I have quite fond memories of Glover from when I was a kid, but upon trying to replay it, I discovered that I barely saw anything in the game – just the initial level. I wasn’t prepared for just how difficult this game is, and not entirely for the right reasons.

In Glover, you play a wizard’s glove as he tries to restore the magic crystals that were protecting the kingdom, turning them into balls to protect them. You have to get a crystal to the end of each world, trying not to lose or break it along the way.

Glover has a lot of charm going for it. The controls are unique and fiddly, as you bounce the ball to gain height, throwing and slapping it to move it around the level. On top of this, you can transform the ball though a few different types for different attributes.

If the game’s levels worked in conjunction with Glover’s moveset, it could be a great game. Instead, once you get past the stating level, the game tries to work against you as much as possible, filled with bottomless pits, awkward platforming, unclear ways to progress and just a general sense that the game wants you to suffer. This is made even worse by the game’s camera, which throws you off narrow platforms by suddenly moving to try and give you a better view.

I ended up using a level select cheat to see as much of the game as I could, and all levels from the second onwards are like this. On top of getting to the end of the level, there are also collectibles to find to unlock some bonus levels, such as a Frogger clone which controls horribly. A lot of these are found on branching paths, so if you’re just trying to find the exit, you can end up wasting your time on the wrong route.

The concept of the Glover is great, and there’s a lot of charm to the simple world of the game. Unfortunately, the platforming feels imprecise and the level design hinders the experience rather than compliments it. It’s a great memory, but one of those best left as memory.

Poor

Glover is so tricky to get into, you might get fed up of repeated failures long before the control system ever becomes second nature. Buf if you’re after something a little bit out of the ordinary, and you don’t mind putting up with a few annoying quirks here and there, it’s recommended as a unique experience.

Martin Kitts, N64 Magazine #21. Review Score: 83%

Remake or remaster?

Glover needs a bit more. He needs a new attempt at the game, taking the concept and building something completely new from it. Such a game was very far into development before being cancelled, but I’ll be looking at that in a lot more detail separately.

Official ways to get the game.

Glover is available on Steam, however this Piko Interactive port gives you the option of playing the inferior PlayStation version in a badly configured emulator, or an incredibly broken PC port. Definitely avoid this version.