Differences between the NES and Game Boy versions of Hook

[Tiger21820]

The Game Boy version of Hook is a straight up port of the NES version, and there are quite a few differences between the two! This topic will list most of the differences between the two!

General Differences:

The title screen in the NES version has Tinkerbell (Who will be referred as Tink for the remainder of this topic) flying around with Captain Hook's (Who will be referred as Hook for the remainder of this topic) eyes following her, and the Game Boy version's Title Screen is static; the menu selection cursor on the Game Boy version flashes, the NES version doesn't!

Tink's messages will not automatically dismiss themselves in the NES version, but in the Game Boy version, they will dismiss themselves if no buttons are pressed after several seconds!

The Map Screen has Peter Pan (Who will be referred as Pan for the remainder of this topic) as the map cursor in the NES version, while the Game Boy version uses an X as the cursor!

Unfinished levels on the NES Map Screen are denoted as small Xs while on the Game Boy version, they are white squares; Finished levels on the NES version are denoted as white squares, and on the Game Boy version, they are black boxes!

Graphical Differences:

While most of the graphics are the same between the two, there are still quite a few differences between the two!

Tink's level sprite (and her message sprite) are much different, and her flying speed was slowed down in the Game Boy version!

Pan shares mostly identical sprite sheets, however:

Pan's sword attack animation is a little more refined in the Game Boy version, and his falling/death sprite was completely changed! The falling/death sprite in the Game Boy version uses a completely new design, and the Pan's NES falling/death sprite head (also an idle animation) was carried over to the Game Boy version as it's idle animation! When Pan clears a level in the NES version, he is standing normally, and in the Game Boy version, he uses his falling/death sprite as the item bonus tally counts down!

Item graphics are completely different between the two: All level themes in the NES version have a unique sprite for their collectable item, and the Game Boy version only uses three: Cakes in the underground levels, Coins in the pirate ship levels, and Cherries everywhere else! Additionally, items in the NES version do not flash (except the Food, which flashes slower), whereas they do in the Game Boy version (the Food flashes faster)!

Most animations for enemies and other animals in the Game Boy version have been sped up!

Gameplay Differences:

Pan's health bar is very odd in the Game Boy version: It drains and empties in real-time, and damage output is quite irregular and quirky... Water is EXTREMELY lethal in the Game Boy version! I will need to do a bit more analysis on it! There is a quirk that involves the zombie pirates and ladders in the undergound levels that, depending on how many hits Pan takes when a zombie pirate walks over him while hanging on a ladder, will kill Pan (odd number of hits?), or heal him completely (even number of hits?)!

Certain pirates (and maybe the lost boys in the Never-tree level, graphics exist in both versions exist, but may be unused!) climb up and down ladders much less often in the NES version, and some pirates can drop boulders down ladders, though this is EXTREMELY rare in the NES version (only one pirate is confirmed to do this in the Inland Lagoon level in the NES version)! I do believe a couple winter pirates do this in the Game Boy version (they can also climb ladders too), graphics in both versions exist for them doing so! I have no idea whether lost boys can drop boulders down ladders in either version or not! They do have graphics for doing it, though!

In the NES version, Pan can hold over 10 Thimbles and Marbles, whereas in the Game Boy version, he can only hold up to 9 each! Additionally, Marbles give 6 upon collection in the NES version, whereas only 4 are obtained in the Game Boy version!

Level Differences:

Several levels have been modified slightly in the Game Boy version to make it harder, such as adding hazards and enemies that weren't present in the NES version!

Ghost Mine: Tink's initial spawn location is different: In the NES version, she is located below Pan's starting position (past Thud Butt), and much earlier in the Game Boy version: right before the first ladder down! In the Game Boy version, there is one more spider past the first one, and right after Thud Butt is a boulder!

More soon!