RGCD

Huenison Update (PC/Amiga)

2013-05-07T00:55:00.001+01:00

Remember the rather positive Huenison preview we published a couple of months back? Well, it seems that our friend Simone Bevilacqua of Retream was rather enamoured by the write-up, and after our successful relationship in handling the cartridge of his C64 eat 'em up Quod Init Exit he offered RGCD the opportunity to publish the game in both digital and physical formats! Needless to say, we are super proud to be involved in the release of such a unique game.

Work has been continuing on Huenison, including a few extra game modes and brick types, but mainly Simone has been polishing and tweaking things for the final release. More importantly for the hardcore Amiga crowd, as with his previous release BOH, Huenison will be available for both PC and Amiga OS 4. More information will follow soon, but for a taste of what is to come, check out the teaser trailer below.

Zero Cross (PC/Mac)

2013-05-05T22:14:00.000+01:00

[This review was originally written by J. Monkman for indiegames.com, and has been reposted here with the editors permission].

Christopher "udderdude" Emirzian, developer of the hardcore indie shmup XOP, has delivered yet another perfect slice of STG action in the form of Zero Cross, an arena-based arcade game that combines bullet-hell with intelligent gameplay mechanics, a variety of different mission goals and some impressive boss designs.

Instead of the usual 'rush about the screen in a circle avoiding abstract enemies and bullets' that you'd expect from a typical arena shooter, Zero Cross has you activating shields to protect friendly structures, creating blackholes, destroying enemy bases, fighting colossal battle ships and closing rifts in the fabric of space-time. Sounds awesome? Well, to keep things brief - yes, it is.

Working with acclaimed NEO XYX artist Gryzor, the timeless Toaplan style artwork really compliments the design and gives it a genuine coin-op feel - although to be honest you won't be able to focus too much on the graphics during play because you'll be too busy avoiding oncoming fire from all directions.

Thankfully the game has two primary game modes, Basic, with automatic 8-way/4-way fire, and an Advanced mode with mouse-aimed fire and additional hi-jack bullets that disable enemies and charge your blackhole meter. In addition to this there is an extra 'Arcade Course' that is unlocked after you've reached level 20 (concluding with a final boss battle).

Starting with the basics, the first few stages of the game introduce the different level elements and advanced controls, but don't be put off by the slow start - before long you'll be zipping in and out between intense waves of enemy flak and racking up a high score as the screen explodes around you. Progress is saved so you can continue play from the last completed stage, so you'll only have to tackle those pedestrian tutorial phases once.

There is very little to fault here - it would have been nice if the game used a traditional HUD instead of a sidebar, as it can be quite hard to focus on both the stats and the action when charging a blackhole. Also, although I think I would have preferred a more normal full-screen arena, the small game window does actually render the experience as suitably claustrophobic and intense. Having nowhere to hide means that you have no choice other than to face up to the alien aggressors!

Available as a browser-based 16-stage playable demo, the full 40-stage flash-based game can be purchased as a download for PC and Mac at the ludicrously cheap price-point of $2, making it pretty much an essential purchase for fans of the genre.

Play the demo here (via the ToastSoft website).
Buy the game here (via the ToastSoft website).

C64 16KB Cartridge Game Development Competition!

2013-05-01T21:06:00.001+01:00

What? Another year has gone by already? Following the success of the 2011 and 2012 rounds, RGCD are proud to announce the start of the C64 16KB Cartridge Game Development Competition 2013!

We are currently in the process of securing prizes and sponsorship, and awards will be given to entries that place 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

RULES

So you can get started, the basic rules are laid out below:

The competition deadline is midnight GMT on the 30th November 2013 (this gives you over 6 months of development time).
There will be no competition unless a minimum of six entries are submitted by the deadline.
All submitted games must be in working 16KB cartridge ROM format (help is available to test ROM files on real hardware). Compression is allowed (and encouraged) but the final file size must not exceed 16KB (.crt (VICE) at 16.0 KB (16,464 bytes) or .bin (C64) at 16.0 KB (16,384 bytes)).
The games submitted do not necessarily need to be new, but must be your own work, not sold commercially or released in cartridge format previously. Cartridge ROM hacks will obviously not be accepted.
PAL must be supported, with additional NTSC support optional (but encouraged). If possible, please consider GS compatibility.
The maximum number of single entries from a person or group is set at three. If more entries are made, the applicant has the opportunity to replace a previous entry with a new one.
All applicants that submit a valid entry (see above) will receive one physical cartridge copy of their game for free.
The applicant owns their work, so therefore submitted games will *ONLY* be released for sale at an agreed price via RGCD if the coder expresses a desire to do so.
There will be a panel of judges (announced in full over the coming weeks), and entries will be scored on a point distribution basis across several criteria. The decision of the panel is final.
Judges *CAN* enter games themselves, but cannot self-vote (award points to their own release).

USEFUL LINKS / INFO

The following links may prove useful:

codebase64.org/doku.php?id=base:assembling_your_own_cart_rom_image
unusedino.de/ec64/technical/aay/c64/memcfg.htm

In addition to this, our resident cartridge expert Dr. Martin "Enthusi" Wendt has written an ASM cartridge framework that should help people new to the format.

REGISTERING

If you are interested in entering the competition, send us a message via the form on our contact page confirming that you'd like to take part and we will be in touch with more details.

Registered applicants and their entries are listed below:

Achim Volkers (Untitled)
David Eriksson (Untitled)
Ernst Neubeck (Phase Out)
John Christian Lønningdal & Saul Cross (Rocket Smash)
Matthias Bock (Powerglove)
Max Hall (Cosmic Ark)
Payton Byrd (S-Blox)
Richard Bayliss (Invert)
Sos Sosowski (Untitled)

SUBMITTING A GAME

You can send in your game via email, yousendit (or other service), upload it to your server or even pop it in the post on a CD-ROM/SD card/etc. but it *MUST* be received/downloaded by us prior to the deadline.

GAME STATUS

Where known, the current status of entries are given below, together with an in-game screen shot.

Cosmic Ark (Max Hall) (In Progress)

Phase Out (Ernst Neubeck) (In Progress)

Rocket Smash (John Christian Lønningdal & Saul Cross) (In Progress)

S-Blox (Payton Byrd) (Complete & Submitted!)

Untitled (David Eriksson) (In Progress)

THE JUDGING PANEL

We are still in the process of building up a panel of judges, which at the moment includes the following people:

Andreas Varga/Mr. SID (HVSC Crew)
Andy Jenkinson/Uglifruit (RGCD)
Alex Ross-Shaw (RGCD/Retro Fusion)
Flemming Dupont (RGCD)
Frank Gasking (GTW64)
James Monkman/Heavy Stylus (RGCD)
John Dennis (RGCD)
Jason Mackenzie/Kenz (Psytronik)
Martin Wendt/Enthusi (RGCD/Onslaught)
Matt Allen/Mayhem
Stefan Nowak/Acrid (RGCD/Sprites, Shapes & Co.)

SCORING SYSTEM

The scoring rules are very simple. Depending on the number of entries, the judges will award points to each game over several criteria (as discussed below). If there are 6 entries, 6 points go to the best, then 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 to the worst.

If a panel member has entered a game themselves, then the number of points that they can award will be adjusted (in this example, to 5) and they will not score their own release. This may initially seem harsh (and disadvantageous), but is countered by fairly taking a mean average based on how many people judged each game.

The criteria that each game will be evaluated on are:

Originality (is the game based on a new idea or a twist on an established design?),
Concept (quality of game design),
Execution (execution of design, taking into account controls, NTSC/GS compatibility),
Presentation (quality of graphics, audio and overall presentation),
Gameplay (a measure of how enjoyable the game is to play),
Lasting Appeal (replay value, addictiveness).

When the panel has scored each game accordingly, the totals for each criteria will be divided by the number of judges to produce a mean average. These averages are then added together for each game to give a final score.

We are considering opening an element of the vote up to the public this year on CSDB, but how this will be incorporated has yet to be decided.

PRIZES

As well as a free copy of their submitted game on cartridge, there will also be prizes awarded to the entrants behind games that place 1st, 2nd and 3rd (as decided by the judging panel). Many thanks to Gideon Zweijtzer and Gareth Darby for their sponsorship!

1st Prize
A 1541 Ultimate II Cartridge (RRP £110), £100 and an Easy Flash cartridge complete with a currently unspecified game.

2nd Prize
A 1541 Ultimate II Cartridge (RRP £110), £50 and an Easy Flash cartridge complete with a currently unspecified game.

3rd Prize
£50 and an Easy Flash cartridge complete with a currently unspecified game.

(We are still in the process of securing sponsorship - more prizes will be added to this list as they are confirmed).

