Game Details
| Size | 355 MB |
| Region | USA |
| Genre | Platformer |
| Format | 7z / BIN |
| Year | November 14, 1999 |
| Console | PSX |
40 Winks (1999) is a charming 3D platformer that arrived during the peak of the “collect-a-thon” era. Developed by Eurocom, it was often compared to titles like Banjo-Kazooie and Spyro the Dragon, offering a whimsical, dream-themed adventure with a surprisingly deep transformation mechanic.
Story & Premise
The evil Nitekap and his henchman Threadbare have kidnapped the “Winks”—small, magical creatures responsible for good dreams—and replaced them with “Hoodwinks,” who create nightmares.
The Mission: You play as siblings Ruff and Tumble. To save the world from a permanent nightmare, you must travel through six sprawling dream worlds (including a haunted house, an underwater world, and outer space) to collect 40 “Winks” and defeat Nitekap.
Back Cover Description
“DON’T GET CAUGHT NAPPING!”
“Enter a world where your wildest dreams become a reality—and your worst nightmares come to life! Join Ruff and Tumble on an epic quest to rescue the Winks and restore peace to the Dream World.
Explore six massive, 3D environments filled with hidden secrets and over 50 different enemies. Use unique Dream Costumes to transform into a powerful Ninja, a fire-breathing Robot, or a swift Monster to overcome obstacles. With stunning graphics, cinematic cutscenes, and a two-player racing mode, 40 Winks is the adventure you’ve been dreaming of!
Sleep tight… if you can.“
Key Gameplay Features
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Transformation Costumes: The standout feature. By picking up specific icons, Ruff or Tumble can transform into different characters (Ninja, Knight, Robot, Monster) to access new areas or combat specific bosses.
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Massive Worlds: Each of the six worlds is split into multiple levels, featuring a hub-world design similar to Super Mario 64.
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Collect-a-thon Elements: You’ll spend your time hunting for Winks, Z-tokens (for extra lives), and Cogs to power up machinery.
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Two-Player Mode: Includes a split-screen racing mode where you can compete against a friend through the game’s various environments.
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Vibrant Visuals: For the PS1, the game pushed impressive lighting effects and large, colorful textures that captured the “storybook” aesthetic perfectly.
Short Review: A Hidden Gem
The Good
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Creativity: The dream theme allowed for some truly imaginative level designs and enemy types. The “Clockwork” and “Prehistoric” levels are fan favorites.
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Varied Gameplay: The costumes keep the mechanics fresh; you aren’t just jumping—you’re gliding, fighting, and solving puzzles.
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Solid Controls: Ruff and Tumble are responsive, and the camera—a common issue in 90s 3D games—is generally manageable.
The Bad
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Late Arrival: Released late in the PS1’s lifecycle, it was somewhat overshadowed by the move toward the PlayStation 2 and bigger franchises.
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Difficulty: Some of the platforming sections require pixel-perfect precision that can be frustrating for younger players.
Screenshots
