Terexin, leader of the Council of Wizards, is sending the young sorcerer, Hocus, on a special mission to prove his worthiness.
Very Positive
195 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Y | — | Y |
First playthrough review time.
Hocus Pocus is a lesser known old game, but it is still a good example of games from that time. It follows a simple 2D platform style where you move through levels and deal with enemies. The design is colorful and easy to understand, and the challenge slowly increases as you keep going. It reminds me of the kind of games that were common in the 90s, where timing and movement were important.
The gameplay is very simple and does not try to do too much. Each level has a clear goal, and you just keep moving forward by completing it. As you progress, the difficulty gets higher, which keeps it interesting. One thing I remember clearly is that this is one of the game I have completely finished when I was around 5+ years old, so it has a strong personal memory for me.
In conclusion, Hocus Pocus is a simple and memorable platform game that shows how games were made in that time. It may not have complex features, but its clear design and rising challenge make it a good experience. It is a nice choice for anyone who wants to revisit older games.
Simple but fire game, banger soundtrack.
If I have to be honest this game is bad and the only reason to play it is if you have nostalgia for it, like I do. The controls are trash, graphics charming maybe and level design is horrible.
It looks nice, but as someone growing up with an Amiga I have to say that I am not a fan of the scrolling in this game. It's not very smooth and a bit jerky. The PC should have been able to do better in 1994 I guess.
First game I ever played on my Pop's DOS computer!
It is a very generic platformer in today's standards.
O que eu jogava esse na minha infancia é loucura
A fun but challenging game!
Hocus Pocus, developed by Moonlite Software and published by Apogee Entertainment, is a classic 2D side-scrolling platformer that embodies the essence of early 1990s PC gaming. Released in 1994 during the golden age of shareware titles, it offered a blend of colorful fantasy visuals, light puzzle elements, and accessible gameplay that made it appealing to players of all ages. You play as a young wizard named Hocus, an ambitious apprentice eager to earn his place among the Council of Wizards by completing a series of trials set in mystical realms filled with traps, treasure, and monsters. While its premise is simple, the game’s charm lies in its earnest presentation and nostalgic atmosphere, evoking the innocence and creativity of an era when platformers dominated the home computer scene.
From the start, Hocus Pocus enchants with its visual presentation. The game features richly detailed VGA graphics that push the limits of the DOS platform, creating lush environments brimming with color and variety. Each realm is distinct, whether it’s a fortress carved from ice, a castle bathed in green mist, or a labyrinth of magical mushrooms. The parallax-scrolling backgrounds and animated tiles give every stage a sense of depth that was impressive for its time. The enemy designs are equally memorable—dragons, goblins, ghosts, and enchanted statues populate the levels, each with their own movement patterns and attack styles. The accompanying soundtrack, composed in classic MIDI, captures the whimsical fantasy tone perfectly. Its upbeat melodies and adventurous rhythms complement the game’s pacing, reinforcing the feeling that you’re on a playful yet perilous magical quest.
Gameplay in Hocus Pocus is straightforward but satisfying. The controls are simple: move, jump, and shoot your magic bolts to fend off enemies. As Hocus, your mission in each stage is to collect all the magic crystals scattered throughout the map before progressing to the next. Along the way, you’ll find various power-ups that temporarily enhance your abilities—such as rapid fire, stronger spells, or the ability to teleport across obstacles. The combination of combat and light puzzle-solving keeps the action varied, while hidden rooms and bonus secrets encourage exploration. Levels are carefully constructed to reward curiosity, often hiding extra treasure or points behind cleverly placed walls or within invisible platforms. The structure is designed to be accessible, but there’s enough challenge to keep players alert, especially in later stages where enemy density increases and traps become more intricate.
The design philosophy behind Hocus Pocus emphasizes repetition and rhythm. Each of the four main episodes consists of multiple levels built around similar goals—collecting crystals, avoiding hazards, and defeating monsters. This repetition might sound limiting, but it creates a familiar cadence that encourages players to perfect their performance. Combat is straightforward yet rewarding, with each shot of Hocus’s magic feeling crisp and satisfying as it clears a path through enemies. The checkpoints and frequent item drops keep the difficulty balanced, ensuring that frustration never outweighs enjoyment. The gradual introduction of new hazards and environmental mechanics maintains a sense of progression, even if the overall gameplay loop remains consistent throughout.
Still, the simplicity that defines Hocus Pocus can also be its greatest limitation. After several stages, the gameplay begins to feel predictable, as the objectives and enemy patterns don’t evolve significantly. The puzzle elements, while charming, rarely require deep thought and mainly revolve around finding switches, locating hidden levers, or activating teleportation runes. The challenge lies more in reflexes than strategy, which may leave players seeking complex mechanics or narrative depth wanting more. That said, this straightforward design is part of the game’s appeal—it never overwhelms or overcomplicates, instead offering a pure and nostalgic experience focused on quick reflexes, exploration, and the joy of discovery.
From a technical perspective, Hocus Pocus has aged remarkably well thanks to its simple design and polished performance. The Steam version, powered by DOSBox emulation, runs smoothly on modern systems, allowing players to experience the game as it was originally intended. The responsive controls, clear level layouts, and timeless pixel art remain as enjoyable today as they were three decades ago. While modern conveniences like adjustable difficulty or remappable controls are absent, the game’s inherent balance makes it approachable for both newcomers and veterans of the genre. The inclusion of quick save features through emulation also mitigates some of the trial-and-error frustration of older platformers, making the experience more accessible to contemporary audiences.
Ultimately, Hocus Pocus stands as a charming relic of an era when creativity and imagination defined gaming. Its world of magic, bright colors, and simple yet engaging action captures the essence of what made early Apogee titles so beloved. The combination of lighthearted storytelling, polished visuals, and satisfying gameplay creates a timeless sense of fun that endures despite its age. While it lacks the sophistication and variety of modern platformers, its sincerity and craftsmanship shine through, offering an experience that is as much about nostalgia as it is about playability. For fans of retro gaming, Hocus Pocus remains a delightful reminder of a time when adventure, humor, and challenge were delivered with a few pixels, a handful of MIDI notes, and a lot of heart.
