. Rufiiio.
Thinking of Hook, Spielberg’s 1991 film with the unforgettable Robin Williams, brings to mind the pirate’s insolent taunt toward the new leader of the Lost Boys.
That same year and the following one, various video game versions of the Hollywood film were released punctually, titles of varying quality that went on the attack across all the main home gaming platforms, from the NES to the Super Nintendo, passing through Amiga and PC. Last, but not least, my favorite version, the one designed for GameBoy.
Let’s talk about a title released in 1992, when the overwhelming wave of the film was almost running out; nevertheless, the game was a modest success and managed to stand out from its arcade counterpart, remaining faithful to the fairy-tale and adventurous spirit.
Produded by Ocean and considered one of the hardest games to complete on Nintendo’s handheld (even if almost all games from those years were a torture for fingers and nerves, while still being fun!), Hook takes us to Neverland with the task of rescuing the kidnapped children from the old and ruthless Captain Hook, still riding high, literally, since the days of Peter Pan as a boy.
Ora the flying hero chaser of mischievous shadows has grown up: ha forgotten the magic and the beauty of his previous existence, all sweets, pranks and tiny clothes of Tinker Bell, si è built a family in London and of what he was and symbolized for the Lost Boys he has no recollection.
Ma, as we know, the past always comes back to ask for payment, so in the shoes of Peter Pan we will have to embark on an epic adventure: the game is in fact a side-scrolling platformer, with the liquid-crystal graphics typical of the very first version of the Japanese handheld console: I’ll start by pointing out how the sprites that define Peter Pan make him look terribly like his second-in-command, Rufio, partly by choice and, in my opinion, very much due to technical limitations. Third option: I’d need a bit of Tinker Bell’s booty-shaking magic dust to increase my visual capacity, but I like to think not.
[ADV HOOK Game Boy]
The game handles the brisk pace that proved successful in the film well; as a result, the game arenas we face maintain a well-balanced level of variety, from forests to oceans, swimming and jumping armed with a knife, the same one, incidentally, with which Peter will cut out his own silhouette from the pirate ship’s sail in the most iconic and well-known scene of the film.
I can't talk about character design, because our avatar hardly speaks to anyone during the missions, limiting itself to eventually eliminating Hook's henchmen and even curious pirate versions of undead and anything but friendly monkeys.
The game also gives us a creepy moment with Game Over: a short scene will start in which Peter Pan will be forced by a sneering Hook to perform the notorious walk on the wooden plank, only to end up mercilessly in the sea. Whether sharks or the crocodile with the alarm clock in its stomach, the old captain’s nemesis, are waiting for him, we are not told, and fortunately we are not shown!
Between one level and the next, Tinker Bell will flit across our screens dispensing advice, healing us when needed, and acting as narrator, telling us how the events unfold.
The game's plot does not follow the film's screenplay for obvious reasons; however, it reintroduces in Game Boy style the film's key moments, including the final duel with Peter Pan's arch-nemesis, whose outcome will determine the salvation of the Lost Boys and the return to normality for Neverland and what it represents, namely the refuge of childhood dreams.
Those who sooner or later always come back to visit us, knocking on the doors of our hearts.
Slightly, we are all Peter Pan, we who live on video games and do not need fairy dust to fly away aboard extraordinary adventures: all we need are consoles and gamepads, nothing else, to sail far, far away.
7
Pro
Presence of nearly 30 levels within the game, a rather high number that helps the longevity of the title in question
Accurate gameplay and simple settings that do their job; your imagination will do the rest
Contro
The music is a bit too repetitive, even by Game Boy sound standards; perhaps something more could have been done.
As per arcade tradition, we’ll find ourselves breezing through some levels in no time, while for others we’ll have to roll up our sleeves, curse all the gods of the seven seas, and cover Tinker Bell’s little ears so she won’t hear our swearing
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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![[ADV HOOK Game Boy]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.thegamesmarket.com%2Fapi%2Fv1%2Ffile%2Fproxy%3Fkey%3Dstaging%252Fmagazine%252Fcontent%252Fhook-seconda-stella-a-destra-e-poi-dritti-fino-al-gameboy-img-0.png&w=3840&q=75)
