Ugh!

Le jeu

Ugh! is an arcade-style action and flight game developed by Bones Park Software Artistic and released in 1992 for Amiga, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. The title is widely regarded as a prehistoric-themed clone of Space Taxi, adopting its core mechanics while introducing a humorous stone-age setting. In the game, the player controls a caveman piloting a muscle-powered “prehistoric helicopter” made of wood, vines, and stone, ferrying passengers between platforms in exchange for payment. Ugh! (MS-DOS) The narrative frame involves the protagonist attempting to impress his future mate by earning money through this unconventional taxi service. Gameplay consists of navigating through 69 levels filled with natural hazards, prehistoric wildlife, and environmental puzzles. Levels often feature walls, tight tunnels, erupting geysers, and dangerous fauna such as hostile dinosaurs and pterosaur-like “birds.” Collisions—especially with the rotor—or hard landings cause damage to the helicopter, eventually leading to its destruction. Energy management is another key mechanic: the caveman becomes exhausted when powering the helicopter, and stamina must be restored by collecting fruit knocked from trees using throwable stones. Stones may also be used to temporarily incapacitate hostile creatures, providing a risk-reward layer that distinguishes Ugh! from its inspirations. The game offers multiple modes, depending on the platform. The Commodore 64 version features a two-player hot-seat competitive mode in which players race to complete levels. The Amiga and DOS versions include a simultaneous cooperative mode, enabling both players to operate helicopters at once. These multiplayer variants contribute significantly to the game’s replay value and help explain its popularity in homes and computer clubs during the early 1990s. Progress in both single-player and multiplayer campaigns is tracked through level codes; notably, the single-player codes reference song titles by the band Christian Death, while two-player codes reference titles by Current 93—an unusual stylistic flourish for an arcade-style game. Ugh! was distributed not only through traditional retail channels but also widely circulated as shareware via Bulletin Board Systems and cover disks in contemporary gaming magazines, which contributed to its broad exposure. Reviews from the period often highlighted the game’s colorful graphics, fluid controls, and humorous presentation. According to sources such as MobyGames, Ugh! received praise for successfully adapting the Space Taxi formula into a new thematic context while offering smoother animation and more elaborate level design than many of its contemporaries. Today, Ugh! is remembered as a distinctive entry in the early 1990s European shareware scene. Its blend of action, dexterity-based flight mechanics, light puzzle elements, and comedic prehistoric theming has secured it a place among notable retro computer titles. The game remains accessible through abandonware archives and retains a small but enthusiastic fan community who regard it as one of the more polished and approachable Space Taxi-style games of its era.