Rating: 7/10
👻 hocus pocuhantess
retro pixel grafiklere sahip 1994 model bir yapım döneme göre gayet akıcı tam bir atari oyunu
i play hocus pocus thinking it's magic game but it's just jumping and shooting jelly beans. wizard can't even fly. lame.
levels all look same. bricks, more bricks, then door. i keep pulling levers but nothing happen. maybe i broke it? idk.
enemies are just slime and lizards. they jump, i jump, we all jump. screen is chaos. i shoot magic and it goes pew and does nothing.
music sounds like circus stuck in a blender. made my ears itch.
there's no map. no save. no clues. just run, shoot, get lost, cry.
i fell off platform and game just laughed at me. no checkpoints. i uninstall.
FINAL SCORE: 1 wizard hat outta 10, more like Hopeless Pocus
This was one of my first computer games growing up, great memories, still holds up as a solid game.
I am never going to give this one recommendation until the publisher changes the DAUM DOSBox release to 20140127 etc. that does not over-stretch or over-crop the screen to the point of the game being unplayable. Test your released games geez. It would take maybe TWO SECONDS to fix this issue i.e. copying a couple of files over.
There is a Steam post about the game how to fix "overstretching" that over 90 % of users are experiencing. It involves overwriting DOSBox dot exe and DOSBox dot conf files from another release. Apparently this one uses some 2015 release of the software that does not work properly.
Agar.io tracker
Childhood favourite, I am so happy i found it on Steam! Many memories unlocked
Hocus Pocus uses its cute graphics and storytelling to make for a smooth ride through the game's atmosphere spread out across extremely simplistic combat. All you have to do is pay attention!
Everything the player picks up in the levels is laid out without ambiguity and with clear indication-- nothing's hard to find unless it's supposed to be. The feedback when enemies take damage is very clear and the 'boom' when they blow up is satisfying, especially during White Potion segments. Certain parts of levels are set up so that the player is meant to charge through while taking damage; the rest involves casually jumping around back and forth while avoiding getting hit. Once you get a feel for the type of game this is, the levels are extremely easy to 'read' and understand what you're supposed to do before it comes up on-screen. Set the gameplay speed to fastest and play on Hard, and it'll be well worth it.
Apogee <3
Hocus Pocus is one of the rare Apogee games that I played on the CDExpert Magazine Arcade Attack CD when I was a kid!
The game itself is fun, fast-paced and has an incredible soundtrack!
This game is more for those who like MS DOS games and those who are die-hard fans!
It's worth it
[h1]☺ One of the Best Classics !![/h1]
15 years have passed since I've played this game. [b]Someone really should make a Hocus Pocus Sequel to show his Journey after becoming a Council Member and marrying Popopa.[/b]
[h3] Request to the Game Developers out there... [/h3]
[i] Please someone make a proper Sequel with a Nice story.. ♥♥ [/i]
[h1][i]“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”[/i]
~Sir Terry Pratchett[/h1]
Nowadays, side-scrolling games are taken as granted on PCs. Just click on one of them tags here, in [b]Steam[/b], and you'll get more games of such kind than you can play in your entire life. Guess what? It wasn't always like that. At least not for all types of computers. While some of the systems (like those [b]Atari[/b] and [b]Commodore[/b] computers) had hardware optimized for such tasks (thanks to which we've got games like [b]Aztec Challenge[/b], [b]Wonder Boy[/b], [b]The Great Giana Sisters[/b] and so on), some other systems (like the ones by [b]NEC[/b] and [b]IBM PC[/b]s) did not. What was the problem? Well, it was pretty simple. With no hardware support, scrolling was done in software. And it was needed to redraw the entire screen for every single frame. Each and every time. Naturally, those old systems just weren't powerful enough for that. Thanks to which the task was impossible without some smart workarounds. [b]Hudson Soft[/b] faced that problem while porting [b]Nintendo[/b]'s [b]Super Mario Bros.[/b] to [b]PC-88[/b] and [b]Sharp X1[/b]. It was a disaster. It [i]looked[/i] like everybody's favorite [b]Famicom[/b] title, but... It didn't have scrolling. Every time [b]Mario[/b] made it to the side of the screen? The game paused and started rendering another one, similar to what we had in, say, [b]PC-88[/b] version of [b]Super Pitfall[/b] or [b]Montezuma's Revenge[/b]. And naturally, the process took time, which broke all the pace. [b]PC-88[/b] and other Japanese systems had their own saviors, but for [b]IBM PC[/b]s it was all about Saint [b]John[/b].
I'm talking, of course, about [b]John Carmack[/b], a mad genius from [b]id Software[/b]. Lack of hardware support was a problem. And [b]John[/b] was a brilliant problem solver (it was him who came up with the idea to sacrifice music and use both [b]Atari Jaguar[/b] coprocessors, [b]Tom[/b] and [b]Jerry[/b], for boosting [b]DOOM[/b]'s performance on [b]Jag[/b]). Quickly, he came up with so-called “adaptive tile refresh”. An elegant solution to avoid redrawing the whole screen and therefore save power. I'm not a technical expert, of course, which means I may have made some mistakes here, but you've got the idea. Before [b]Carmack[/b]'s [b]Super Mario 3[/b] prototype this kind of entertainment wasn't even a thing on [b]IBM PC[/b]s. That's exactly the reason why [b]Commander Keen[/b] series (which [b]id Software[/b] launched after [b]Nintendo[/b] refused their offer to make [b]SMB3[/b] port official) became sacred to [b]DOS[/b] audience. It was their [b]Super Mario[/b]. Why am I telling you all that? Well, because what we have here is a [b]DOS[/b] exclusive. After [b]Commander Keen[/b] revolution, those started to pop up one after another and guess what? They were good. We've got [b]Duke Nukum[/b] (I mean, [b]Nukem[/b]), we've got [b]Jill of the Jungle[/b]... You lived back then – you know what I'm talking about. [b]Hocus Pocus[/b]? It's one of those games.
