''H.U.R.L.'' is a

non-violent Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

first person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through the eyes of the main character. This genre sha ...

aimed at children. It was released in 1995 by Deep River Publishing for

IBM PC compatible An IBM PC compatible is any personal computer that is hardware- and software-compatible with the IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC) and its subsequent models. Like the original IBM PC, an IBM PC–compatible computer uses an x86-based central p ...

s. It was re-released as ''Slob Zone 3D'', and then translated to German and released as ''Blob Schlammschlacht 3D'' ("Blob Mudfight 3D").

Gameplay

The game takes place in an area called ''The Slob Zone'', which is under the control of Bob the Slob, who controls the Hardcore Union of Radical Litterbugs, the legion of oversized creatures such as frogs and cats that gives the game its name. The game provides a storyline stating that Bob the Slob has stolen the world's supply of clean underwear and it is up to the player to get it back. The player navigates through various neighborhoods from which the human population seems to have been chased out, and which are now occupied by the aforementioned sloppy animals, most of whom are armed with trash and ready to dump it on any player attempting to break in and clean up. The hero's role involves not only staying clean while navigating through the game's ten increasingly messy levels, but also cleaning up after the animals, who have dirtied the landscape with waste items such as banana peels, empty soda bottles, and apple cores. As the players gathers up rubbish, they will find vending machines where it can be dropped off and traded for weapons:

soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...

water balloon A water balloon or water bomb is a balloon, often made of latex rubber, filled with water. Water balloons are used in a summer pastime of cooling off through water balloon fights. Water balloons are also popular for celebrations, including celebr ...

s, and

deodorant A deodorant is a substance applied to the body to prevent or mask body odor caused by bacterial breakdown of perspiration, for example in the armpits, groin, or feet. A subclass of deodorants, called antiperspirants, prevents sweating itself, t ...

, which they can use to fight back against the animals as they hurl their trash. If an animal is hit too many times, it will stop attacking and most will allow the player to pass. If the player is hit too many times, the screen displays the message "YOU'VE BEEN SLOBBED!" and the level starts over again with all the trash and animals

respawn Spawning in video games refers to the process by which entities, such as player characters, non-player characters, enemies or items, are generated and placed into the game world. Closely related concepts include respawning, which involves reint ...

ed, and no weapons or trash in the hands of the player. However, the game can be saved at any point, and restoring a saved game will also restore the weapons and money the player had when it was saved. Lacking violence, the game uses graphical

surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

and potty humor to keep its young audience interested. The player must search each level for bathrooms, which can contain a clean toilet where the player may be "healed" of grime such as kitty litter. In the final level the player sneaks into a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

and then into a house with no bathroom, and meets the game's only

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, ...

, whose weapon of choice is his own dirty diapers and who emits a brief fart-like sound when hit. As the game earned an RSAC rating suitable for children, no graphic depictions of anything obscene are included.

Reception

The

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

of the enemies has been criticized for being of sub-standard quality. Even a defeated enemy can still trap the player (this is sometimes known as ''solid corpses'' in more violent games), and defeated enemies also block the player's weapons from reaching other enemies. One game reviewer noted his frustration with being unable to complete a level simply because an animal was blocking his passage through a door.

References

{{reflist 1995 video games 3D GameStudio games DOS games DOS-only games First-person shooters Single-player video games Sprite-based first-person shooters Video games developed in the United States Video games with 2.5D graphics