INFINOS (PC)

2013-05-01T20:11:00.001+01:00

INFINOS is definitely a rare gem. Played R-Type or virtually any classic 16-bit era shooter? Then you've played INFINOS, but that wouldn't really be doing this indie title any justice. Given the very sparse nature of its website, courtesy of developer Picorinne Soft, it would be very easy to overlook this one - but don't.

The second INFINOS is fired up, it conjures up fond mental images of my 11 year old self sitting cross-legged in front of a small tube TV in a modest bedroom, banging on the controller to the tune of Super R-Type (perhaps the first true shooter I ever played. I was also fond of Darius Twin).

INFINOS, however, was even less forgiving than those SNES titles of yore. This game is difficult. Hair-losingly difficult, as a Japanese indie shmup had better be. Part of this difficulty is due to the excruciatingly slow ship; perhaps weighed down by a super size meal at McD's or some blown engines or something, it gets out of the way of the endless volley of projectiles about as well as a walrus can tapdance. Speed powerups are more crucial in this shmup than any other I've ever played.

Much more pleasant than your craft's sluggishness is the beautiful presentation of INFINOS. "Lovingly crafted," cliche though it may be, can be accurately applied to this game. The soundtrack is spot on, blending 90's era console type tunes with the occasional digitized orchestra hit thrown in for added authenticity, and is good enough to stand on its own. Visuals tickle every retro game receptor one has; this could easily have lived on any console or in any arcade of the day. Tiny touches abound; I especially loved the "organic" movements and animations of the deadly creatures in the third level. Even more charming is the "PRESS "Z" KEY OR 1 BOTTUN" instruction on the title screen.

This is yet another title that is pretty stunning for a free offering, and could easily command a few bucks on Desura or mobile app platforms, and is one I can happily recommend for any fan of the genre to at least check out, and possibly brave to the end. Gamers from the new school will probably be bored with the lack of whiz-bang new-style visuals and slow scrolling, though.

Download the game here (from the Picorinne Soft website).
Download the game here (from the RGCD server).

Guns 'N' Ghosts Cartridge Available! (C64)

2013-04-29T23:22:00.001+01:00

High fives all round! It has been a long time coming (the tape, disk and download versions have been available since the 14th of April from our partners at Psytronik), but I'm super proud to announce that Georg "Endurion" Rottensteiner and Trevor "Smila" Storey's 72-level demon-smashing Commodore 64 arcade game Guns 'N' Ghosts is finally available to buy on cartridge from our shop!

Guns 'N' Ghosts is an intense action game with a variety of play modes that offers a particularly rich two-player cooperative adventure, so grab your shotgun, ready your psychic powers and help paranormal investigators Trev and Georg eradicate a monstrous mélange of spooks & spectres!

Featuring box art by Smila, the 64KB PCB is housed in a ghostly transparent cartridge shell illuminated by an internal LED, and the game comes complete with a printed manual and seven vinyl stickers.

The cartridge version is available in two packaging types, a standard card carton and a more expensive 'deluxe version' that comes in a plastic case (a Universal Game Case with a specially cut foam insert to hold the cartridge as shown below). The standard version is priced at £17, whereas the deluxe version costs £22. Shipping is £4 for UK/Europe and £5 for the rest of the world. A digital version of the game will also be sent out to all customers following receipt of payment.

Please note that Pystronik Software are also selling the game on premium/budget disk, tape and as a download for £9.99, £4.99, £3.99 and £1.99 respectively (plus shipping) via their Binary Zone Retro Store.

The even better news for cartridge fans is that whilst fixing the hardware incompatibility issue responsible for the delay, Georg managed to squeeze in one of his earlier games as an exclusive Easter egg - just check out the photos below! We will be announcing the 'secret' to loading the second game in the near future, but for those of you wanting to try and find it yourself the only hint you are going to get is that it requires one single input at a specific time. Happy hunting!

Guns 'N' Ghosts (C64) (2013)

2013-04-29T21:38:00.000+01:00

System Requirements

* A Commodore 64/128/GS (PAL/NTSC).
* A joystick/joypad (two for two-player).
* A VDU preferably connected to a loud sound-system.

Downloads

The retail version of Guns 'N' Ghosts is currently not available for free download. You can buy the game on cartridge from RGCD here, or as a download, tape and disk from Psytronik Software here.

Introduction

The C64 game development super-team Georg "Endurion" Rottensteiner and Trevor "Smila" Storey have returned with their first new collaborative game since their record-breaking successful hit Soulless!

Another Psytronik and RGCD collaboration, Guns 'N' Ghosts delivers a long-awaited, original single or two-player arcade style experience to your C64 in all formats (cartridge, disk, tape and download). Grab your shotgun, ready your psychic powers and help paranormal investigators Trev and Georg battle through 72 screens infested with zombies, skeletons and bats and various other spooks & spectres!

Reports of supernatural sightings have been coming in from all over the country and Trev and Georg are on the case! Georg is very handy with a shotgun, useful for getting rid of any unwanted zombies, reanimated skeletons or freakish lab experiments gone wrong, and Trev is gifted with incredible mind powers. These give him a special link with the spirit-plane - and the ability to send demons back to whatever hell-hole they crawled out of.

Guns 'N' Ghosts is an intense action game with a variety of play modes that offers a particularly rich two-player cooperative adventure, so get a friend round, plug in an extra joystick and kick some undead ass!

Playing Guns 'N' Ghosts

To play the game (all retail versions include a digital download) you will need either a real C64 (and a method of transferring the files over to it) or an emulator. For emulator users, we recommend VICE, as it works on a variety of systems and is very user friendly. Just download the emulator and drag and drop the .d64 file into the open program window (or attach the .crt image from the file menu).

When the game has loaded the high score table is displayed and you are presented with the option of selecting a game mode and turning music on or off. Using the joystick plugged into port 2, push up or down to chose game mode and left or right to swap between music and sound effects.

The different game modes are as follows:

1 PLAYER GEORG
A single player mode featuring Georg as the hero (shotgun attack, two shots per reload, long range).

1 PLAYER TREV
A single player mode featuring Trev as the hero (psychic attack, unlimited use, short range).

BROTHERS
A two player mode, with player one controlling Georg and player two controlling Trev. Both players can kill the enemies with their own powers independently.

CO-OPERATIVE PLAY
A two player mode, with player one controlling Georg and player two controlling Trev. In this mode the enemies must be caught by Trev's psychic power, and then shot by Georg. This is the most challenging way to play the game!

DOUBLE GEORG
A two player mode, with both players controlling Georg as the hero (shotgun attack).

DOUBLE TREV
A two player mode, with both players controlling Trev as the hero (psychic attack).

Controls

In game, both players are controlled via a similar method. Push the joystick left or right to move and up to jump. Fire is the attack button; for Georg you just tap the button to fire your shotgun, whereas the player controlling Trev needs to keep the button held down.

To reload shotgun shells, Georg needs to stand still (when he is reloading, an animation will play and you'll see the depleted shells on the HUD light up.

Press 'P' on the keyboard to pause and un-pause the game. This function is not available for GS users.

Power Up!

A number of power-ups are dropped by dead enemies. These are illustrated and described below.

EXTRA BULLET - Awards additional capacity to the ammo chamber of Georg's shotgun, meaning he has to reload less often (maximum of eight).

SUPER BULLET - Gives Georg 10 sacred silver bullets that kill enemies dead with a single shot.

INCREASED MIND POWER - Increases the range of Trev's attack (maximum of eight).

DEMON BLOOD - Gives Trev 10 one hit kills using his psychic attack.

WEAPON SPEED UP - Awards the player who collects it with a weapon power up. Reduces the time it takes for Georg to reload, and for Trev's psychic power to kill.

EXTRA LIFE - Awards the player who collects it with an additional life.

SHIELD - Awards the player who collects it with temporary invincibility.

Trivia

Guns 'N' Ghosts was originally developed by Georg Rottensteiner as 'Supernatural' and was specifically written as a series of coding tutorials. These can be found on the Retro Remakes (now One Word: Videogames) discussion board here.

It is also the first game to feature Georg Rottensteiner and Trevor Storey as playable characters(!)

Finally, the cartridge version of the game features a WONDERful Easter egg for those of you with a spirit for adventure and eager to explore new LANDs. Can't find how to access it? Drop us a line for hints!

NTSC Compatibility

Guns 'N' Ghosts has been tested on both PAL and NTSC machines, and works on the C64, C128 and C64GS (there is no keyboard input required to play). Although the game runs on NTSC hardware, it does play fractionally faster. As such, the game is labelled as NTSC compatible, but designed for PAL systems.

Gameplay Video

Below is a short gameplay video recorded using the VICE emulator showing the game being played. The footage was recorded by Jason Mackenzie.

Credits

The following people made this game possible.