And you know what? Technically, it's nothing special. It's one of those games that want you to find certain amount of objects on level in order to progress, it's our typical [b]Apogee[/b]'s shareware thing (there was a free version and a registered one that included all episodes, exactly the same with what we had in [b]Commander Keen[/b]) and in a way, it's a remake of [b]Moonlite Software[/b]'s previous platformer – [b]Clyde's Adventure[/b]. What kind of name is [b]Clyde's Adventure[/b]? Well, the same one with [b]Super Mario Bros.[/b] Those were the crazy time, OK? And it's not like [b]Hocus Pocus[/b] is any different. In this game you're... *sigh* [b]Hocus Pocus[/b]. No, seriously. Your name is [b]Hocus[/b] and you came from a noble line.. of [b]Pocuses[/b]. Deal with it.
Gameplay-wise, it's the same exact thing with [b]Clyde's Adventure[/b]. Except now you're collecting magic crystals and, like I already said, there's a certain amount of them on levels. Collect enough – level's finished. There are four episodes (again, it's our typical shareware thing), nine levels each. Naturally, the final level comes with a boss. That's pretty much it. That's the entire thing. Doesn't sound like a big thing and you know what? In a way it is not. History-wise, there's nothing really special about [b]Hocus Pocus[/b]. You had gaming console back in the days? I can't say you've missed much. And nowadays, when we have [b]RetroArch[/b] in [b]Steam[/b] and lots of new games (some of which are retro-like)... Let's just say that this here is not your top priority.
I mean, when you compare this game with some top players in genre, it becomes obvious that it's not really [i]that[/i] good. One of the key features here is that switch puzzle and while on paper there's nothing wrong with it (even the bigger games like [b]Duke Nukem 3D[/b] utilized it now and then), this game wants you to do it again and again with no end. Becomes annoying pretty soon. The bosses are a joke too. Like, half of the time you can beat them just by standing at the right place and shooting (it's one of those games, in which you can shoot by default). Don't get me wrong, nothing of that feels [i]terrible[/i], but... You know how it is. It's not good enough to become one of them “must play” titles.
[i]But[/i]. There's that thing called presentation. And presentation here? Is something else (which is exactly why this game feels, like, a million times better than [b]Clyde's Adventure[/b]). Remember cracktros? Those short custom sequences that used to be added by hackers to stolen software? Usually, those weren't just notes. Those had graphics, the music... And there was that certain vibe in all that, similar to what we had in retrowave genre of music. Nowadays, piracy is pretty much dead. Killed by convenience. Sure, people are still looking for free copies of expensive software and overpriced AAA titles, but all in all, nobody really [i]cares[/i] about warez. Yet, as crazy as it is, people still care about cracktros. Just because those are, like, an art form on their own. And [b]Hocus Pocus[/b]? It does have that. Not cracktro, of course (what we have here is just our usual registered version with all four episodes, running through [b]DOSBox SVN Daum[/b]), but the feeling.
And the funniest thing is – it's hard to describe it by words. You think 80s – you instantly get a sum of some certain colors and sounds in your head. Same exact thing here. [b]Hocus Pocus[/b]? It's 100% 90s. That signature sound of [b]Sound Blaster[/b] cards, that certain kind of [b]VGA[/b] graphics, those episode selection and “to be continued” screens... That's exactly the reason why this game aged well. [b]Hocus Pocus[/b] was never unique, [b]Hocus Pocus[/b] was never groundbreaking. But back in the days it was finally a way for [b]DOS[/b] audience to taste the genre's juice ([b]Mega Man X[/b] port, for example, didn't appear on [b]DOS[/b] systems until 1995), while nowadays? Nowadays it's exactly the opposite – it's a way for us to taste 90s. That's the selling point here. By paying for this game you won't get one of them historical points, you won't get anything that some other games didn't do better, but when you'll start playing it? Be sure that you'll get that certain feeling of 90s. Guaranteed. Do you need that in your life? It's up to you. There's nothing special about this particular release. No cloud saves, no enhancements (“partial [b]Xbox 360[/b] controller support” on store's page is just due to [b]DOSBox[/b] emulation that supporting gamepads, no other job was done), no extra content (aside from digital manual that is), nothing. Just a bare bones [b]Hocus Pocus[/b]. They did care enough to avoid using default [b]DOSBox[/b] version, but that's pretty much it. Personally? I loved my playthrough. For [b]$2.99[/b], I'd say it's a steal. But like I said, if all that you want is a good game – you can do better nowadays.
In retrospect the camera work in this game is really bad on a 21" screen. I'm glad I have access to it and I'm glad it works right out of the box, but it's pretty yucky and I don't recommend it.
it is a fun challenge. Even when you master the controls!
Ein mega Spiel, hat mich in meiner Kindheit begleitet.
Zurück in die Kindheit, tolle Zeitreise.
If Santa didn't visit in the small hours of 25th December 1994 to drop off the full boxed registered version of this fantastic 10/10 game (I am going to keep telling myself that) then your parents failed you. The start screen has an evil monk doing the Y pose in the "YMCA" dance, what more could you want?!
However, I don't know why most DOS games on Steam use an ancient badly-configured version of DOSBox, but it needs to stop. You can do better. It runs at 286 speeds and is set to use Ad Lib for music/sound instead of the far superior SoundBlaster. I could tell it was off based on an incredibly old but incredibly ingrained memory.
