Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire

IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, GET OFF THE PLATFORM.

WE’RE JEALOUS OF this titular sous chef. Sure, he’s been banished from the kingdom, separated from his one true love and — horror of horrors, as any baker reading will appreciate — lost his recipe for a lighter-than-air meringue. But if he guzzles down macaroons in excessive numbers, he’s gifted with an extra life rather than medical problems. Lucky jerk.

Le Parker is a relatively simple outing that’s clearly indebted to genre greats such as Mario and Sonic. You gambol and jump through deliberately tricky levels more than slightly reminiscent of the blue hedgehog’s first outing, hoovering up sugary treats and exploring to find the pieces of kitchen equipment that will enable you to rebuild your career. They’re well hidden, so you’re unlikely to find everything on your first run-through. Levels have multiple labyrinthine paths to follow, so this exploration fuels repeated plays.

If we could tweak one element of the dish, it would be the jumping, which is occasionally clumsy. You tap for a small hop, press and hold for a longer jump; plus, of course, you’re able to double-jump. It’s not quite as easy to control as we’d have liked, and we found it a bit more of an annoyance than simply having one flavour of leap available. The balance of the recipe isn’t always spot-on, but there’s plenty to recommend Le Parker, especially if you’re a fan of old-school platforming.

At the end of the day, if you’re after something to soak up a bit of time, whether on public transport or sneakily when you’re at work, this is a solid choice that’s simple in setup, yet demands precision from you to hop from platform to platform. [ EMMA DAVIES ]