Code & Design
Georg Rottensteiner (RGCD)

Graphics & Design
Trevor Storey

Music & Sound Effects
Richard Bayliss (TND)

PAL & NTSC Testing
David Simmons (Onslaught)
Dr. Martin Wendt (RGCD/Onslaught)
Jason Mackenzie (Psytronik)
James Monkman (RGCD)

Cartridge Hardware
Tim Harris (Shareware Plus)
Raymond Lejuez (C64 World)

Guns 'N' Ghosts is an RGCD/Psytronik production, Copyright 2012-13, published on cassette by Psytronik Software, and cartridge by RGCD 2013.

Ordering The Official Cartridge/Tape

The cartridge version is available to buy from our shop. The 64KB PCB is housed in a ghostly transparent cartridge shell illuminated by an internal LED, and the game comes complete with a printed manual and seven vinyl stickers.

The cartridge version is available in two packaging types, a standard card carton and a more expensive 'deluxe version' that comes in a plastic case (a Universal Game Case with a specially cut foam insert to hold the cartridge as shown below). The standard version is priced at £17, whereas the deluxe version costs £22. Shipping is £4 for UK/Europe and £5 for the rest of the world. A digital version of the game will also be sent out to all customers following receipt of payment.

Please note that Pystronik Software are also selling the game on premium/budget disk, tape and as a download for £9.99, £4.99, £3.99 and £1.99 respectively (plus shipping) via their Binary Zone Retro Store.

RetroGameCrunch (Part One) (PC/Mac)

2013-04-28T14:51:00.002+01:00

RetroGameCrunch was a Kickstarter project born out of the Ludum Dare Game Jam held in August of last year. What's a RetroGameCrunch you say? What's a Kickstarter? What's a game jam and is it anything like a pearl jam?

Well to take them in reverse order, Pearl Jam are a popular beat combo who were particularly successful in the early to mid 1990s and were named after the jam made by one of the band member's grandmothers. A game jam is a relatively new concept where a group of developers get together and make a game in a strict amount of time. Think of it like a group of musicians jamming until they produce a song, but with video games instead of music. Except video game music, obviously.

Kickstarter, meanwhile, utilises another relatively new concept called crowd-sourcing and allows artists and developers of all sorts of gadgets and gizmos the opportunity to pitch for funding from the general public directly without needing to resort to a middle man - except for Kickstarter of course. The site has grown massively since it was launched and has now expanded from its original technology-based origins to reach out to all sorts of creative artists.

Video game development is one such medium suited to online crowd-sourcing and retro video gaming in particular has done well due to its target demographic of thirtysomething+, male gamers with a disposable income and (obviously) internet access.

Which brings us, at last, to RetroGameCrunch, the product of a game jam that was such fun to the people involved they decided to go to Kickstarter and extend their game jam over six long months, producing a game a month in return for up-front funding from the public. RGCD was one of the many backers and this post will look at the first three of the promised six games, with a future post covering the remaining games.

Each game has an over-arching theme voted on by backers. The theme of the first game, an expanded version of the game that inspired the whole shebang, Super Clew Land, is evolution. You play the titular, Clew, a primitive slug-like organism you must help evolve into a slug-like organism with gills and fins, wings before finally developing a horn (ooh er).

As you progress across the wonderfully portrayed 8-bit console-esque world you must pick up magic crystals to gain a super power, which gives you the ability to fight this huge dinosaur monster thing that you fight at the end of the game.

This dinosaur monster thing is holding a fleshy slug-like organism - presumably your girlfriend - captive and you must defeat it to free her. The visual similarities between the protagonist and Bub and Bob of Bubble Bobble fame can't be missed, though it feels more of a loving homage than a cheap rip-off and helps anchor the visuals of the game in the right retro era granting an easy familiarity to the world as you begin to explore it.

One thing of note is that the girl is evolved to the same level as you are when you rescue her, not to the same level that you were at the start, raising the question - what was a highly evolved babe like that doing going out with a slimeball like you? Regardless of how you got lucky, the game plays superbly and the evolutionary mechanic, whereby you consume food and direct the enzymes in a quasi-mini-game that occurs in real-time in the corner of the screen is a true tome of genius. If anything, actually, its main drawback is that the limited scope of the game leaves it feeling under-utilised given its obvious potential.

There are four evolutionary stages as you progress from being a land-based creature, to evolving the ability to swim, then fly, and finally bash through rock. Each evolutionary stage opens up areas of the game previously inaccessible, creating an exploration element of the game that is great fun. So much fun in fact, that when you're fully evolved it almost feels like a shame to focus on the true task at hand and start properly hunting down the magic crystals.

While the quality doesn't dip, and some of the puzzles you have to solve to reach the crystals are clever, requiring real platform gaming skill without ever feeling unfair, I kept coming back to the evolutionary mechanic and wishing more had been done with it. What if you had the option to choose which evolutionary branch you evolved into? What is basically a levelling up mechanic would become a more complex skills tree mechanic but it would open up the game to many more possibilities.

Obviously the main drawback is the limited time the developers had to work on the game and what they've achieved in just a month is fantastic. While the game can be completed in less than two hours, its screaming out for an even bigger sequel.

The second game, End of Line, has endless death as the theme, and the storyline evokes a Wall-E-esque future where humanity's remains litter the planet, and one of the remaining robots decides to find out what happened to humanity.

To do this you must puzzle your way through multiple levels, repeatedly killing yourself in increasingly clever ways to lure various helper robots who annoyingly insist on rebuilding you every time you destroy yourself, the sods. When all other robots are destroyed you can 'safely' kill yourself and proceed to the next level.

The game is enjoyable enough and the mechanic of killing yourself to progress is as clever in its own way as the evolution mechanic of Super Clew Land. However, it lacks the sparkle of the former and although fun to play through, it is rarely taxing. That said, neither is Super Clew Land, which rises above itself in terms of the sheer style and vim which the game possesses. End of Line's theme however, could really just be implemented in any number of ways, e.g. destroy all robots to collect key cards and unlock the door to the next level.

The third game, GAIAttack, struggled in its early stages, with the first 48 hours producing what the developers felt to be an 'under-cooked' effort. That version is playable online for anyone who didn't back the Kickstarter though to be honest it's not really worth playing for too long. It's a single-screen score attack game where you fight infinite waves of enemies that drop from the sky. As many commentators on the site suggest, it looks and feels too much like a Super Crate Box clone to really stand out even among the other RetroGameCrunch titles. Furthermore the theme, 'You are the level' is only tenuously expressed through the idea that your character shares similar characteristics to the level, e.g. a jungle-esque level has a jungle-esque creature.

Thankfully the final product, released for Kickstarter backers, is a much superior effort. It is also the first of the RetroGameCrunch games to introduce multiplayer, though a distinct lack of available friends stopped this writer from being able to test it. As for the rest of the game, gone are the single-screen levels that caused fans to complain about the similarity to Vlambeer's opus and instead the focus is on a vertical platformer more akin to Rainbow Islands.

The plot depicts a pissed-off Mother Nature calling on four champions to kick some ass and save the planet from environmental disaster, so a bit like Captain Planet without the annoying teenagers. The theme is more integrated into the game, though it's still a bit tenuous, as your characters now have magic powers that reflect the theme of the level even if they don't change in practice, e.g. vines in the jungle level still cause damage just like fire in the desert level do.

As you progress 'up' the level you fight wave after wave of enemy, destroying various pieces of environmentally unfriendly machinery along the way. At the end of the level you face off against a piratical boss who flies down on his pirate ship which sounds bonkers, and is, but fits in perfectly with the cartoonish aspect of the game. If this was an early 90s children's cartoon, I'd have been watching it.

GAIAttack is certainly a fun arcade title and the addition of multiplayer really makes it stand apart. Solo play is still enjoyable but knowing there are multiplayer options makes it feel like you're only scratching the potential enjoyment available in the game. Plus it's actually quite hard, so boo sucks to that.

RetroGameCrunch is a good example of the debate around Kickstarter being used to fund indie game development. Before Kickstarter appeared, many indie developers were busy pumping out quality tiles without the upfront 'need' of funding to make the game. Indeed, many of the games were and still are released for free. Now, with Kickstarter, developers are asking for sometimes quite large amounts of money for a game when it's difficult to prove the game wouldn't have been made anyway. You only have to look at the reaction to the amount the Oliver Twins asked for to develop a new Dizzy game to see what misreading the market can do to your reputation.

With RetroGameCrunch, is $25 worth it for six titles that can be completed roughly within a couple of hours each, with, so far at least, limited replayability? If you were feeling brutal, for instance after failing to progress beyond the second level of GAIAttack for the umpteenth time (ahem), you could argue that it probably isn't.

You can after all buy a modern AAA title (or several high calibre indies) for less than $25 that will offer many more hours of gaming and however awesome Super Clew Land is, it is ultimately a mini-game stretched to be as big as possible within the confines it set itself. Indeed of the three games so far, only GAIAttack suggests any particular replayability and longevity due to the multiplayer aspect. Once completed, it's unlikely you'll play through End of Line again, though the sheer quality of Super Clew Land means the odd play through will be called for.

