Lester the Unlikely is a 1994
Cinematic Platform Game for the SNES. In the beginning, a typical teenage boy named Lester, who is "kind of geeky" and "kind of sleepy", recently got a new issue of the
Super Duper Hero Squad comic book. He was reading it while walking on a pier, until he fell asleep next to a cargo crate lying beside a cargo ship. After he and the cargo were loaded onto the ship by a crane and cruised off, the ship got hijacked by pirates who scuttled it. Lester luckily found a life jacket and swam toward the nearest island while the cargo ship sank. Lester must find his way home by exploring the island for someone or something that can help him survive.
This game contains examples of:
- Adrenaline Makeover: Once he defeats the Killer Gorilla and gets a Smooch of Victory, Lester's posture improves, he no longer flails his arms while running, and he loses his cowardice.
- A Pirate 400 Years Too Late: The pirate ship, and the pirates, that sink the cargo ship Lester is on are straight out of the Age of Sail. Lester has to battle them as the last level in the game.
- American Kirby Is Hardcore: The American cover seen above uses a realistic artstyle and focuses on danger, while the Japanese cover uses a cartoony artstyle.
- Artificial Insolence: This is likely invoked to show just how much of a coward Lester is.
- Early on in the game, the first time Lester is asked to go over a ledge, he shakes his head and says "No!". The second time, he looks to the player and shakes his knees. He finally complies on the third attempt.
- Also, whenever he encounters a new enemy, he screams and runs away from it. When the player guides him back over to it, he puts his fists up and slowly approaches it.
- Battle Boomerang: Lester can wield one of these as a weapon- notably using it to destroy stone barricades and knock out giant gorillas.
Lester: Don't mention it, I'm pretty good with Boomerangs.
- Big Boo's Haunt: The Haunted Burial Ground is the fourth area. Creepy ghost hands will try to pull the player into the fire pits.
- Character Development: When Lester arrives at the beginning beach area, he's basically a wuss. Lester can't even jump down a cliff or spiky rocks without shaking in fear, something most game protagonists can do without hesitation. Although he runs from an enemy, screaming like a complete wimp the first time he encounters it, it doesn't happen in subsequent encounters. On his adventure through the island, however, he becomes more confident as he travels (after a kiss from Tikka, that is, he is no longer flailing his arms while running, standing upright, etc).
- Chekhov's Gunman: The pirates mentioned in the intro later return in the final level as enemies.
- The Chief's Daughter: Tikka, who helps Lester when he reaches the Native village.
- Cinematic Platform Game: The game puts major emphasis on character animations when it comes to platforming.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Lester looks and acts like a nerdy coward, however even early in the game he displays athletic prowess when the need arises. Even before his confident boost he runs fast, can leap far, and in the opening he’s able to escape a sinking ship and swim to the island on his own.
- Damsel in Distress: Two major ones- first Tikka (when you have to save her from the Killer Gorilla), and then the Chief himself- who has been taken hostage by the Pirates on the other side of the Island.
- Deadly Droplets: Cave levels have stalactites where blue/green liquid drops down from them. These droplets hurt Lester.
- Desert Island: Where the game is set. Lester ends up on one after he falls asleep on a ship that is later raided by pirates.
- Embarrassing Nickname: "Lester the Unlikely" is given to Lester by Tikka after he suggests going to rescue her kidnapped father from the Pirates.
Lester: Gee, that's terrible. I've got to rescue your father! Leave it to me, Lester the Heroic.
Tikka: More like Lester the Unlikely! You can hardly take care of yourself, how can you expect to save anyone else?
- Face Your Fears: A major theme of the game. When Lester encounters an enemy for the first time, he runs away from it (removing control from the player temporarily). He will then approach it cautiously. Once that particular type of enemy is defeated, Lester will not show any fear toward it.
- Falling Damage: Jump or fall off a ledge that's too high, and you'll get injured.
- Fur Bikini: Tikka wears one on both the front cover and in the game itself.
- Fragile Speedster: Lester. Although his running speed is decent enough, he can only take a maximum of three hits before he goes down.
- Giant Spider: Lester fights a very scary and detailed one that drops down suddenly, and in all fairness to him it would be enough to terrify most people playing.
- Infinity +1 Sword: The Sword, attained near the end, is the strongest weapon in the game- being able to take down Pirates in two hits.
- Killer Gorilla: Lester fights one to save a native girl. Notably, it's the only real boss in the game.
- Lucky Charms Title: Odekake Lester: Lelele no Le (^^; in Japan. Yes, that's part of the title.
- Ms. Fanservice: Tikka. She's rather beautiful and wears a Fur Bikini.
- Sequel Hook: The ending states "Watch for Lester, he will be back!"
- Smooch of Victory: Tikka gives Lester one after he defeats the gorilla.
- This Loser Is You: Explicitly stated in the intro. Apparently the dev team was catering to geeky narcoleptics with this game.
- Title Drop: Lester tries to impress Tikka by referring himself as "Lester the Brave". Tikka then renames him as "Lester the Unlikely" as it seemed more accurate at the time.
- Took a Level in Badass: Lester, as mentioned previously. At the start of the game, he's a coward who gets scared of things like crabs and turtles. By the end, he's much more confident in himself, loses his cowardice, and capable enough in combat to be shanking pirates with a Sword.
- Unlikely Hero: Lester the Unlikely, obviously. He's unfit for the hazards ahead and even runs away from many of the hazards he encounters for the first time.
- Watch for Rolling Objects: Before boarding the pirate ship, there is a segment where Lester just jump over rolling barrels that roll back and forth across the segment.