I highly recommend using DOSBox-X to run the game, and delving into the setup.exe file. Steam won't track your hours but... eh whatever.
One of the first games I ever played. After all these years, I still suck ass at it but the nostalgia is real
Simple fun game. Cartoon graphics, highly responsive play.
un verdadero videojuego
classic wizards. excellent. do magic, be gay, and crimes
core childhood memory unlocked, such a fun little game
Hokey Bogus.
Classic!
3/10
Superbe jeu
Jeu fini
Buen juego me encanto GOTY. Lo compre por recomendacion de Guillermo Díaz.
https://www.sportlife.es/uploads/s1/93/90/35/0/willyrex-01.jpeg
Short version:
Pros:
+ Strong visual style
+ Oldschool, fun gameplay
+ Good sountrack
+ Simple yet enjoyable story with great writing
Cons:
- Combat is repetitive
- Puzzles get old fast
"Long" version:
[u]Hocus Pocus[/u] is a 2D sidescroller that was released in 1994 – it was developed by Moonlite Software and published by 3D Realms. You play as a young wizard called Hocus, attempting to complete several trials to prove himself worthy.
I remember playing this several times growing up – I had it on a CD rom called “Kidz Gamez” or something similar. It had games like [u]Comander Keen[/u], [u]Jazz Jackrabbit[/u] and [u]Monster Bash[/u] - I spent countless hours relishing these classics and they have a very special place in my heart.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3270094168
In terms of story, [u]Hocus Pocus[/u] features an extensive amount of text-based context as its setup. You also get to talk to Terexin, the ruler of the Council of Wizards, while playing through the levels and he will provide you with more information, insults and funny one-liners.
The writing is strong – while the game features a story that is not exactly mind-blowing, it is commendable that they put some emphasis on it and managed to succeed.
When it comes to gameplay, [u]Hocus Pocus[/u] features decent platforming sections and serviceable, yet repetitive combat.
The enemies do not offer much of a challenge on their own, so the game tries to overwhelm you with sheer numbers. While it can work sometimes, you pretty much just have to spam the attack button and blast everything you see. The problem is that you cannot hold the Alt key to auto attack and you must press it every time you wish to throw out a lightning bolt. This might seem fine, initially, but you will need dozens upon dozens of hits to vanquish groups of enemies and it slowly becomes tedious. Flying enemies can provide a tiny extra challenge, as you must aim upwards to hit them, sometimes.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3270094219
There are also light puzzle-solving elements in [u]Hocus Pocus[/u], but I found these rather unsatisfying. You can find some objects to interact with, like levers which open up new areas or teleportation potions, which make you warp from one location to another. While these are not bad, they can become frustrating. If I must try every single combination of 4 levers to open a single door and then the game throws 2 or 3 more puzzles like that in a matter of seconds... Yeah, it gets old. The same goes for the teleportation potion, as it often brings you to locations you were actually avoiding automatically, drops you on traps or blocks you from revisiting old areas you previously had access to.
Graphically, I believe [u]Hocus Pocus[/u] looks amazing.
The graphics might be considered archaic, but the art direction is strong and oozes personality. I also enjoyed the enemy designs, but they are pretty much reskins of the same few ones you meet initially.
You get to visit different environments, like a mysterious castle surrounded by giant mushrooms, or an outer space fortress filled with dangerous enemies – it was a nice change of pace.
The soundtrack is a total banger – each environment has a designated track, and they are quite memorable. The sound effects are really simple but I cannot help but feel they have a charm to them.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275530134
So, having grown up with [u]Hocus Pocus[/u], I obviously recommend it, but some might consider my review somewhat biased. I can, however, tell you that the game might be too simplistic and ancient for newer audiences. On the other hand, if you have a soft spot for
90s sidescrollers and platformers, I confidently believe you will have a good time with [u]Hocus Pocus[/u].
You will most likely be able to complete the game in around 3 to 4 hours if it is your first playthrough.
Final score: 8 out of 10.
If you enjoyed this review, please consider following my [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/7792954-GGN-Reviews/]curator page[/url].
I grew up playing this and many other great DOS classics and it still hits just as well as it did back then!
Got the Shareware Version of this Game as a Kid. Its pure Nostalgica. The movement is accurate and the Levels are Fun to explore.
It's hard to play, but not as hard as it is to play it, meaning getting it to play was hard.
This version straight up doesn't work on my laptop. When you boot it up the picture is so stretched you can't even see your character because he's off the bottom of the screen. I was able to fix that easily with a guide on the store page, but now I'm running into the issue where sometimes the character completely ignores my movement inputs and other times he'll just zoom off in a direction on his own. It's like the game thinks I still have one of my arrow keys pressed down when I absolutely do not. My keyboard is working fine in all other applications. This version of the game is just cursed.
It's not even worth buying, even for nostalgia, because of these issues. Maybe you'll be luckier than I was, but I wouldn't count on it. Buy from elsewhere if you must.
Childhood.
Thank you 3D Realms for bringing all these classic memories to PCs for modern hardware.
De los juego mas difíciles que había jugado cuando tenia 8 años. No me trae nostalgia pero si lo recuerdo, por este y prehistorik 2 me empezaron a gustar este genero.
Честно говоря не зашло
хотя казалось бы клон Годс должно втыкать.
Причины
Игра быстро идет блин и когда пытаешься игру настроить под себя ,а она делает не то разрешение что вымораживает.(да есть фикс в гайдах -но давайте чтоб все было пофиксено изначально)
ЗЫ как в realm of chaos.
Где я просто сел и играю,без настроем игры под себя сверху.
2-я Изза того что она быстро идет,я не могу сосредоточиться,как внезапно огребаю от врагов который внезапно появляются.В Годс где тоже были внезапные враги мне это не парило.А тут да.