On the other hand though, and this is not to sit on the fence, the great thing about Kickstarter is that it puts some of that financial power back into the hands of developers. In fact, it's probably not correct to say putting it 'back', as its debateable whether they've ever had such a tool at their disposal to monetise their work. This, surely, can only be a good thing and its right that developers can receive money for their work, whether it's done full-time or in their spare time.

It will always be difficult to try monetise your work when so many competitors offer similarly quality work for free but that does mean its not the right thing to do. Suggesting that gamers might want to reward a developer for their output is surely fair enough. Indeed, many of the people who support such Kickstarter projects do it as much in support of the concept and of the scene than in the anticipation that any game that comes out of it will be significantly better than what can be found elsewhere, perhaps for a smaller or non-existent cost.

It's also the concept that makes RetroGameCrunch in particular stand out from the crowd and no doubt provided much of the inspiration for backers supporting the Kickstarter. By building on from the game jam concept and committing to producing a game a month for six months the developers have taken on a mammoth task.

In producing games of the quality of Super Clew Land and the rest they have comfortably surpassed expectations and shown themselves to top class developers, which you would think could only enhance their development CVs and studio portfolio (even if that wasn't a particular motivation).

Sure, there has probably been a bit of a pay-off as all the games suffer from a limited development window but the option is there to return to them for inspiration in the future if they wish. Furthermore, the overall quality of the games is fantastic with the music, graphics and gameplay all feeling remarkably polished given the limited time spent on each game.

From a developer viewpoint then, you would have to imagine that the project has been a success, inspiring a series of quality, if sometimes quite slight, titles based on the suggestions of backers. Likewise backers seem well satisfied with what their funding has produced so far. Let's hope that the following titles rival the quality of the first three.

RetroGameCruch is not currently available to download!

Second Opinion

RGCD backed this project primarily on the strength of the concept and belief in the developers. Shaun Inman's Last Rocket and Flip's Escape are two of the best retro-style games available on iOS, and despite their design being suited towards gaming on a mobile device, I'd always hoped that he'd take his ideas a little further on a desktop or console platform. And that is exactly what has been delivered so far with RetroGameCrunch.

It is worth noting that the package offered to backers was a little better than Alex describes; for $25, as well as the six promised games, bonus material included stand-alone PC or Mac versions of Adam Saltsman and Danny Baranowsky's Fathom, Escape by Incredible Ape, a special 'retro' conversion of Midas by Wanderlands, and Shaun's previous jam game Millinaut. With some of these being exclusives to the kickstarter, it does sweeten the deal somewhat.

So how do I feel about the games completed so far? Well, although it is exciting to feel as though I'm one of a comparatively small number of people able to play the 'final' versions of each game, I agree with Alex that some of the ideas presented would have benefited from a slightly longer development time. My personal favourite to date has to be GAIAttack - although the soon-to-be-released final of Paradox Lost with its time travel mechanic could end up taking the top spot.

The 'suggested theme' jam-based design has resulted in some really interesting ideas and I hope that post RetroGameCrunch, the team consider revisiting some of the more successful projects with a view to tweaking and fleshing them out a little more.

James.

KRUNCH (PC/Mac/Linux)

2013-04-15T20:54:00.000+01:00

It's difficult to not be immediately intrigued by the dark, foreboding atmosphere of KRUNCH, an indie game by LeGrudge and Rugged that puts a new spin on the familiar twitch platformer genre. In fact, this game of stressful close calls and peril-filled levels isn't a platformer; rather, I'd call it a 'floater'. Birthed from a Ludum Dare prototype, KRUNCH has an awful lot to offer gamers who really enjoy punishing themselves.

The premise of KRUNCH, much as I can glean from the intro and gameplay, is that the player takes the role of a small, floating sphere that has apparently been imprisoned by some nasty looking aliens. Given a small chance to escape, players gain control of the sphere and must skillfully escape the labyrinth in which they are trapped, avoiding spikes, sawblades, frickin' lasers, baddies, and hungry alien bosses. There's not much to the controls – standard directionals and a 'run' button, which I found amusing since a floating sphere doesn't have legs, but I digress. (You'll be “running” an awful lot, but watch your health meter. Did I mention running saps your health meter?)

Gameplay strongly evokes Super Meat Boy. The comparison is inevitable and the inspiration is blatantly obvious, but this isn't a bad thing, nor is the game a clone or copy. Given that the player is floating and not running and jumping, it all feels familiar yet completely different, and uniquely challenging. There are over 100 levels to conquer spanned across four areas.

Each of these areas has a specific look and feel, bolstered by superb NES style visuals, minus sprite flicker, of course. The ambiance is gloomy and heavily soaked with doom, the palette awash with dark, monochromatic themes of crimson, purple, green, and blue; a constant reminder of imminent death, of which there is plenty. The chiptunes, done in part by the fabled Disasterpeace (who also worked on Phil Fish's FEZ), further reinforce this gloom and also lend an air of urgency to the game when it's needed. The sound FX, done by Jordan Fehr (who recently worked on the gem Hotline Miami) tie everything together quite well, especially the pulsating heartbeat alerting players that they are about to - surprise - die.

All in all, KRUNCH is an excellent game for those who are really craving a challenge, and aren't shy of shouting expletives over and over again whilst racking up dozens of deaths trying to outrun that surly alien worm bent on destruction (and making a snack out of the player's 134th spent life). The art, music, and overall production value of this game are top notch, with a play experience to match. While there is a lot of content, skilled players may exhaust what is offered somewhat quickly – so I'd say replay value is low. However, the thrills and challenges this game provides along with simply beautiful art and music make this well worth the $9.99 entry price for fans of the genre.

Buy the game here (from the KRUNCH website).

Second Opinion

I have to confess that although I wholeheartedly agree with Peter's review (KRUNCH really is an excellent game), I was a more than a little disappointed by the lack of proper full-screen options and joypad control. I fully understand that adding joypad support to Flash programmed games is far from trivial, but simply recommending users to use 'joy2key' seems a little unsupportive considering that KRUNCH is very much designed to appear to be a console title. And yes, I'm aware that this was also the case with Terry Cavanagh's VVVVVV (including the version on Steam), but at least that came with joy2key bundled with the executable together with a simple set-up.

However, in contrast to this complaint I'd like to congratulate Lou LeGrudge and Dirk Rugged on creating a limited 'collectors' boxed version - I was probably one of first customers, pre-ordering soon after launch, and even now (months later) I'm still excited about the prospect of receiving my copy in the post. The previews on their website look amazing, and after checking today it seems that they've received the prints so it should only be a matter of weeks before I have a copy sitting proudly on my shelf.

J. Monkman.

Mok Force (PC)

2013-04-15T17:01:00.000+01:00

[This review was originally written by J. Monkman for indiegames.com, and has been reposted here with the editors permission].

Arguably inspired by the works of Kenta Cho, Deathmofumofu's Mok Force is an endless procedural doujin shmup that has one foot set firmly in the past and the other boldly stepping forth into a neon-coloured abstract future. The game design is strictly old-school with no power-ups, no gimmicks, no shields nor health bars and the only goal is to beat your previous high score. Combined with a deep DnB soundtrack (by Japanese producer Gu-Dara) that perfectly compliments the relentless action and high-speed low poly-count 3D visuals, the end result is an elegant, accessible and enjoyable shooter experience.

Your craft is armed with two weapons that fire simultaneously; a primary long-range forward cannon and a secondary short-range gun that fires from the sides, with kills achieved via the secondary weapon awarding 10 times the score of the safer main gun, encouraging you to adopt a more risky close-combat play style. The enemy waves of fighters, rockets, huge dreadnoughts and spinning battle-stations are selected at random and attack one after the other, each formation holding the screen for a set period of time before the next approaches. Destroy the entire wave and you'll receive a time-based bonus.

Aside from the beautiful lo-fi graphics, feedback to the player is also well-implemented. Successful side-attacks are represented by a heart-shaped explosion remnant, and the 'wave clear' signal is both via audio and a non-intrusive information display at the bottom of the screen. For a seemingly unambitious project, a lot of effort has gone into making the gameplay and scoring system as obvious to the player as possible; the player hitbox is a clearly identifiable red square and the high-contrast enemy bullets are never lost in the colourful backgrounds.

The bank of attack patterns is limited in number, but as you progress through the waves the enemies become more and more aggressive, so it never feels wholly repetitive. What starts as an almost casual shooter with small clusters of shots fired at you soon evolves into something more akin to bullet-hell by the time you reach wave 50 - which is where the fun really begins (and is sadly not represented by my pathetic 'Print Screen whilst playing' game shots here). With a 1UP granted after 300,000 points (and 500,000 points thereafter), even new shmup players should be able to progress to the point where they feel a sense of achievement.

