Putt-Putt Travels Through Time

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Putt-Putt Travels Through Time
File:Putt Putt Travels Through Time.jpg
Developer(s)Humongous Entertainment
Publisher(s)Humongous Entertainment[a]
Producer(s)Ron Gilbert
Designer(s)Brad Carlton
Bret Barrett
Matthew Mahon
Nick Mirkovich
Writer(s)Laurie Rose Bauman
Composer(s)Jeremy Soule
EngineSCUMM
Platform(s)Android, Macintosh, Windows, iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch
ReleaseReleased:
  • June 1, 1997 (Win, Mac)[1]
  • August 14, 2012 (iOS)
  • October 4, 2013 (Android)

Re-released:

  • May 15, 2014 (Linux)
  • May 15, 2014 (Steam)[2]
  • January 3, 2022 (Nintendo Switch)[3]
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Putt-Putt Travels Through Time is a 1997 video game and the fourth of seven adventure games in the Putt-Putt series of games developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. In 2014 Night Dive Studios re-released the iOS, Linux and Steam versions. On January 3, 2022, a port was released on the Nintendo Switch, as one of the first Humongous Entertainment games to be released on the system alongside Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell.[3] This is the last game to feature Jason Ellefson as the voice of Putt-Putt.

Production

File:Concept art for Merlin the Medieval Sorcerer.jpg
Concept art for Merlin the Medieval Sorcerer, a new character in the game. Artists played around with designs and colours until settling on the finished version as he appears in the game (bottom).

The production team brainstormed ideas for the follow-up title in the Putt Putt franchise. Among the alternate titles were: Putt-Putt Goes to the Carnival, Putt-Putt Saves the Universe, and Putt-Putt Learns to Fly. They eventually settled on Putt-Putt Travels Through Time.[4] While the designs of the main characters were already established, the team had to work on designing to look of new characters such as Merlin the Medieval Sorcerer.[5] Next, the scripts was written and storyboards were created to layout how each scene would work as a self-contained piece, as well as part of a larger story.[6] Background artists then interpreted both the script and storyboards to create the look and feel of the game through the backgrounds; part of their job was to leave sufficient space for clickable hotspots. Once the basic design sketch was approved, it was given more detail and finally painted.[7] Next, animators created series of drawings based on the storyboards which when viewed together would simulate movement; each of the 30,000 drawings were then individually scanned into a computer, where they were cleaned up and had imperfections removed.[8] The next stage was for artists to colour frames and animate clickpoints; Humongous noted that while this stage was "tedious", it allowed low-level artists to be creative and use their initiative.[9] Next, the work was handed over to programmers who wrote code to ensure the game responded to player choices, and who added sound effects to synch up to the animations.[10] The music was created by Humongous, while voice actors were auditioned by the company (if new to the franchise), then sent to a studio to record their lines.[11]

Putt Putt game designer Nick Mirkovich commented that there was a design philosophy of creating immersive interactive world for players to explore, and that like other games by Humongus, items needed for game completion were programmed to be in different places for separate playthroughs.[12] Players could go behind the scenes into the game's production via the company website.[12]

Plot

The game begins with Putt-Putt (voiced by Jason Ellefson) packing his new school supplies. Putt-Putt is excited to show Mr. Firebird his history report, calculator, and Smokey the Fire Engine lunchbox before school starts. He wakes up Pep, brings his coin, and heads down the road to Mr. Firebird's Lab. Mr. Firebird explains about his new Time Portal invention, which allows the past and future to be seen without actually traveling there. After Putt-Putt takes out his things, Mr. Firebird attempts to start the machine, fails, and realizes he needs a coin to start the machine. Putt-Putt offers the coin, and Mr. Firebird starts the machine.

However, the Time Portal goes haywire and opens up. It sucks Putt-Putt's objects and Pep into different times. A panicked Mr. Firebird tells Putt-Putt he cannot close the time portal unless all the present items are retrieved back from the different eras. Putt-Putt assures him that he will personally enter the portal and gather his things and Pep.

After many adventures in four different time periods (Stone Age, Medieval, Old West, and the Distant Future), Putt-Putt returns to the present with his things and Pep, and Mr. Firebird closes the portal for good. Putt-putt reassures a worried Mr. Firebird that Time Traveling was fun and that he had a good time. Mr. Firebird points out Putt-Putt will be late for school, so Putt-Putt leaves. At school, Putt-Putt shares with his classmates about all the things he learned while time traveling.