3-Сорян но это не мои 90-е
This game is a classic. At the time, it had the best graphics around, and it was a fantastic side scroller with great gameplay. A lot of fun to find all the crystal balls and treasures. Pretty challenging in places. I don't think I ever managed to solve and find everything in the time allowed even in 1993 or whenever this was. Loved it though.
Nostalgia at it's finest!
[h1]Hocus Pocus: A Jornada Mágica de Hocus[/h1]
Introdução:
Bem-vindo ao mundo da magia, onde a aventura aguarda e os desafios mágicos estão à espreita. Em "Hocus Pocus", você assume o papel de Hocus, um jovem feiticeiro com uma missão crucial: provar seu valor ao líder do Conselho dos Bruxos, Terexin. Esta é a sua chance de mergulhar em um mundo cheio de magia, enigmas e desafios que farão você se sentir parte de uma jornada épica.
Uma Aventura Mágica:
"Hocus Pocus" é uma jornada mágica que levará você por um mundo encantador e desafiador. Cada nível é uma oportunidade de enfrentar obstáculos, inimigos e enigmas, enquanto você se esforça para cumprir sua missão e provar seu valor como feiticeiro. A progressão do jogo é habilmente projetada para mantê-lo envolvido e ansioso por mais.
Magia e Enigmas:
Um dos aspectos mais empolgantes de "Hocus Pocus" é o uso de magia. Você, como Hocus, terá acesso a uma variedade de feitiços mágicos que o ajudarão a superar desafios, derrotar inimigos e desvendar enigmas intrigantes. Cada feitiço é uma ferramenta valiosa em sua busca e exige estratégia para usá-lo no momento certo.
Gráficos Encantadores:
Os gráficos de "Hocus Pocus" são encantadores e repletos de detalhes. Cada nível é um mundo visualmente atraente, que o envolverá em uma atmosfera mágica e envolvente. Os cenários e personagens são projetados com carinho, criando uma experiência de jogo imersiva.
Recomendação:
"Hocus Pocus" é um jogo que irá encantar todos aqueles que gostam de aventuras mágicas, desafios e enigmas. A jornada de Hocus, repleta de magia e obstáculos, oferece uma experiência de jogo única. É um daqueles jogos que apelam para o desejo humano de superar desafios e provar seu valor. Se você está em busca de um jogo que o leve para um mundo mágico, onde você pode usar feitiços mágicos e enfrentar enigmas empolgantes, "Hocus Pocus" é uma escolha excelente. Portanto, prepare-se para mergulhar no mundo da magia e embarcar em uma jornada que irá testar suas habilidades e seu espírito aventureiro. A magia o espera!
This is an old childhood game for me so I love it. I have to program the controls a bit differently so it's more comfortable to play but other than that, it's so nostalgic. I love it.
This was one of the best platformers of its time. The level design, the high quality background artwork (6 megs of graphics!), the excellent midi sound and music development. I played this for hours on end as a kid. It still holds its own in its category. Worth trying out, even if you never used to play it in the 90s
[h1]Sobre o Game[/h1]
Ajude o Hocus a cumprir seu dever e se tornar um grande mago.
[h1]Minha Opinião[/h1]
Foi nostalgia pura para mim. A Apogee tem jogos que me fazem reviver a infância em um simples e humilde windows 95. Quase sem espaço, meu pai fazia questão de trazer alguns jogos para mim a cada final de semestre. Em um deles ganhei uma mini coleção com os jogos da Apogee e Hocus Pocus foi o que mais joguei (infelizmente só possuía o primeiro episódio) mas me recordo com carinho que meu pai e eu competíamos de quem terminava mais rápido e completava todos os itens.
Muito bom reviver estes momentos.
[b]Positivo[/b]
- Divertido
- Vários níveis e modos de jogo
- Alguns chefes acabam sendo complexos
- Músicas divertidas
- Nostalgia para quem jogou no inicio dos anos 2000 (lembro de tê-lo em um disquete amarelo!)
[b]Negativo[/b]
- Eu entendo por ser um jogo antigo, até passo pano mas não possui quaisquer legendas em português. De fato você não precisa ler ou entender a história para se divertir, deixando apenas esse negativo para quem não dominar o inglês estar ciente.
Does not live up to the childhood memories at all.
A lot of tedious back and forth running.
A lot of repetitive jumping (i.e. 6x same jump successively)
A lot of annoying enemies (which are basically the same 3 types all time but with other skins)
Enjoyable music overall, but that's about it.
Rather watch a playthrough if nostalgia comes up again.
I don't know if I can objectively judge this game, because I played this so much as a kid and I have a ton of nostalgia for it. It's literally one of my favorite games of all time, but not necessarily because I think it's one of the greatest games ever made. It's a pretty good retro platformer, but it didn't change the gaming landscape at the time of its release and it won't do so today either. It still looks great though. Play it if you have an inner loot-goblin who likes collecting shiny gems.
Рекомендую
Very fun classic 90s game, with dad humor and a midi file soundtrack :)
Shadow Wizard Money Game
I grew up playing this game as well may other Apogee games. I still vividly remember the green "Apogee Game Collection" disc that I held on to for many many years before I lost it. I know there are emulators, but they are a hassle for me and I thought I'd never get the opportunity to play any of these old games again. So you can imagine my excitement when I found all my favorites here on steam! This one is a classic imo and is just as fun as I remember it being when I was young. I'm not sure it would appeal to anyone who doesn't have the nostalgia of formerly playing it as it is a rather simple game, but if Apogee games were a staple of your childhood, I definitely recommend revisiting this one.
I just love all Apogee Games. I played this game back then, just like Commander Keen, Monster Bash, Duke Nukem, Secret Agent, etc. from an old DOS shareware CD.
At some point I found a site where you could play the games online as a flash game, but that was rather suboptimal. Using emulators is just too frustrating for me, so I'm glad to find all the games here on Steam. You can start and play them with one click. Love it.
