James Pond: Underwater Agent
| Developer: Vectordean | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: GBH | Sound: |
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| Year: 1990 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Platformer | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
7/10 | |
Dr. Maybe is polluting the oceans—he must be stopped! This looks like a job for double-bubble-o-seven: James Pond.
Cultural tidbit: James Pond, underwater agent, and licence to thrill are cheesy English puns riffing on a certain famous series of novels and films. Yes, I have my moments.
Your mission is to help our submerged secret agent (oh, the hilarity) tackle various eco-friendly objectives: freeing lobsters, rescuing flashy fish or seals, picking up trash littering the ocean floor (cans, gold bars … humans are disgusting), battling oil spills, or even fighting deforestation (in your own unique way).
The similarities with Bubble Bobble are numerous: you spit bubbles at enemies, collect mountains of useless, multicoloured junk to rack up points, and if you take too long to clear a level, the pace quickens, and a shady fish in a trench coat starts tailing you (just like that dear old Baron Von Blubba!). There are also obvious nods to Super Mario Bros, like headbutting bricks to release bonuses or diving into “pipes” leading to secret rooms. According to Hall of Light, the game also borrows elements from Flood.
Despite these influences, James Pond stands out with its own personality. Its most original feature? It’s set underwater. Gravity doesn’t bother you much down there.
The levels are well-designed, varied, populated by “cute” critters, and brim with humour. Do take the time to read (and translate) the mission briefings, though—otherwise, you’ll be wandering aimlessly. I can understand why some might prefer it over its more conventional sequel (Robocod), but I’m not one of them.
A spin-off sports game was released in 1992: The Aquatic Games: Starring James Pond and the Aquabats.
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