Pushover

About

"Pushover is a platform puzzle game where you control a soldier ant named G.I. Ant. Your mission is to recover Quavers packets or cash that have been dropped down a giant ant hill by collecting them with a push of a domino. The game features 100 levels with increasing complexity and 11 different types of dominoes that you must topple in a specific order to advance."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 27 reviews

graphics3 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Push-Over is a charming and nostalgic puzzle game that still offers engaging gameplay with its unique domino mechanics.
The game features a variety of levels and challenges, introducing different types of dominoes that keep the puzzles interesting and fun.
Despite its age, the game runs smoothly on modern systems and provides a solid nostalgic experience for those familiar with classic puzzle games.

The game's price is considered high for its age and lack of modern updates, leading many to suggest it isn't worth purchasing.
Push-Over suffers from dated graphics and controls, which may not appeal to newer players accustomed to modern gaming standards.
The inclusion of a time limit on levels can add unnecessary frustration, detracting from the overall puzzle-solving experience.

story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
43%
43%
The story of the game revolves around a quirky quest to rescue packets of Quavers from an anthill, featuring the character Colin Curly, a bulldog mascot. While the narrative serves as a lighthearted backdrop, many players feel it is secondary to the gameplay, which is the main draw of the action puzzle genre. The original branded version retains this unique storyline, contrasting with later adaptations that stripped it away.
- “Most of the releases follow an utterly abstract plot of the bulldog Colin Curly (old mascot for British snack food Quavers) losing his collection of quavers down an anthill and enlisting the help of his pal G.I.”
- “Full disclosure, when I played it at the time, I got it at a LAN party, so nearly 30 years later, I've paid for the game for the first time... I was an American teenager who had no idea what 'quavers' were, and if not for the game's story, I never would've suspected this was a product placement tie-in.”
- “Despite what the Steam description says - which describes the SNES version that had its quavers branding stripped and the story replaced, this is in fact the original, branded version, where the story is that you're descending the anthill to rescue packets of snack food.”
- “Most of the releases follow an utterly abstract plot of the bulldog Colin Curly (old mascot for British snack food quavers) losing his collection of quavers down an anthill and enlisting the help of his pal G.I.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay of *Pushover* is praised for its well-designed levels that gradually introduce a variety of domino types and mechanics, allowing players to learn through smooth difficulty progression. While the initial mechanics are engaging and cleverly implemented, some players feel that the game lacks lasting evolution beyond the early levels, ultimately placing the onus on players to master the controls. Overall, it is considered an enjoyable action puzzle experience.
- “I was too young to appreciate it at the time, but for an early 90s puzzle game, the levels do a pretty solid job of introducing the game's various mechanics, which have a surprising amount of subtlety and interactions.”
- “The difficulty ramps up smoothly, teaching players new mechanics at a steady pace.”
- “Making this tricky is that there are around a dozen different types of dominos - dominos that explode (making holes for others to fall through), dominos that split in two and go both ways, dominos that float up to the ceiling before falling, dominos that make bridges across gaps... the early levels introduce each of these, while also being set up to demonstrate some of the interactions and other mechanics.”
- “Push-Over specifically does a reasonable job of easing you into the mechanics with the earlier levels, but it's entirely on you to figure out how to actually pick up and push dominoes (for the curious: spacebar and arrow keys).”
- “The thing is – Push-Over is an action puzzle game, the story doesn't really matter in that genre, while gameplay-wise... well, like I've said, this game is totally awesome.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game reflects a nostalgic view of advertising games from the past, where brand integration was more creative and less intrusive than today's ads. Players recall a time when these games were not only promotional tools but also enjoyable experiences, contrasting sharply with the current perception of ads as mere interruptions in gameplay. Overall, the sentiment suggests a longing for a more engaging and less cynical approach to monetization in gaming.
- “Ah, the old advertising games... it's kind of hard to explain for a new generation of players, but back in the days we had games fully dedicated to certain brands.”
- “Let's just say that advertising games were not as simple as you may think.”
- “Even though the game was ported to quite a lot of systems, there was even a SNES version with all Quavers ads completely removed.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The music in the game is highly praised for its charm and upbeat quality, contributing significantly to the overall presentation alongside the art style. While some users express nostalgia for the soundtracks of older platforms, they agree that the current music holds up well and enhances the gaming experience, despite minor frustrations with controls and unskippable intros.
- “I absolutely love this game's art style and music.”
- “Maybe I'm nostalgic too when I say that the characters are cute and the music would still hold up today.”
- “Even though very often Amiga versions had better music, Pushover was not one of such games (I totally prefer the DOS sound), while all 'big three' versions (Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS) look almost identical and I'm not a big fan of those 'filters' from fan-made remakes.”
- “Maybe I'm nostalgic too when I say that the characters are cute and the music would still hold up today, but well... the controls are taking a bit getting used to (having to quit a level after hitting 'esc' if you don't want to lose a token and such small, annoying things) and the unskippable intro is a pain too.”
- “The presentation is charming, especially the upbeat music and smooth cute cartoon animations.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The graphics of the game are praised for their charm and artistic style, with many players still appreciating them despite the passage of time. While some note that the visuals have aged, the overall aesthetic remains appealing and contributes to the game's enduring enjoyment.
- “The graphics were amazing back in the day; I still like them to this day, to be honest.”
- “I absolutely love this game's art style and music.”
- “The decades do decay the visuals and controls a bit, but the core puzzle formula still stands strong.”
- “The decades do decay the visuals and controls a bit but the core puzzle formula still stands strong.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its cleverness, particularly in its self-referential jokes, such as the amusing take on controller support. Players find these moments to be entertaining and add a lighthearted touch to the overall experience.
- “This allows Steam to mark this as 'partial controller support'... funny.”
- “The humor in this game is fantastic!”
- “It's genuinely funny.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The original DOS version of the game runs smoothly on Windows 11 using pre-configured DOSBox emulation; however, it lacks support for modern display resolutions and has not been updated for optimal performance on contemporary gaming PCs.
- “It is the original DOS version, and it runs smoothly on a Windows 11 environment with pre-configured DOSBox emulation.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the emotional impact of the game is lacking, with players feeling that the narrative or character experiences fail to evoke genuine feelings or tears.