Klassiker, schon auf Windows 3.11 gespielt 1994
Un juego clásico, ideal para gamers nostálgicos.
Retro Game
I played this game a lot when I was a little kid - my mom loves DOS games - so to find it again now and get to play it on my own computer is a blessing. Such a hit of nostalgia and still really fun.
Arrr yes good old Hocus Pocus, I used to play the shareware version of this way back in the days of using dos lol.
bel platform. lo consiglio
Fun little DOS platformer. Works perfectly on modern systems with a wide screen.
There's definitely a tiny bit of repitition due to technological limits from back then. So this might not be something for everyone. But if you enjoy old DOS games, I would definitely recommend it.
Lovely sprite work, good music and very responsive jumping controls.
My only nitpick would be that although most maps are relatively easy to keep track of where you've been and not been yet, there are the occasional outliers where you can get a little bit lost, trying to figure out where the last few crystals are.
Game took me about 5 hours to beat.
My first videogame I've ever played. Thank you for publishing this game again! Takes me back to the good old times.
A classic MS-DOS game that any fan of the Apogee/3DRealms games should play. I grew up with only the shareware version and I played the heck out of it. Now I finally own the entire game! The whole experience is a fun time, i would suggest changing the controls as the originals cramp up your hands like crazy. Play it!
Short but sweet.
This game doesn't take itself too seriously and has some hilarious writing. It's a fun action-platformer with nice balanced difficulty anda great soundtrack. It runs a bit smoother compared to Duke Nukem I & II and the game is constantly keeping you moving. There are a lot of secrets to find if you're into that and there's never a dull moment.
As you can see from my play time it takes about 6 hours to finish if you're just going for a casual playthrough.
I must note however the Steam version seems to have a couple of issues with it if you try to play it straight off the bat. Fortunately these are easily fixed with a bit of tweaking.
I recommend:
1. Rolling back to a previous version of DOSBOX to stop the stretched image issue (they should honestly update the program to simply use it to permanently resolve the issue)
2 Going into the install program to change the music to use MIDI for better sound quality. (better yet, use VirtualMIDISynth and get the Roland SC-55 soundfont for the best experience).
3. Using a program such as JoyToKey to bind all the buttons to a controller.
My layout on a SNES controller for example:
A confirm
B jump
X Main Menu
Y fire
Start Save Menu
Select Restore Menu
R Raise Screen
L Lower Screen
It was fun to zap away enemies even if there were only a handful of enemy types there's enough variety in sprites to keep things interesting.
Did not "return to DOS" when I quit.
Play it. It's a great burst of nostolgia.
CHINGONZOTE!!! SUPERA A LOS DE TRIPLE A A HUEVO GUEY!!!!
J'aimais bien ce jeu mais je n'y ai pas joué depuis longtemps mais quand j'ai voulu y rejouer dernièrement, l'affichage était en mode hyper zoomé et je n'arrive pas à le rétablir du coup je ne peux plus y jouer pour l'instant tant que je n'ai pas trouvé de solution (je suis sur pc portable). Sinon c'est un bon jeu pour les nostalgiques des jeux vidéo "anciens".
Only buy Hocus Pocus if you played this back in the day and you're looking for a trip back in time. It's got some nostalgia value, but not much more. The environments, which were one of the best parts back in the 90s, are still lovely to behold. The game music on many levels is great. And that's about it.
The game is broken down into four 9-level episodes. The first, which was shareware back in the day, is worth playing. The other three basically repeat the first episode and then repeat it some more. The enemy sprites vary, as do the backgrounds and music but gameplay is very repetitious and gets stagnant quickly. Levels are long and poorly laid out. You'll end up lost frequently. You might end up needing a silver key to unlock a door in one section but you have to go up and down three elevators to get to it and then you have to remember the correct path to get back. You can spend 5 minutes or more on a level without remembering where you need to go or what you need to do. And when you figure it out, you have to find your way back.
I'm giving the game a moderate thumbs up - it's only $5. Episode 1 is pretty good. Once you beat it, you'll probably want to skip the rest.
I'm really jazzed about being able to port some of my old DOS games to the SteamDeck!
Unfortunately, the whole DOSBox thing is really complex - especially for those of us who don't want to dig into Linux stuff.
In some cases, it's no problem. I'm perfectly willing to spend ~$5 to re-buy a game I like. And some of the ones that Steam has re-done seem to work fine on the Deck. I originally tried to port them in from GOG, but that was a never ending nightmare, with lots of effort for limited success. But the ones in Steam just work... kinda.
The first one I tried, "Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure" works fine, looks good (for DOS) and plays well. So I was encouraged.
Hocus Pocus however, doesn't display correctly on the Steam Deck. It's too "tall" for the screen, and about half of it is cut off. I've tried about a dozen different resolutions, and they all look exactly the same.
Near as I can figure it, it's not so much the resolution as the aspect ratio that's the problem. It appears that Apogee did some voodoo with the graphics that was very non-standard (not uncommon, as "standards" were very fluid at the time).
Now in fairness, when I installed it on the Deck, it DID warn me that they hadn't got the kinks out of this one, but I was hoping it was minor glitches I could live with. But with half the screen missing, that's not an option.
So I'll be uninstalling and hoping for a future fix. In the meantime, it still works fine on the PC. And it's POSSIBLE it might be do-able on the Deck with an external monitor. I haven't tried it because if I'm going to use a big monitor, I'm going to be on the PC anyway.
Hopefully most of the other ones I've got my eye on will work. For this one, I'll probably just check from time to time to see if they've developed a fix for it. But with these old games, it's unlikely to be worth the time and effort. It's not like people are lining up to throw money at them for old DOS games! :-)
Nostalgia pura, amo esse jogo desde criança esse foi literalmente o primeiro jogo que joguei na vida queria um remake dele mas acho que é difícil disso acontecer, enfim parabéns aos devs S2.