Interestingly, it seems from a rough translation of the readme file that if you push up when starting a new game the difficulty is set at the same level as where you died on your previous attempt. From a design perspective this doesn't really work (a lot of points can be farmed on those early waves), but it at least gives players who want a harder gameplay experience an option of setting the difficulty at their optimum level for practice runs before playing the game properly again from the start.

Developed in Unity, Mok Force comes in two flavours - an online browser-based version, and a Windows downloadable build. Sadly however there are no online scoreboards, so the downloadable version comes out on top with it's out-of-the-box joypad support and saved score/settings. The only downside of this package is that when playing in full-screen mode the only way to quit is by pressing Alt+F4.

In conclusion, Mok Force is a perfect coffee-break shooter; simple to play, easy to pick up for a few rounds and put back down again - yet at the same time still offering the player the age-old and rewarding challenge of beating their highscore. Veterans of the genre may find it somewhat uninspired, but learning to recognise the attack patterns and clear each and every wave is both a satisfying and enjoyable experience.

(Note that I have compiled a special version complete with the soundtrack as a stand-alone MP3 and an English version of the readme file. To download this, grab the copy hosted on the RGCD server).

Download the game (or play it online) here (via the Deathmofumofu website).
Download the game here (from the RGCD server).

Jagware Collection 1.0 Available! (Atari Jaguar CD)

2013-04-06T12:05:00.001+01:00

Jagware presents a new Atari Jaguar CD compilation of four puzzle games from four groups; Do The Same from Cerebral Vortex, Diamjag by Orion, Atomic Reloaded from The Removers, and Beebris by Reboot - all four of which support online scoreboards. But that's not all - also included is an exclusive early look at the alpha build of 'Project II', Reboot's ambitious forthcoming horizontal scrolling shmup.

CVSD's Do The Same is a beautifully presented tile-rotation game where your goal is to match a given pattern of blocks in as few moves as possible (and before the time runs out). A highly polished release featuring backgrounds based on hand-crafted clay models and 112 levels to beat, Do The Same was previously available on CD in very limited quantities - now those who missed it in physical form have the chance to grab it again!

Next up is Atomic Reloaded, a logic puzzle game inspired by Thalion's Atomic in which you are tasked with creating molecules from their component atoms by moving them around a maze. Described as 'Atomic as it should have been', Atomic Reloaded features 82 original levels guaranteed to challenge even veterans of the original!

Diamjag is an early release from the prolific Jaguar coder Orion, in which you must guide a ball-like character around 28 single-screen mazes collecting diamonds - the catch being that when your ball starts rolling you wont stop again until you hit a wall!

Reboot, the organisers of this project have contributed Beebris, their updated Jaguar conversion of one of Law's old Atari ST releases based on a 'popular tetronimo game'. With four game modes, each with forty levels of difficulty, Beebris remains one of Reboots more popular additions to the Jaguar homebrew catalogue.

Jagware Collection One is a superb compilation of games, but if you want further incentive to pick up a copy you may wish to consider that all profits made through sales of this Jagware release will be going toward funding future Jaguar hardware development by SCPCD, creator of the JagCF and the Jagtopus 4-cart programmer - the format on which future cartridge games will be distributed.

The physical release comes cellophane wrapped in a clear DVD box with full colour, double-sided printed inlay on a full face printed, glass-mastered CD, direct from the factory (100% professionally produced in the UK). Instructions for each game are included on the inside of the inlay. It requires no additional hardware to run other than the Jaguar CD console itself. As an added bonus, a vinyl Reboot sticker will be included with every order.

Priced at £24 (plus £4 UK/Europe shipping, £5 rest of world) Jagware Collection 1.0 is available to buy from our shop page today!

Mojon Twins 2-Games-In-1 Cartridge Available! (C64)

2013-04-03T02:08:00.001+01:00

It's been a long time coming, but we have finally completed our official cartridge compilation of The Mojon Twins Nanako in Classic Japanese Monster Castle and Sir Ababol, and it is available to buy now from our shop!

Although the plan was originally to put them out as separate releases, it seemed a shame to waste the ROM space, so we've managed to squeeze both games and a menu onto a single 64KB cartridge. Changes over the previous versions available on CSDB include two minor NTSC bugs fixed, as well as Nanako now being fully playable via joystick - making it available at last for GS owners. The 64KB PCB is housed in a transparent purple cartridge shell illuminated by an internal LED, and the game comes complete with a printed manual and a vinyl Mojon Twins sticker.

The cartridge version is available in two packaging types, a standard card carton and a more expensive 'deluxe version' that comes in a plastic case (a Universal Game Case with a specially cut foam insert to hold the cartridge as shown below). The standard version is priced at £22, whereas the deluxe version costs £27. Shipping is £4 for UK/Europe and £5 for the rest of the world. A digital version of the game will also be sent out to all customers following receipt of payment.

As a joint RGCD/Mojon Twins/Psytronik production, we've handled the cartridge production whereas Kenz at Psytronik has compiled a three game pack on disk and tape, including UWOL: Quest For Money (a game we previously released on cartridge last year). Psytronik Software are selling the game on premium/budget disk and tape for £9.99/£4.99 and £3.99 respectively (plus shipping) via their Binary Zone Retro Store.

To celebrate the completion of this project, we've put the UWOL cartridge temporarily on sale, with £5 off the cost price. Not only that, but fans of Assembloids might want to check out Dr. Martin Wendt's previous game Not Even Human - which has also been dramatically price slashed! This promotion won't last forever, so grab them now.

But sadly it isn't all good news. Royal Mail have raised their postage costs for the new financial year, so I've had to change some of our shipping methods and push up the prices by £1 across the board. Whereas international post was previously insured for up to £46 by default, this now needs to be purchased as an extra (see the 'Shipping Insurance' category of the store). For UK customers, from now on I'll be sending parcels 'Second Class Signed For' in order to keep the price low but still offer adequate compensation for up to two games per package (additional cover up to £500 is also available). I've been as fair as I can with this.

Sorry to end on a downer... On the positive side there is more news and reviews to follow soon!

Sir Ababol / Nanako In Classic Japanese Monster Castle (C64) (2013)

2013-04-03T01:08:00.000+01:00

System Requirements

* A Commodore 64/128/GS (PAL/NTSC).
* A joystick/joypad.
* A VDU preferably connected to a loud sound-system.

Downloads

Download Sir Ababol & Nanako in .crt cartridge format HERE!
Download Sir Ababol & Nanako in .prg program format HERE!

BONUS! Check out the original ZX Spectrum versions HERE!
BONUS! Check out Onslaught's cracked version of Sir Ababol in .d64 disk format HERE!
BONUS! Check out Onslaught's cracked version of Nanako in .d64 disk format HERE!

EMULATOR PACKAGE! Download the game ready-to-run combined with the Windows 32-Bit version of the VICE emulator HERE!

Introduction

Following on from last year's authorised C64 cartridge release of UWOL: Quest For Money, RGCD is back with a compilation of two more Mojon Twins game conversions coded by Woodmaster - the classic run 'n jump collect 'em up 'Sir Ababol' and mind-bending platform-puzzler 'Nanako in Classic Japanese Monster Castle'.

Sir Ababol

At the end of the 11th Century, a young crusader named Sir Ababol from Manchester City travelled across the ever green prairies of French Britain, climbed the infinite heights of the Pirineos and arrived at the Alcoraz River. There, with astonishment he witnessed St. George from Capadocia, also known as “the dragon guy”, helping the Christians to conquer territories held by the infidels.

Perplexed by the apparition, Sir Ababol stumbled over a rock and onto a big fat ball of spikes, causing him to jump across the air in pain and fall into the river. The river carried him to the Monegros' Desert, where he awoke with a sheep licking his right cheek. He realised that he had lost his mighty sword, without which he couldn't continue his journey across the world. Sir Ababol saw a farmer in a lucence-sown field and decided to ask him for help, only to be pointed in direction of a piece of land full of wild Ababol flowers.

What were these red flowers, and why did they share the same name as our hero? Was it destiny? Since when did the Alcoraz River flow into the Monegros' Desert? Why does St. Marta have a train station but not a tram line? How do I get to Jerusalem? Too many questions gathered in his head, so he wiped them all out with a big sneeze and headed to the land full of Ababol flowers.

From this very moment his fate is in your hands. Guide him across the Monegrian fields helping him collect the strange Ababol flowers and regain his sword so that he may continue his journey to Jerusalem. Amen. Jesus.

Nanako In Classic Japanese Monster Castle

Mya, a witch apprentice and Nanako's younger sister, breaking the palace rules and disobeying her mentor's orders, decided to depart for Heún Tower in order to improve her knowledge of dark magic.

The old tower, surrounded by a magic halo knitted by God only knows who, was populated by a whole army of Karakasas among a multitude of other kinds of Tzukogamis (inanimate objects that become conscious after they are more than 100 years old). Commonly, they are not hostile at all, but the way Mya broke into the tower made them very angry and become really dangerous. Poor Mya hid herself away in a chamber located at the top of the tower, unable to descend the 25 floors and return home, surviving miserably during several weeks.

