Turbo Pudding
“Once upon a time, by a pond that whispered, lived a little axolotl named Gilby.” Then one gray morning a cloud of grumbles rolled over the meadow, and everyone it touched turned cross and crabby. Gilby’s friends went missing, and off he went to find them.
Gilby never fights. He swims, swings, hops and spits puddle water, and the grumpy critters he meets end up asleep or washed clean and friendly again. For this Screenshot Saturday, we walked through the first world of Pitterplop, the Whispering Meadow, and took a few snapshots along the way. The one at the top is from Puddle Path: “Jump onto a vine, swing with the arrows, jump to let go.”
Puddle Path: a swim in the pond
The second level is where Gilby gets wet. The first sign says it all: “Axolotls love water! Swim with the arrows, jump to leap out.” Under the water he can move freely in every direction, with a little stroke of the tail, and at the surface a jump sends him leaping out.
The pond has an underwater hollow to explore and a few dewdrops under the water. It also has a resident: a grumpy fish that paddles back and forth, a gray grumble cloud floating over its head.
Further along, vines hang over a deep pool. The pool itself is safe, and swimming across is the easy way. The vines are for the curious: they lead to a treasure.
Breezy Hilltops: hop, hop, hop
Level three sends Gilby up into the wind with a job to do: “Three keys are hidden on these hills. Find them all to open the way home!” The hills have cracked ledges that crumble under your feet, a cave tucked inside a hill and a row of soft, pale clouds.
The clouds look like a nice place for a nap, but they don’t hold still. The tip is short and to the point: “Fluffy clouds sink when you stand on them. Hop, hop, hop!” Stay on one too long, and it puffs away, then comes back a few seconds later.
Near the clouds there is a pair of leaf wings. They give Gilby higher jumps for 20 seconds, and with them the high treasure and the last key are within reach.
Sprouting Steps: three drops of water
Past the old hedge lies a field that has not seen rain all summer, and its seeds are fast asleep in the dry ground. Gilby got a first taste of his new trick at the end of Puddle Path, and here it is taught for real: “Puddle water fills your cheeks: three drops.” Wade into a puddle, then spit.
A watered seed grows into leaf steps. Hold down while you spit to aim low, or up to aim high. Further on, the sun gets hot and the leaves start to droop after a while, so you either hurry or give them another drink.
Not every plant is a step. One thirsty flower sits in front of a little nook and won’t budge. Give it a splash, and it stretches up on its tall stem and lets you through. The game counts it as a secret found.
Burrbits: soft under the spines
Sprouting Steps also introduces the Burrbits, round green critters covered in prickles. Landing on one is a bad idea. The sign puts it kindly: “A splash washes the grumble off a prickly Burrbit. Soft and friendly again!”
A washed critter wakes up kind and wanders off. It no longer hurts, and its spines fold down. In the next level, the game also shows how to bump a Burrbit from below, for when you have no water to spare.
Hedgerow Hush: nap time
Level five moves into the woods, where the critters are stomping about, “cross as cross could be. Gilby knew just what they needed: a good long nap.” The goal here is to calm every grumpy critter, and the way out only opens when the last one is asleep or washed.
Land on a critter, and it falls asleep. Sleeping snails and frogs make great pillows: hold jump, and they bounce you up to branches no ordinary jump can reach. Bounce from one sleepyhead to the next without touching the ground, and the critters start to sing. Four naps in one chain make a Lullaby, and six make a Sweet chorus, with extra dewdrops for both.
Come and play
The Whispering Meadow has six levels, a boss who mostly needs a hug and a hidden bonus level. The first two levels, Dewdrop Meadow and Puddle Path, are free to play in your browser at pitterplop.com, and the full game is $4.99, paid once. More about the game is on the Pitterplop page.
