Cool Spot Review

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Advertising at its best gets consumers interested in their products or puts a positive view on a company. In 1993, 7up did just that with the release of Cool Spot on the Super Nintendo. Developed and published by Virgin Games, Cool Spot is a side-scrolling action game that sees the red spot from 7up rescue other little spots from cages. It’s considered one of the best product games and today we crack open a bottle of 7up and drink this Cool Spot review!

Cool Spot Plot:

Cool Spot doesn’t have too much plot, and that’s okay but it does have a silly story in the manual. Let’s investigate and see what all the fuss is in Cool Spot.

Breaking News: SPOT and his friends, SPOT, SPOT, SPOT, SPOT, SPOT, SPOT, SPOT, SPOT, SPOT, and SPOT are in trouble and they need help…FAST!

Old News: For years, Wild Wicked Wily Will has been trying to capture a real live SPOT to prove to the world that they really do exist. (Up to date, they have never been ‘spotted’!)

Hot News: Now, Will may ‘be about to get his wish.

Bad News: Will, in a moment of true wickedness, put cunning SPOT trap cages in all of the fun places where other SPOT friends would be hanging out.

Really Bad News: The traps have worked all too well! There is now a SPOT caught in every cage!

Truly Awful News: Will will be back any minute to take them into captivity forever.

Good News: You’re here to save the day! You can help SPOT who has got “SPOT Cool Shots” to spot the cages, free his fellow SPOT friends, stop Will and be totally “COOL SPOT!”

SPOT TO THE RESCUE: Due to incredibly good planning (okay, you were actually out surfing at the time) you are the only SPOT character that is still free to have a good time. All the other SPOT characters have been trapped in one of Wicked Will’s cages.

So, there you were, being totally cool as usual, when a sign caught your eye. On it was pinned hurriedly scribbled message: “HERO WANTED”.

You, as Cool SPOT, must rescue your friends before it’s too late! You’ll need to use your cool wits and your Cool Shot of bubbles in a race against time (good thing Will is a little slow) to free your friends from the traps. Are you up for it? Will you be cool enough before Will gets his wicked hands on them?

Cool Spot Gameplay:

Cool Spot… is well… a cool game! It just gives those vibes off starting with the music. It’s upbeat and keeps you going as you make your way through the platforming and rescuing the other spots. During my Cool Spot review, I noticed little animations of Spot whether he was just hanging out on screen or doing action moves, everything is smooth and detailed. The sound effects also help give that classic cool vibe. When a video game doesn’t have much plot, the gameplay is the core of the experience, and the music, sound effects, and animation are top-notch for Cool Spot.

The core mechanics of Cool Spot come down to three elements. You’ll need to collect a specific number of spots that are scattered throughout the level. They will be guarded by enemies, tough to reach, hidden, or out in the open. Once you collect enough spots, you can rescue one of the Cool Spots that are locked away in cages. You need to rescue the Cool Spot before the timer on the stage runs out. Collect the little spots, to unlock the cage and rescue the Cool Spots before the timer runs out. That’s the basis of Cool Spot. The timer can be a factor as it pushes you to rush through a level. Numerous times I failed because I ran out of time.

There are seven levels in Cool Spot, each uniquely themed with environmental hazards, enemies, and obstacles. For instance, my favorite enemy was the mice that threw cheese at you. They were cute but tough! To help fight off the enemies, Spot can shoot bullet bubbles with the tap of a button. They are infinite so you can go wild and obliterate anything that moves.

When you take damage, Spot’s face at the top of the screen will begin to show damage and deflate. It was a nice touch and gave you some wiggle room to take damage because Cool Spot is no easy game. You’ll need to master the controls and layouts of the level if you wish to progress, especially with that timer ticking away. By all means, this is not a kid’s game despite its happy-go-lucky nature. It’s tough To help you combat the tough nature of Cool Spot, you’re blessed with checkpoints throughout levels. These help a ton, and I gladly welcomed them as I made my way through my Cool Spot review.

What makes Cool Spot such a great game is the controls and graphics. It’s For 1993, the level design was amazing from the nails in the woods to the glass bottles, and the mouse traps. All of it works well and fits into the bigger picture of the level layout. Combined with catchy music, addicting gameplay, and great sound effects, Cool Spot is a tough challenge that is worthy of your patience.

While the majority of the game is great, the ending left me with more to be desired. You are treated to an end screen that says congrats and tells you to send a photo of this screen to the address in the manual to what I can only imagine would earn you a free pack of 7up. A flat ending to an otherwise delightfully fizzy experience.

Memories:
I don’t really have memories of Cool Spot growing up, but I do have a friend that has an adorable video of herself receiving Cool Spot as a Christmas gift in the early 90s. I’ve asked her about it a few times, and her fondness for the game made me want to give it a shot. I’m glad I did, it turned out to be a pretty tough but fair game. It’s unlikely she ever beat it as she can’t play a game longer than 10 minutes without being distracted. Oh, and she’s not very good anyway. Wink. Wink.

Cool Spot Review Score:

While there’s plenty of action that accompanies a great soundtrack, Cool Spot offers a tough challenge for platforming fans. Seven levels will give you spurts of difficulty but the real fun is the journey, not the lazy end screen. Cool Spot will quench your thirst when it comes to challenging platformers as it has plenty of fun to offer on the Super Nintendo.

Cool Spot scores an 8.8 out of 10.

What would you write in your Cool Spot review? Did you play the Sega Genesis version of Cool Spot? If so, what are the differences between them? What other games that feature products are well done? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Cool Spot, I’d love to read them.