[Platformer] Battery Check

Battery Check is a freeware platformer game that was part of a campaign done in the Netherlands in 1998 (and made freeware in 2007) by Stibat, to promote recycling batteries. If you handed in 15 empty batteries at one of Stibat's collection points, you'd get this game on cd-rom. If you then beat the game, a phrase would appear on-screen that you could then write down and send in to them, and you would win prizes that ranged from battery chargers to Packard Bell Multimedia PCs. The campaign was so effective that they didn't have enough cd-roms for everyone.

It can be beaten in 20 minutes, but figuring out how to get around may take more than an hour.

It is not too fast-paced or action-y. There is only very rarely an immediate threat, and the few enemies there are can't be killed. Not even the boss at the end (there is a boss, btw) is likely to kill you, as you can heal an infinite amount of times at any moment there. The main threat you'll face is the existence of your energy bar. It starts going downward when you run and jump around. As it depletes, you'll begin to move slower, and when it reaches zero, you'll die.

Instead, the game focuses on a particular gimmick, which is - you guessed it - the use of batteries. Every machine in the game that can be interacted with - elevators, floating umbrellas, whatever - runs on batteries, which you have to provide. There is a finite amount of batteries in the game, which are scattered throughout the level like some kind of coins. You'll also get the empty batteries that were already in place, which you can then, to no one's surprise, recycle. Giving three empty batteries to Freddy the generic dragon mascot guy will get you one full battery. You'll also see a few blue batteries with an S on them. Those are super batteries. You will need those, so try to collect as much of them as you can.

Download (The official download page is now nonexistent, hence the Digiex.)

(There's also a Let's Play here if you prefer that)

Also, fun fact: This game uses the same engine as Jazz Jackrabbit 2. Therefore, certain JJ2 level editors (like the one mentioned in the Digiex page) can potentially be used to make Battery Check levels.

Oh wow. I remember this game. I was young back then, and recycled empty batteries to get a copy of this game. Its a fun game and the music is cool too. The music is an .IT file which I then analysed in my tracker : I can even hear it in my head right now without actually starting up the game.

Also, you made a translation error.

Denk aan de superbatterijen! = Think of the super batteries!

This is of cource: Don't forget the super batteries.

Also, you made a translation error.

Fixed. When it comes to translations, word choices are a slippery slope.

Also, yeah, the music was awesome. Especially in level 1. Heck, level 1 itself was the most awesome thing ever. Beats level 2 by a huge margin.

There's a level2? lol

Level 2 is a kind of castle, ruins, or outdoors sewer (it's just as ambiguous as level 1), where it rains and there are those floating umbrellas.

In my opinion, it seems rushed compared to level 1. The super batteries were practically handed to you, the setups were less complex, and the gameplay devolved into "always go right". There were even battery holders that served no purpose other than as checkpoints.