Can't recommend, but can't not recommend. WHy? The game doesn't holdup to modern day. It has super gravity...u go flying downwards...and the thing I remember most about the game and automatically rememberd when playing it: ur fingers get tired from tapping the fire button....like really tired. There's a reason why at the boss and endgame levels the powerup u get is an autofire that spams the max number of bullets possible just by holding alt. The game even seemed to recognize how tired ur fingers will get from firing.
Other than that, it was a beloved game for me and my childhood back in the day. But I remember getting bored while playing it as a kid...and my fingers getting tired I feel I have to repeat that over and over cause the memory is so intense.
[h1]My first PC game wishlist[/h1]
Who knew it would take another 28 years to finally cross off the object of my childhood virtual desire. Yeah those were much different times: nobody I knew had a PC nor had any idea what it was, consoles were rare and expensive, arcades were main source of high-end gaming, and next door burger joint down the hallway sold them for todays 1.4 cents (at 3x the size of Big Mac and probably 10x the nutrition). For comparison Hocus Pocus costed $25! As ZX Speccy child, seeing images of this game in a PC magazine completely gobsmacked me for another year before we could afford our first PC. Of course by then HP was but a distant memory, covered by layers of demon corpses from Hell and pushed aside by who knows how many new games that appear over that short time period. But when it comes to games I'm like an elephant and rarely forget.
I'll start by saying no one except nostalgic diehards or gaming journalists will enjoy this game today. It is simply not compatible with modern gamer expectations. To me however it easily beats the likes of Hollow Knight by a mile.
It plays like those charming early '90s platformers with all their ups and downs. Story is written by non other than Tom Hall and exceeds expectations set by contemporary platformers of the day. In short, an aspiring young apprentice is set with a task of passing 4 trials before he would be allowed to join the Wizard Council and claim the heart of his crush in marriage.
Each trial is basically an episode consisting of 9 levels each, with a boss at the end as usual. Levels take 10 minutes to complete on average and are rather large and labyrinthine but not so much to require a map. They are filled with non-respawning enemies (thank fakkk), treasures (for high-score and 100% checkmark), healing and upgrade potions, switch puzzles, a hidden treasure room, and 4 to 9 orbs you must collect to complete every level. Your only available tool is infinite supply of a single magic spell that shoots lightning bolts, either directly in front or up, plus temporary upgrades for it lasting until the end of the level or for a few seconds.
What I like about it is it's simple to play and fun with just right amounts of challenge and duration before getting overbearing. Progress is bread crumbed with story bits delivered by NPC Council Member appearing in most levels and, in a more elaborate form, at end of each episode. With a dash of innocent past-time humor, just like the good ol' days.
Couple of things that make it stand out even today is percentage based health (no 3 hits and you're dead), high audio/visual level variety (every set of 3 levels is thematically different, with rare repeats), manual saving (although it only stores level and high-score). There's also lots of goodies to check out via in-game menus as well as a scan of original manual in install folder.
* * *
Now for some cautionary head ups to illuminate what you're getting yourself into:
[list][*]Steam downloads 3D Realms music pack in "\SteamApps\common\Alien Carnage Halloween Harry\" sized over 800MB. You can listen to them but they are not in relation to the game and can be freely deleted manually.
[*]Game comes with dev build of DOSBox which isn't set up optimally: wrong aspect ratio and potentially game breaking window size if your vertical resolution is lower than 800p. See "aspect=false" and "windowresolution=1280x800" lines in "Hocus.conf" respectively.
[*]Your only weapon has no autofire (or rapidfire) and DOSBox mapper doesn't support it either, meaning you have to press fire for every single bullet. Exception is rare upgrade that only becomes more common later. It was so incredibly annoying it prompted me to create a [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2793485055]standalone autohotkey script[/url]. Although I ended up using it only in W4-L7. To make matters worse game limits how many of your bullets may exist on screen at one time.
[*]Gameplay is capped at 18 FPS no matter what. You can somewhat make it less janky by increasing speed in options but that also makes enemies move and shoot faster. I suspect most who lasted this long will momentarily give up on this game lol.
[*]Puzzles predominately rely of trial/error switch combination locks, without being given any clues whatsoever. There are about a dozen of 4-binary position locks and many 2&3 ones. At least combination is always same but expect to hate this mechanism.
[*]Later levels place doors and keys to unlock them in opposite sides so it comes down to luck if you took the correct initial path or you'll have to backtrack through now empty platforming sections.
[*]Despite boasting with over 30 monsters, game only actually uses glorified reskins of 6 enemy types (slow/fast melee, ranged, 3 flying types) although they are rather nice looking reskins. Animation however is pretty bare bones in all cases, as is reaction to damage and foreshadowing attacks for modern standards.[/list]
* * *
Surprising even myself I managed to overcome it all, including autofire, and I'm a stickler for details so maybe it's not that bad.
Charming relic of the past that still holds some value to equally charming living relics of the same era I guess. At best I dare recommend is grabbing it in a bundle to reduce risk and/or regret. Maybe it helps you understand how the previous generation honed their virtual skillz and why your elderly old man is still pwning your ass.
Ein tolles Spiel mit Nostalgiefaktor und guter Spielmechanik
yesssssssssss
es mi fav desde que tengo memoria
Such a classic game! So glad I can play this again. And at such an affordable price! $5 for 4 games. Totally worth it!
One of the best 90s platformers, smooth and fun to play. The graphics have aged well and the music is great (if repetitive!)
a classic retro game that reminds me of simpler times, i was 3 years old i have seen my mum play this game ! must have been 1994, the walkthrough amazed me then, i play it now and it still feels amazing!
Nostalgic purchase. Was fun to play again. Pretty base graphics and content.
Super, früher gerne gespielt.
A platformer from my childhood. It still holds up.