Nanako, deeply worried about her sister’s disappearance, picked up on Mya's trail and followed her to the Heún Tower. Her mental connection with Mya was strong, and she could tell that her sister was in trouble. Boldy, Nanako entered the tower - she knew that when she found her they would be able to create a connection and be teleported to a safe place. But for now, the main problem was to dodge all those Karakasa between them!

Loading Sir Ababol/Nanako In Classic Japanese Monster Castle

To play the games (downloaded from the links above) you will need either a real C64 (and a method of transferring the files over to it) or an emulator. For emulator users, we recommend VICE, as it works on a variety of systems and is very user friendly. Just download the emulator and drag and drop the .prg files into the open program window (or attach the .crt image from the file menu).

Playing Sir Ababol

Using a joystick plugged into port 2, you must control Sir Ababol as he boldly ventures across the Monegrian fields with the goal of gathering 25 Ababol flowers. To progress in your journey you’ll need to find keys to unlock several doors, allowing you to gain access to different sections. Once you have collected 25 Ababol flowers, your mission will be over.

Avoid touching the marauding monsters and the evil water. You can regain some lost health eating the magical legs of Monegros' fried chicken that are scattered around previously visited screens.

Sir Ababol Controls

Joystick Left/Right - Movement
Joystick Fire – Jump
Q – Quit

Playing Nanako In Classic Japanese Monster Castle

In this game you control Nanako using the joystick plugged into port 2. The game consists on 25 levels, each one representing one of the floors in the tower. In each one, to reach the following level you have to literally build up your path to the top of the screen. This can be achieved via Nanako’s ability to carry boxes (only one at a time) and drop them elsewhere.

In each screen you’ll find a Karakasa. Nanako is able to walk over a still Karakasa, but if it moves Nanako may fall from its head and be ensnared in its vicious claws beneath, losing a valuable life. However, to be able to use a Karakasa as a platform to jump from and reach higher is essential in some of the levels.

Another useful ability Nanako possesses is to release a box during a jump, causing the box to appear where she is and stay floating in the mid-air. It's very important to master the ability of dropping the box at the highest point of a jump, so as to gain fast access to upper levels.

At the beginning of each level a password is given (using the Kun alphabet - see below) which can be used to access previously beaten levels instead of having to start over once and again. Use LEFT/RIGHT/UP/DOWN to write the password and JUMP to validate it.

The 'KUN' Alphabet

Nanako uses an ancient and magical character set known as KUN. An alphabet to help you decipher the text is provided below.

Nanako In Classic Japanese Monster Castle Controls

Joystick Left/Right - Movement
Joystick Fire - Jump
Joystick Down - Pick up box
Joystick Up - Drop box

Suicide: Press R or hold DOWN and FIRE on the joystick (costs one life).

Enter Password: From the title screen, press P or hold RIGHT and press FIRE on the joystick to access the password entry screen.

NTSC Compatibility

Sir Ababol and Nanako In Classic Japanese Monster Castle have both been tested on both PAL and NTSC machines, and they work on the C64, C128 and C64GS (there is no keyboard input required to play). Although the games run on NTSC hardware, they do play fractionally faster. As such, the games are labelled as NTSC compatible, but designed for PAL systems. SID 8580 recommended.

Gameplay Video

Below is a short gameplay video recorded using the VICE emulator showing the menu system and both games being played. The footage was recorded by Stefan Nowak.

Credits

The following people made this game possible.

Code, Concept & Design
Algarbi/Woodmaster (Inside)
na_th_an (The Mojon Twins)
anjuel (The Mojon Twins)
Zemman (The Mojon Twins)

Music & Sound Effects
Owen Crowley
Linus (Tristar & Red Sector Incorporated)
Twoflower (Triad)

Graphics
na_th_an (The Mojon Twins)
Almighty God (Inside)
Anjuel (The Mojon Twins)
Kendrook (The Mojon Twins)

Cartridge Conversion
Dr. Martin Wendt (RGCD/Onslaught)

Project Management, Manual & PAL Testing
James Monkman (RGCD)

Box Artwork
Kendroock (The Mojon Twins)
Pagantipaco (The Mojon Twins)

Box Design
Kenz (Psytronik Software)

NTSC Testing
Raymond Lejuez (C64 World)
David Simmons (Onslaught)

Cartridge Hardware
Tim Harris (Shareware Plus)

The C64 conversion of Nanako was been developed from scratch by Inside, based upon the original design by The Mojon Twins.

Sir Ababol is a Mojon Twins production, Copyright 2010. Published on tape and disk by Psytronik Software, and cartridge by RGCD 2013.

Nanako in Classic Japanese Monster Castle is a Mojon Twins production, Copyright 2007. Published on tape and disk by Psytronik Software, and cartridge by RGCD 2013.

Ordering The Official Cartridge/Disk/Tape

The cartridge version is available to buy from our shop. The game is presented in a transparent purple cartridge shell illuminated by an internal LED, and comes complete with a printed manual, and a vinyl Mojon Twins sticker.

The cartridge version is available in two packaging types, a standard card carton and a more expensive 'deluxe version' that comes in a plastic case (a Universal Game Case with a specially cut foam insert to hold the cartridge as shown below). The standard version is priced at £22, whereas the deluxe version costs £27. Shipping is £4 for UK/Europe and £5 for the rest of the world. A digital version of the game will also be sent out to all customers following receipt of payment.

Please note that Pystronik Software are also selling the game on premium/budget disk and tape for £9.99/£4.99 and £3.99 respectively (plus shipping) via their Binary Zone Retro Store.

The Psytronik version is a compilation of Sir Ababol, Nanako in Classic Japanese Monster Castle and UWOL: Quest for Money. UWOL: Quest for Money is also available separately on cartridge from the RGCD shop.

UWOL: Quest For Money (C64) (2012)

2013-04-02T00:43:00.001+01:00

System Requirements

* A Commodore 64/128 (PAL/NTSC).
* A joystick/joypad.
* A VDU preferably connected to a loud sound-system.

Downloads

Download UWOL: Quest For Money in .crt cartridge format HERE!
Download UWOL: Quest For Money in .d64 disk format HERE!
Download UWOL: Quest For Money in .tap tape format HERE!

BONUS! Check out the original ZX Spectrum version HERE!

EMULATOR PACKAGE! Download the game ready-to-run combined with the Windows 32-Bit version of the VICE emulator HERE!

Introduction

Despite being super rich and earning 90% of Spain's national income from the videogame industry, year after year, Uwol wasn't satisfied. The money just wasn't enough - what he craved more than anything was adventure (in addition to yet more wealth), so he decided to become a treasure hunter and follow in the footsteps of his gaming heroes.

After already collecting valuable rewards such as the fire that doesn't burn (which looks great in the hall of his house), the proton pistol and proton charger, three pairs of Gremla's knickers, Miner Willy's book of bills, Wally's pajamas, the Sword of Power (although this is just a copy because the real one is still in use) and heaps of Saimaza coffee, Uwol learns that a mysterious and eccentric millionaire has hidden a huge fortune of stolen gold coins within a deserted manor next to Canutos Forest - the so-called Storm Palace. So he decides to emulate his idol Goodie and begin a new quest... A Quest For Money!

However, this quest didn't prove to be easy. The cellar labyrinth of Storm Palace is deep and full of nooks and crannies, and the complex layout of the rooms makes it very easy to get lost. And that's exactly what has happened to poor Uwol; his greed drove him deeper and deeper into the manor until he eventually became lost and trapped in the lowest dungeon, inhabited by Vampy, Franky, Fanty and Wolfy - who are all determined to make his life a misery.

It's up to you to guide Uwol out of the maze-like cellars - but make sure you collect enough gold coins to make the adventure worthwhile or Uwol will insist that you start over again!

Playing UWOL: Quest For Money

To play the game (downloaded from the links above) you will need either a real C64 (and a method of transferring the files over to it) or an emulator. For emulator users, we recommend VICE, as it works on a variety of systems and is very user friendly. Just download the emulator and drag and drop the .d64/.tap file into the open program window (or attach the .crt image from the file menu).

Uwol is controlled via a joystick or joypad plugged into port 2, with LEFT and RIGHT to control movement, FIRE or UP to jump and DOWN to select a level exit.

The game is all about stealing gold coins, and Uwol won't want to end his quest until he collects a minimum of 255. The map of Storm Palace's cellar is arranged like a pyramid; starting from the top, when you clear each room of coins you will be given the opportunity to choose which path (left or right) to take. You select a path walking over one of the arrows which appear at the bottom of the level and pressing DOWN.

