Cheesy (video game)

{{Infobox video game

| title = Cheesy

| image = PS1 Cheesy cover art.jpg

| developer = CTA Developments

| publisher = {{vgrelease|EU|Ocean Software|JP|Jaleco}}

| producer = Gina Jackson

| designer = Richard Cheek

| programmer = John Scott

| composer = Dave Newman
James Veal

| platforms = PlayStation

| released = {{vgrelease|EU|October/November 1996|JP| July 24, 1997

{{cite web|url=http://tk-nz.game.coocan.jp/gamedatabase/software/DB_SNC1_PS1997.html|title=PlayStation Soft > 1997|publisher=GAME Data Room|access-date=2018-10-12|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904052540/http://tk-nz.game.coocan.jp/gamedatabase/software/DB_SNC1_PS1997.html|archive-date=2018-09-04|url-status=live}}}}

| genre = Platform

| modes = Single-player

| caption = European cover art

}}

Cheesy is a platform game developed by British studio CTA Developments and published by Ocean Software for the PlayStation. It was released in Europe in 1996 and Japan in July 1997, by Jaleco. The game follows an anthropomorphic mouse of the same name, who's captured by a mad scientist for the expriments on him, at rock castle. After been unintentionally freed by ailen and UFO, a rodent starts a goal of escaping the place. The game's goal is to collect ingredients for a teleportation spell to escape the castle, by navigating it, battling against monsters and all sorts of creatures that will come in his way.

Initially Cheesy was developed for the Atari Jaguar, as one of the system's upcoming titles. The project was moved to the PlayStation, due to a number of factors relating to the difficulty of developing on the Atari's console and its failure both commercially and critically, alongwith a false advertisement of been a powerful 64-bit console. The game received mixed reviews from critics since its release. Been cited for its controls, graphics and inconsistent game design, but praised for the music. The game gained more harsher reviews in retrospective.

Cheesy was the last game to be developed by CTA Developments, as studio was disbanded a few months after release of the game. With many members including both founders, have moved on to other projects.{{Cite web |last=Pontes |first=Rodrigo Garcia |date=2023-06-07 |title=Cheesy (PS): um ratinho entre monstros, OVNIs, magias e muitos desafios |trans-title=Cheesy (PS): a little mouse among monsters, UFOs, magic and many challenges |url=https://www.gameblast.com.br/2023/06/cheesy-ps-ratinho-monstros-ovnis-desafios.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129175259/https://www.gameblast.com.br/2023/06/cheesy-ps-ratinho-monstros-ovnis-desafios.html |archive-date=2023-11-29 |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=GameBlast |language=pt}}

Gameplay

File:PS1 Cheesy.png

Cheesy is a platform game with 3D and 2.5D gameplay styles. The player controls the a mouse, who was captured and imprisoned by a mad scientist inside a dark castle. Until alien appear and try to attack him, with the main objective of the game being to escape from the castle by collecting ingredients for a special teleportation spell. While battling against aliens and all sorts of creatures that come in his way.{{Cite book |last=Paragon Publishing |first= |url=https://archive.org/details/play-007/page/n11/mode/1up |title=PLAY UK Issue 007 |date=May 1996 |publisher=Play (UK magazine) |isbn= |location=North-west Europe (United Kindom) |publication-date=May 1996 |pages=12 |language=English |issue=007}}

Game's plot and events are presented through an animated FMV movie clips (cutscences).{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/computer-and-video-games-magazine/Computer%20and%20Video%20Games%20177/page/n29/mode/1up |title=Computer And Video Games Magazine |date=August 1996 |publisher=Computer and Video Games |isbn= |location=North-west Europe (United Kindom) |publication-date=August 1996 |pages=30 |issue=#177}} They can be turned off in the options menu.{{Citation |title=Cheesy - Manual booklet (Europe) |date=November 1996 |pages=6 (English), 20 (French), 34 (German), 48 (Spanish), 62 (Italian), 76 (Netherland) |url=https://archive.org/details/sles-00053-en-fr-de-es-it-nl-manual/SLES-00053-(En,Fr,De,Es,It,Nl) |access-date=2025-05-11 |place=Europe |publisher=Ocean Software |language=En,Fr,De,Es,It,Nl}}