Gameplay

The game mechanics are the same as the prequels including the glove box inventory, horn, radio and accelerator. There are also a number of optional minigames throughout the four eras.

Reception

Computer Shopper felt the game was fun, but ultimately failed to live up to predecessors of the genre.[13] The Cincinnati Post deemed the game "outstanding", and recommended that younger children purchase an earlier title in the Putt Putt series first to acquaint themselves with computers before attempting this more "challenging" title.[14] The Boston Herald gave the game a rating of 4.5 stars, praising the abundance of clickable hotspots in every scene which would keep kids entertained while completing the adventure.[15] The newspaper also deemed the game one of the "finest kid titles ever".[16] Rocky Mountain News gave it a B, commenting that it lived up to the quality standard of Humongus Entertainment.[17] The Washington Times wrote that the game was "delightful" and "uncomplicated".[18]

In the fourth quarter of 1997, the game was the 4th biggest seller in the PC Kids/Edutainment category.[19]

References

  1. ^ "June 1997 News".
  2. ^ "Putt-Putt Travels Through Time on Steam". Steam. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Humongous [@HumongousEnt] (December 27, 2021). "Freddi Fish 3 and Putt-Putt Travels Through Time will be released on January 3rd, 2022!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "The Making of Putt-Putt Travels Through Time - Page 2". Archived from the original on February 10, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  5. ^ "The Making of Putt-Putt Travels Through Time - Page 3". Archived from the original on February 10, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  6. ^ "The Making of Putt-Putt Travels Through Time - Page 4". Archived from the original on February 10, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  7. ^ "The Making of Putt-Putt Travels Through Time - Page 5". Archived from the original on February 10, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  8. ^ "The Making of Putt-Putt Travels Through Time - Page 6". Archived from the original on February 10, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  9. ^ "The Making of Putt-Putt Travels Through Time - Page 7". Archived from the original on February 10, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  10. ^ "The Making of Putt-Putt Travels Through Time - Page 8". Archived from the original on February 10, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  11. ^ "The Making of Putt-Putt Travels Through Time - Page 9". Archived from the original on February 10, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Humongous Entertainment crafts its biggest Putt-Putt adventure ever: Putt-Putt Travels Through Time hits stores June 1. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  13. ^ "Putt-Putt Travels Through Time. (Humongous Entertainment)(The Learning Arcade) (Software Review)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)". Computer Shopper. September 1, 1997. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018 – via HighBeam Research.
  14. ^ "NEW PUTT PUTT MOST CHALLENGING.(AT HOME)". The Cincinnati Post. June 14, 1997. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018 – via HighBeam Research.
  15. ^ "KID TECH: Players 'Putt-Putt Through Time'". The Boston Herald. May 25, 1997. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018 – via HighBeam Research.
  16. ^ "New Yu-Gi-Oh! 'Duelist' game hits its mark.(Arts and Lifestyle)". The Boston Herald. November 3, 2002. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018 – via HighBeam Research.
  17. ^ "'HERCULES' A CAN'T MISS BABY-SITTER.(Entertainment/Weekend/Spotlight)(Review)". Rocky Mountain News. July 25, 1997. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016 – via HighBeam Research.
  18. ^ "Dachshund, Frog Help Math Skills Take Leap". The Washington Times. May 26, 1998 – via HighBeam Research.[dead link]
  19. ^ "Top PC and Video Games Spur Strong Growth for The Interactive Entertainment Industry - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  20. ^ "Putt-Putt Travels Through Time Review". IGN. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  21. ^ Rosemary Young (July 1998). "Putt Putt Travels Through Time Review by metzomagic.com". metzomagic.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016. It's a worthy challenge for pre-schoolers and a particularly good game choice for a young first time adventure game player.
  22. ^ NeoJ (March 24, 2015). "Putt-Putt Travels Through Time". Retrieved September 6, 2016. Some puzzle parts in a classic point and click procedure with cute graphics and lots of charismatic characters.
  23. ^ Bonnie James (May 15, 1997). "Putt-Putt Travels Through Time - Electric Playground". Greedy Productions. Archived from the original on August 4, 1997. Retrieved September 6, 2016. If your kids liked any of the other Junior Adventures, they will like this one too.
  1. ^ The 2012/2013 IOS/Android release was published by Atari, while the re-release was published by Tommo.
    The Steam release was co-published by Tommo and Night Dive Studios.
    The Nintendo Switch version was published by UFO Interactive Games.

External links

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