Pogo stick
The Pogo stick, or "pogo" for short, is a toy Keen finds on Mars (in Keen 1), keeps, and uses throughout the series. Keen can pogo ("jump with the pogo stick") several times his own height, considerably higher than without it. It is significantly more useful than an ordinary pogo, being able to bound to impossibly high heights.
The pogo can be collected in two Keen 1 levels: the Pogo Shrine, and the Vorticon Commander's Castle. In the other episodes Keen does not need to collect the pogo anymore, he has it right from the beginning. However, in Keen Dreams, there is no pogo at all due to Keen being in a dream, as opposed to travelling and bringing the pogo with him, as in the other games.
In Keen 1, in the Pogo Shrine level, a sign near it has the message BEHOLD THE HOLY "POGO" STICK written in SGA. However, the word "POGO" is written in the Latin alphabet. The holy pogo stick is worshipped by Yorps and Gargs (though mainly Yorps) as a religious icon, or possibly idol.
A few tricks can be performed with the pogo:
- Impossible Pogo Trick
- Pogoing backwards
- Jump through ceilings. If you are standing in a space two tiles high, and activate the pogo and jump quickly enough, you will shoot through the ceiling, provided it is only one tile thick. This is a nice alternative to the "No Clipping" mode which does not exist in the Vorticon Trilogy. This trick is made much easier in God mode, and in God mode, the trick can be performed in spaces much larger than two tiles high, by ensuring that Keen has jumped close enough to the ceiling before activating the pogo.
See also
* Whilst the pogo stick is only found as an item in Keen 1, it is equipped by default in every episode except Keen Dreams.