Q Boy

Q Boy
Also known as: Puff Kid (credits) Developer: Sachen Publisher: Sachen Platform: Unlicensed NES Released in AS: 1994 This game has unused music. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has a hidden level select. This game has a prerelease article

Q Boy is an unassuming platformer about the titular character who goes on a globe-trotting adventure in order to defeat the evil Dr. Mouse, who seeks to utilize the Rainbow Flower for evil.

In stark contrast to many unlicensed efforts at the time, Q Boy shows great display of quality and care in its design, music, and ideas - practically a then-rarity in the sea of hacks and ports. Much of the game's aesthetics and art style take inspiration from the then-recent Kirby games and puts a Sachen take on them; even the gameplay is practically original. Had it been official, the game could have comfortably passed as a late-era Famicom title alongside Kickle Cubicle and Cocoron.

One can only wonder what the development was like...

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Prerelease Info

Mario Mode

A rather strange Easter egg: pressing Select while the game is paused will make it Mario-themed! Aside from making Q Boy look like Mario, several enemies are changed to Goombas, Koopa Troopas, and Spinies.

Level Select and Sound Test

Press Select on the title screen.

Setting the Round to "Game" (found near the end of the options) will take the player to the Special Stage mini-game, then to Stage 1-1.

Unused Music

The song used on the title screen is somewhat longer than what is heard in-game. Even stranger is that it's not present in the sound test.