If you reach the bottom of the pyramid but haven't gathered enough coins, Uwol will force you back to the start to take a new route. This time, you should choose another path because the already visited rooms will be empty. Use the pyramid map to see which rooms have been cleared and which are still full of gold.

There are three enemies which follow linear paths (Vampy, Franky and Wolfy) but once the in game timer runs out one of them will turn into Fanty, who will chase you relentlessly around the screen.

During gameplay, if you touch any of the cellar inhabitants they'll tear off your clothes. Collect the t-shirt icon that appears to quickly redress yourself, otherwise the next time a monster grabs you it will cost you a life, and you'll have to start the level again!

Extra lives are awarded for 1000 and 2500 points.

NTSC Compatibility

UWOL: Quest for Money has been tested on both PAL and NTSC machines, and works on the C64, C128 and C64GS (there is no keyboard input required to play). Although it runs on NTSC hardware, it does play fractionally faster as a direct result of this. As such, the game is labelled as NTSC compatible, but designed for PAL systems. SID 8580 recommended.

Promotional Trailer

Below is a short promotional video recorded using the VICE emulator showing the game being played.

Trivia

Originally released back in 2010, the C64 port of this superb little platformer by The Mojon Twins has stood the test of time admirably and remains as enjoyable today as was on its initial release. With the ZX Spectrum game designer na_th_an on board, Algarbi rewriting the code and Conrad on soundtrack duties, UWOL's classic arcade design and addictive gameplay translated over to the C64 to create a game that's arguably better than the original - UWOL is more than deserving of its respectable score over at CSDB.

This cartridge version by iAN COOG was actually created to test our new 64KB PCBs, but it proved to be so much fun that we just had to look into the possibility of publishing it with The Mojons' permission. After a few quick emails and deals signed and secured, the final release candidate arrived at RGCD HQ ready for production - and now you too can own a physical copy of this great C64 conversion and guide UWOL back through Storm Mansion's cellar labyrinth on his quest for money!

RGCD previously featured an article on UWOL and its many ports, including this C64 conversion.

Credits

The following people made this game possible.

Code & Design
Algarbi/Woodmaster (Inside)
na_th_an (The Mojon Twins)
anjuel (The Mojon Twins)

Music & Sound Effects
Owen Crowley

Cartridge Conversion
iAN COOG (HVSC Crew)

Project Management, Manual & PAL Testing
James Monkman (RGCD)

Box Artwork
Ferrán Criado

NTSC Testing
Raymond Lejuez (C64 World)

Cartridge Hardware
Tim Harris (Shareware Plus)

UWOL: Quest For Money is a Ubhres/Mojon Twins production, Copyright 2006-2012, published on 64KB C64 cartridge by RGCD, 2012.

Ordering The Official Cartridge

The cartridge version of UWOL: Quest for Money is available to buy from our shop. The game is presented in a red cartridge shell complete with a printed manual and a vinyl RGCD sticker.

Encyclopedia Galactica (ZX Spectrum)

2013-03-31T22:13:00.002+01:00

Gone are the heady days of adventure and exploration, here on our tiny planet, where anyone could strike out on a voyage of discovery to make their name, make a fortune. Long gone. The days when Darwin set forth in the Beagle and sent back specimens of exotic flora and fauna. The days of the great plant hunters like Sir Joseph Banks, who sailed with Captain Cook and introduced plants like eucalyptus and acacia to Europe. I am sure that even today there are innumerable undiscovered species lurking under rocks, in the deepest jungle, or clustered around deep sea vents. It's just that... well, it's too much like hard work to find them, isn't it? Wouldn't it be better if we could cross the next great frontier and get out there to explore the rest of the universe?

That is what Encyclopedia Galactica, the new game from Jonathan Cauldwell, imagines: it is, quite literally, exploration on rocket fuel. That's not to say it is adrenaline soaked or delivered at a breakneck pace. On the contrary, the game plays at a gentle trot, and patience and methodicalness are rewarded over an itchy trigger-finger. Galactica puts you in the shoes of Dr Theo Rao: one scientist with a whole galaxy in front of him, star systems to explore, and new lifeforms to discover. All in a tin can of a spaceship that's like a GTI version of the one those kids made out of junk in Explorers. You must scour the galaxy and catalogue all life, from microscopic plankton in the oceans to intelligent - and sometimes aggressive - aliens. Many lie somewhere in between: fungi, herbs, fish, molluscs, birds... but mostly it's a menagerie of weirdness, as you'd expect.

Each organism requires an entry in the (no doubt esteemed) Encyclopedia Galactica, which it's your job to write. To do so, you must capture three different specimens and research them in your ship. This takes time, but Theo must be a diligent worker as you make continual progress as you play. Only when the research is done will you be paid for your labour. Every space explorer needs credits to get around, so the money you make from completed entries is central to the game. It can pay for ship repairs, refuelling, and special equipment for the mission. Most useful are the tranquilliser darts that sedate dangerous creatures, but you can also buy stasis traps to capture elusive ones, and extra cages to increase your research capacity. Otherwise, you can only research two organisms at any one time. You can even upgrade your ship with an essential plankton filter, a scanner to detect organic life, or a better engine.

You can roam freely around all eleven star systems in the neighbourhood from the start of the game, accessing them from a central star chart. Each system has between three and six planets and the arcade segment of the game is where you take control of Theo's lander craft and conduct a survey of each planet's surface. It's a bit like Defender for pacifists, except the planets can be explored downwards as well as left and right and there's infinitely more variety in the landscapes and their inhabitants. You can even explore underwater, hence the need for a plankton filter. Gravity varies from planet to planet and exerts a realistic force on your craft, which can thrust up, left and right and has a decent top speed but woeful acceleration, making it slow to turn around. Some planets are completely barren and devoid of life, whereas others are teeming with it; others still are gas giants and there's no surface to explore.

To collect a specimen you must land your craft and disembark. Theo, in his spacesuit, can jump and fire tranquilliser darts, but that's about it. Some aliens are easy to catch, but for others you need to be patient or quickly sedate them with a dart. It's a really nice touch that each species behaves quite individually so you need different strategies for capturing them: some are timid and will flee, others will attack without hesitation; some move in predicable patterns, others flit around at random.

Encyclopedia Galactica has a strong and original premise, and it is fun and rewarding to play. The pacing is rather langorous, driven as it is by the time it takes to research each specimen you collect. I found it quite refreshing to be honest, and it is broken up by neat sub-games where you have to cross asteroid fields or unscramble the DNA of new life forms to win bonus credits. Although there are dangers to Theo and his ship, there is nothing that truly threatens to end your mission (unless you disembark in a lava pool, like my esteemed editor did)! Asteroids and reckless driving can damage your spaceship, as can cloning your spaceman, should he meet a sticky end, but you can always return to your space station for repairs. The challenge lies in finding every last organism in the galaxy, and ensuring you make enough money and have enough fuel to finish the job.

The game's main strength is the impressive variety of planetscape and life forms that you encounter, and it's always a kick to read the EG's low-down on the critter you just discovered. There are volcanic planets, ocean planets, planets with underground caves, ancient ruins and monoliths, tunnels and mine shafts, jungles, lakes and mountains. There's even an ice planet where you can go through the crust of ice and investigate the ocean below. I loved the variety and creativity on display. The thrill of discovering the unknown and uncharted should not be underplayed. This game really captures that: you do feel (ridiculous as it sounds) like an intrepid explorer treading virgin ground when you first arrive on a new planet. The feeling is similar to the early exploration stages of a game of Civilization, when you just don't know what you are going to find. It would be even better if there was a random element to the game, mixing up where specimens could be found, but it just isn't constructed like that.

Your space craft and astronaut move around smoothly and realistically, as do the various alien creatures. Graphically, the game is a bit inconsistent, with some great touches but also some elements that feel under-designed or unpolished, with the odd bit of colour clash or sprite clash. The shop and space station are certainly examples of the latter, whereas the asteroid sub-game plays well and is just tricky enough - but the asteroids themselves wobble and flicker slightly. It could also be said that some of the planets feature rather blocky mountains, but it doesn't detract from the game and I suppose with only 48k the scenery budget can only stretch so far!

It could legitimately be argued that EG is not overly challenging, but it does take a good few hours to play through, and certainly offers a rewarding playing experience. To be frank, I found it necessary to take notes to remember where I had been and which species I had researched! As previously mentioned, it does lack danger and thrills and spills - but to introduce (for instance) a greater shoot 'em up element would mean the game losing its charm and uniqueness.

I, for one, am more than happy with it exactly how it is. Finally, a game where not only can I leave it to its own devices without getting splatted - I can go off, make a cup of tea, do some hoovering, water my pot plants, and come back to find Theo has finished writing up the EG entry for the Kangeruff. If you want to know what that is, I guess you will just have to get your space helmet on and start exploring the galaxy...