It took a while for me to finish, but it is an amazing story, I promise.
This is a platformer where you play a drop-out wizard ready to prove himself to the world...and his one true love. There is a huge variety of environments. Enemies are mostly reskins (a devil dropping thunder, a dino dropping eggs, etc.)
My only complaint is that you really have to hammer the alt key a lot since shooting is like a semi-auto firearm. Every time you want to shoot, you have to press.
Esse clássico da minha infância voltou em boa hora, emulado pelo Dos Box, é a versão inteira inclusive, que era praticamente impossível de achar a 20 anos atrás, é desafiador e interessante, sabendo inglês agora da pra entender melhor a história e do que se trata! É simples, divertido e com uma série de pequenos enigmas ao longo das fases, vale a pena!
Ein schöner Platformer aus den 90er Jahren. Habe ich damals sehr gerne gespielt. Hier hat der Entwickler wirklich alles richtig gemacht. Für alle Retro-Liebhaber ein muss.
A childhood favorite, crime this game never got finished for its other planned parts.
I bought this because I had the shareware version as a kid and wanted to finish it. I remember liking this game quite a bit back when I played it, but, unfortunately, the real thing doesn't live up to my memories very much.
First, the positives: the visuals are solid enough, and the music is quite good (once you figure out how to enable SoundBlaster music in the game since it's not on by default for some stupid reason). The visual design of levels also varies quite a bit and is colorful and mostly pleasant to look at.
As far as actual level [i]design[/i] goes, however, it is utterly uninspired. The game is a basic collectathon platformer, you have to find a certain amount of "crystals" to finish a level. You also have to find keys to unlock doors, which likely means a ton of backtracking unless you know the level layouts by heart. The actual challenging parts of the levels, however, mostly consist of jumping over pits and shooting enemies over and over. And I [i]do[/i] mean over and [i]over and over and over[/i]. Quite often you'll find the [i]exact same[/i] platform jump + enemy fight combination repeated ten times in a row or so. And sometimes there's not even a challenge at all, just jumping up a gigantic flight of stairs for a few minutes for no reason whatsoever. Combined with the backtracking and the fact that enemies [i]don't respawn[/i] (which may perhaps be a strange complaint, but in this game it would actually make some sense), the levels become incredibly boring after you've seen a few of them.
The enemy designs are fairly basic as well, they can either walk or fly, and some of them can shoot. The enemies have a lot of different sprites associated with them, but outside of hitbox size and movement patterns, they all fall into the above basic categories. This is in stark contrast to [i]good[/i] platformers like Mario, Mega Man or Sonic, where each unique enemy sprite has unique behaviours associated with it as well, and unique strategies to approach and fight them. Here you either spam the fire button, or the jump and fire buttons together.
The only unique enemies in the game are the boss enemies. However, their design isn't particularly great either. Unlike every other enemy in the game, they kill you in [i]one hit[/i], making boss fights into these weird timing puzzles where you have to position yourself in a way that lets you shoot the boss without it making its way towards you, quite often having to run back (but only a small bit, or else you won't be able to hit the boss offscreen!) to prevent damage, only to find that you ran too far anyway and now you can't deal enough damage to the boss to kill it before it reaches you.
Overall, a very generic experience, so I'd say don't buy it unless it's for the nostalgia factor or you're really craving an old platformer for some reason. That said, the game is very cheap, so if it still sounds like your type of thing despite everything you read here, you might as well go and grab it to see for yourself.
El mejor juego de plataformas de 3D Realm, retro buen soundtrack ingresa al mundo de Terexin y al mundo magico y tenebroso de Hocus Pocus, se necesita un remake!!
Average game but nostalgia call it
I remember playing this game as a kid. My Dad used to get the PC Mags and this came as a free demo on one of the CDs. A lot of games don't age well from my childhood, but this game stands the test of time. It's wonderful to play though and experience the nostalgia!
If you want a little slice of what life in 1994 was like, get this game, show it to your kids and listen to how much they make fun of you. That was the life of a gamer before gaming was cool, and this was a video game before video games were just investments by shareholders to extract maximum profits from target demographics. The nostalgia wafts off of this classic like the smell of weed at Ozzfest. Of all of the Apologee games I played in the mid to late 1990's, this was one.
It's not that there's anything special about this game. The graphics are expectably dated, the plot is ten pages of text and mostly nonsensical humor, and the music drones after about the second level. Apogee released a bunch of platformers at the time, and this was a solid game for its day. It's not a bad game even twen... nearly thirty years later.
The controls are a bit stiff, but you gotta play it with your keyboard because that's how we did it in those days. Play the first level the way it downloads for the pseudo authentic midi chorus; then add "setup.exe" into your Hocus.conf file at the end right before the Hocus.exe, and switch the music to "Sound Blaster" for a more tolerable musical experience. Burn an entire afternoon on this gem and delight in the sheer waste of time that was my teenage years. And if you also played this back in the day, play it again to relive the magic, before you get to be too old to see the screen.
It might just be worth full price, if the money were sent as a money order to the developer rather than to a corporate conglomerate. Totally a no-brainer to get on sale. Unless you hate platformers, 1990's grunge & punk rock, or shooting lizard men and flying demons with infinity bolts of lightning.
Het blijft een toffe Oldschool jaren 90 game die niet zo gauw verveelt.
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Mentor/Curator: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/32511459-GarsupialGames/
Rigtigt godt og underholdende
Solid game from the shareware era. I remember loving this on the old 386. Solid mechanics and very good ost.
disclaimer: old and dos-ey soooo dont buy this thinking you will get a perfectly set up game. all that aside its easy set up, it uses the dosbox emu so with some mild text editing, and a controller setup you will up and running in no time. played through first little mission pack. its a cute game. if you have a win gpd and a long car ride or flight or something this will def keep you from getting completely bored, outside of that only buy this if youre into retro games.