Plot

Two days before events of the game, in a dark night in silent moon. At the rock castle of the mad scientist called Doctor Chem caught the mouse named Cheesy who's thrown into the cage, for the subsequent experiments on the rodent that doctor prepares. Since them a mouse have laid in the cage tired hears about the spells, with in these a special teleportation spell alongwith it's mystic ingredients. Eventually when Cheesy was about to get sleep unexpectentlly an ailen with UFO appeared, for its "secret mission". Shortly after its appearance the cage have shooked and Chessy have been freed,{{Citation |title=Cheesy - Manual booklet (Europe) |date=November 1996 |pages=4–5 (English), 18–19 (French), 32–33 (German), 46–47 (Spanish), 60–61 (Italian), 74–75 (Netherland) |url=https://archive.org/details/sles-00053-en-fr-de-es-it-nl-manual/SLES-00053-(En,Fr,De,Es,It,Nl) |access-date=2025-05-11 |place=Europe |publisher=Ocean Software |language=En,Fr,De,Es,It,Nl}} as of result of conflict between ailen and UFO.{{efn|The conflict part wasn't explained in the Manual, as it happens in the game's opening cutscene.}}

After Cheesy was freed, he witness an aftermath of a batlle between ailen and UFO, where ailen loses and drops his robotic arm gun that shoots a laser beams, Cheesy picks it up. Mouse soon begins to scavenger hunt for ingredients, after he found a book of spells. When he finds them all he throws them into the pot, Cheesy jumps into it to find that after been teleported and landing the floor is filled with mouse traps around him. Activating one after another, presumebly killing the rodent.

Development and release

Cheesy was developed by British studio CTA Developments. Originally started as a project intended for the Atari Jaguar, which was first announced in May 1994 as one of the upcoming titles for the Jaguar by Ocean Software and was originally scheduled to be released around the fourth quarter of 1995,{{cite magazine|last=Ripper|first=The|url=https://archive.org/stream/Gamefan_Vol_2_Issue_06#page/n133/mode/1up|title=Europa!|magazine=GameFan|volume=2|issue=6|publisher=Shinno Media|date=May 1994|pages=132–134|access-date=2018-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104232704/https://archive.org/stream/Gamefan_Vol_2_Issue_06#page/n133/mode/1up|archive-date=2019-01-04|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/MANIAC.N020.1995.06/MANIAC.N020.1995.06-DURiAN_Searchable#page/n39/mode/1up|title=Feature - XT Generation Report - Atari Jaguar|magazine=MAN!AC|issue=20|publisher=Cybermedia|date=June 1995|page=40|lang=de|access-date=2018-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129120834/https://archive.org/stream/MANIAC.N020.1995.06/MANIAC.N020.1995.06-DURiAN_Searchable#page/n39/mode/1up|archive-date=2018-11-29|url-status=live}} but the game was moved to the PlayStation, after becoming a commercial and critical failure, and partly due to system's limitations.{{cite web |last=Wallett |first=Adrian |date=2019-06-21 |title=Richard Cheek (CTA Developments) – Interview |url=https://www.arcadeattack.co.uk/richard-cheek-cta/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929235907/https://www.arcadeattack.co.uk/richard-cheek-cta/ |archive-date=2020-09-29 |access-date=2019-06-24 |website=Arcade Attack |publisher=arcadeattack.co.uk}} The game was first showcased to the public at various trade shows such as E3 1996,{{cite magazine |date=July 1996 |title=E3 Expo Los Angeles |url=https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_4_Issue_07/page/n31 |magazine=GameFan |publisher=Metropolis Media |pages=17–32 |volume=4 |issue=7}} before being released in Europe by Ocean on 25 October 1996,{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/computer-and-video-games-magazine/Computer%20and%20Video%20Games%20180/page/n48/mode/1up |title=Computer And Video Games Magazine |date=November 1996 |publisher=Computer and Video Games |edition=11th |location=North-west Europe (United Kindom) |publication-date=November 1996 |pages=49 |issue=#180}}{{efn|Though other reported release dates clams to November 1996.}}{{Cite web |title=Cheesy |url=https://videogamegeek.com/videogame/183398/cheesy |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=VideoGameGeek |language=en-US}} and was later published in Japan by Jaleco on 24 July 1997.

The music was done by Zero-5 composers Dave Newman and James Veal.{{cite web |last=Wallett |first=Adrian |date=2019-07-19 |title=David Newman (VGM Composer) – Interview |url=https://www.arcadeattack.co.uk/david-newman/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929203210/https://www.arcadeattack.co.uk/david-newman/ |archive-date=2020-09-29 |access-date=2019-10-07 |website=Arcade Attack |publisher=arcadeattack.co.uk}}

Reception

{{Video game reviews

|rev1 = Consoles +

|rev1Score = 85%{{cite magazine|last1=Boissarie|first1=Véronique|last2=Homsy|first2=Richard|url=https://archive.org/details/Console_Plus_Numero_056/page/150/mode/2up|title=Playstation Review - Cheesy|magazine=Consoles +|issue=56|publisher=M.E.R.7|date=July–August 1996|pages=150–151|lang=fr}}

|rev2 = Joypad

|rev2Score = 84%{{cite magazine|last=Prézeau|first=Olivier|url=https://archive.org/details/joypad-magazine-055/page/n74/mode/1up|title=Le Zapping des Tests - PlayStation - Cheesy|magazine=Joypad|issue=55|publisher=Yellow Media|date=July 1996|page=75|lang=fr}}

|rev3 = Mega Fun

|rev3Score = 42%{{cite magazine|last=Schneider|first=René|url=https://archive.org/details/MegaFun1196/page/n53/mode/1up|title=Test Mixed - PlayStation - Cheesy|magazine=Mega Fun|issue=50|publisher=CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG|date=November 1996|page=70|lang=de}}

|rev4 = Player One

|rev4Score = 75%{{cite magazine|last=Pottier|first=Christophe|url=https://archive.org/details/playerone-magazine-066/page/n124/mode/1up|title=Vite Vu - PlayStation - Cheesy|magazine=Player One|issue=66|publisher=Média Système Édition|date=July–August 1996|page=125|lang=fr}}

|rev5 = Video Games

|rev5Score = 35%{{cite magazine|last=Sauer|first=Dirk|url=https://archive.org/details/video-games-de-1996-12/page/n96/mode/1up|title=Sony PlayStation - Reviews - Cheesy|magazine=Video Games|issue=61|publisher=Future-Verlag|date=December 1996|page=101|lang=de}}

}}

Cheesy received mixed to negative reviews from critics since its release. The game was cited for its controls, graphics and inconsistent game design, but the soundtrack received praise.{{cite web|url=https://www.nowgamer.com/cheesy/|title=Reviews - Cheesy|publisher=NowGamer|date=November 1, 1996|access-date=2018-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013055337/https://www.nowgamer.com/cheesy/|archive-date=October 13, 2018|url-status=dead}}

In a retrospective review of The Boar Reece Goodall criticized game's controls as "both sluggish and over-responsive in equal measure" comparing it to Super Mario 64. Along with constant game mode shifting design of the game from 2D to 3D style, alongside its "claustrophobic level design". Critic has also panned the game's depressing atmosphere that match with soundtrack, thinking "Presumably the developers weren’t aiming for such a bleak atmosphere".{{Cite web |last=Goodall |first=Reece |date=2022-08-09 |title=Revisiting 'Cheesy' on PS1 |url=https://theboar.org/2022/08/revisiting-cheesy-on-ps1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117092950/https://theboar.org/2022/08/revisiting-cheesy-on-ps1/ |archive-date=2023-01-17 |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=The Boar |language=en-GB}}