Note: This review is based on playing the game via emulation (Spectaculator and Klive) as here at RGCD we lack the original Sinclair hardware to run it on. The reviewer experienced some crashes during play that are being investigated by Jonathan, but we are unsure at the time of writing if these are due to a genuine fault or simply an emulator incompatibility. As a result of this the score awarded to the game has been reduced by one point out of five. When the cause of the problem is resolved, the score will be updated accordingly.

Buy the game here (from the Retro Fusion shop).
Run it using Spectaculator (shareware) or Klive (freeware).

Not Even Human - Inhumane Edition (C64) (2011)

2013-03-27T07:51:00.000Z

System Requirements

* A Commodore 64/128 (PAL/NTSC).
* A joystick/joypad (two for two-player).
* A VDU preferably connected to a loud sound-system.
* A friend to play with (optional, yet strongly recommended).

Note that the game is also playable on the GS, but is limited to two-player mode only.

Downloads

Download Not Even Human - Inhumane Edition in .d64 program format HERE!
Download Not Even Human - Inhumane Edition in .crt cartridge format HERE!
BONUS! Download the original 2008 version of Not Even Human HERE!

EMULATOR PACKAGE! Download the game ready-to-run combined with the Windows 32-Bit version of the VICE emulator HERE!

Introduction

Back in 1977, the first Voyager probe was launched towards the far reaches of our solar system bearing a golden disc containing information on our species and the location of our homeworld. The disc also doubled up as a vinyl record (the most popular media of the era), holding further information on our civilisation in an audio format; an initial message to any alien race whom was to discover it.

In 1985, we received an answer.

Data recently retrieved by renowned Astrophysicist Dr. Martin Wendt from his contacts at the NASA archives revealed that the Atlantis intercepted a capsule of unknown origin whilst in orbit around Earth on her maiden flight (STS-51-J). The capsule had no obvious propulsion system and analysis and carbon dating left experts puzzled - the object was less than one year old. It was as if it had been carefully placed, knowing that the shuttle would cross its path.

The report states that if the capsule was intended as a reply to our Voyager, then it meant that the respondent had managed to somehow translate our recording without interrupting the mission itself - the onboard computers had not reported any interference since launch. The more disturbing fact that this theory suggests is that the alien civilisation must have been present in our solar system during the initial planetary stages of the Voyager mission, as the probe didn't even begin its interstellar flight until 1990.

After much debate, the capsule was opened in 1986 at an unreferenced location back on Earth. Despite clearly being of alien origin and covered in detailed hieroglyphic-characters, inside scientists found an artifact that was instantly recognisable as a replica of a Commodore 64 data cartridge - a format that was widely used on the most popular computer of the period. The project thereafter became known as "Not Even Human", named after what the main inscription on the cartridge and its container appeared to read.

Upon booting the Not Even Human (NEH) cartridge, the technical team noted that the laboratory C64's operating system was replaced by the alien cartridge ROM and it seemed to load some sort of battle simulation. The report shows that the purpose and meaning of this has been argued over for years and even today remains unclear. Are the aliens preparing us for war? Is it a simulation showing how their species functions? Or is it in fact merely a child's toy, highlighting the alien's perception of human civilisation to be in its infancy.

Whatever the meaning, one thing was for sure. Not Even Human was fun.

In the early 2000's, after no further contact from the alien civilisation, NASA was forced to mothball the NEH project due to increasing government budget cuts. After experiencing the NEH simulation first-hand, Dr. Wendt decided to continue work on the project in his own time, dedicatedly analysing and duplicating the machine code bit by bit from the alien ROM and translating wherever possible.

Finally, after releasing his interpretation of the data for other Commodore users to experience in 2008 (much to the US Government's displeasure), it was decided that the program should really be presented to the public in the same format in which it was originally discovered.

In 2011, after a long legal battle and many failed US Government attempts to 'silence' the project, RGCD and Onslaught are proud to present the official cartridge version of Not Even Human (Inhumane Edition).

Playing Not Even Human - Inhumane Edition

To play the game (downloaded from the links above) you will need either a real C64 (and a method of transferring the files over to it) or an emulator. For emulator users, we recommend VICE, as it works on a variety of systems and is very user friendly. Just download the emulator and drag and drop the .prg file into the open program window (or attach the .crt image from the file menu). Note that pressing the Spacebar will bypass the intro sequence.

NEH is a two player, real-time strategic battle simulation. Each player controls a number of units and the aim is to kill your opponent.

The rules are simple. If two of the same unit types are grouped together, their energy increases. If two different unit types are grouped together, their energy decreases. When dead, a unit transforms into a deadly skull (that eventually fades away). Contact with any unit and a skull results in energy decrease.

Using the joysticks to move and fire to cycle through units, you'll need to surround your enemy with multiple units to ensure their energy depletes faster than yours. It's simple to learn, but takes time to master. When there are only three units left, a siren will sound and the remaining units will start to lose energy. The last player left alive will be declared the winner.

Press the 'H' key at the title screen for a simple breakdown of game rules and key commands.

Controls and Keyboard Commands

Joystick (Port 1) movement – move current player one unit.
Joystick (Port 1) fire – cycle through player one units.

Joystick (Port 2) movement – move current player two unit.
Joystick (Port 2) fire – cycle through player two units.

H (from title screen) - view instructions.
F1/F2 – Cycle forwards/backwards through colour schemes.
F3/F4 – Cycle forwards/backwards through colours (player one).
F5/F6 – Cycle forwards/backwards through colours (player two).
F7 – Toggle AI on/off for player two (practice mode).

NTSC Compatibility

Not Even Human - Inhumane Edition has been tested on both PAL and NTSC machines, and works on the C64, C128 and C64GS (there is no keyboard input required to play). Although it runs on NTSC hardware, it does play fractionally faster as a direct result of this. As such, the game is labelled as NTSC compatible, but designed for PAL systems. SID 8580 recommended.

Promotional Trailer

Below is a short promotional video recorded using the VICE emulator showing the game being played in two-player mode.

Credits

The following people made this game possible.

Code & Design
Dr. Martin Wendt (RGCD/Onslaught)

Music & Sound Effects
Owen Crowley

Graphics
Sven Ruthner (Ptoing)

Box Design
Ilija Melentijevic (RGCD)

Project Management, Manual & PAL Testing
James Monkman (RGCD)

PAL & NTSC Testing
David Simmons (Onslaught)
Sven Ruthner (Ptoing)
Raymond Lejuez (C64 World)

Cartridge Hardware
Tim Harris (Shareware Plus)

Not Even Human - Inhumane Edition is an Onslaught/RGCD production, Copyright 2009-11, published on cartridge by RGCD 2011.

Ordering The Official Cartridge

The cartridge version of Not Even Human - Inhumane Edition is available to buy from our shop. The game is presented in a classic black cartridge shell complete with a printed manual and a vinyl RGCD sticker.

Subacuatic (MSX/ZX Spectrum)

2013-03-24T01:12:00.001Z

An entry into the MSXdev'12 challenge, Subacuatic by the Mojon Twins is difficult to pigeonhole into a single category - I'd perhaps call it an "action-adventure," but I wouldn't want to give the impression that there's lots of action going on, so let's go for "underwater exploration game." Maybe that's better.

Moving along, in Subacuatic players take the role of Ferdinand W. Templeton, an archeologist who must dive underwater to rescue his 4 prized artifacts so he can marry his lover and have enough money to keep on going. He has a phobia to water as well. This does not bode well for Mr. Templeton, as the perils of this particular undersea world are everywhere. Even the seaweed will actually kill him, as no doubt many players have already discovered the hard way.

Our fearful diver must navigate the watery labyrinth with nothing but an oxygen tank (which consistently depletes) and a spear gun (which can freeze enemies, but has very limited ammo). Merely graze any of the baddies swimming about - or even the foliage - and our weak-lunged hero will lose oxygen at an alarming rate. The only way to replenish the O2 stock is to head topside. Additionally, there are oxygen bubbles scattered throughout the maze that will bestow an extra life in the form of a backup tank of oxygen.

Gameplay in Subacuatic is frustrating. My first issue is that our diver friend moves very, very slowly. It just feels like it takes ages to travel from one spot of the screen to another, and really slows down the pace of the game. However, I understand why this was done, because high-precision movements are absolutely required to avoid taking damage at every single turn. The problem is that it's clearly designed with tiles, and if Ferdinand bumps even a single pixel of the square end of a seaweed tile on a turn, there goes several percentage points of oxygen. This is difficult to avoid even with the utmost care and gaming experience, and means that players can't trip up at all, and must collect as many of the extra lives as possible just to survive. If you ever played Legacy of the Wizard for NES, you'll be familiar with this aggravating method of hit detection and constant life depletion.

Where Subacuatic shined for me was in the graphics and sound department. Although sparse, the gameplay tune was atmospheric and easy to listen to. I quite liked the graphics; the underwater theme was pulled off really well here, with nice little details like the occasional bubble rising to the surface and a water overlay effect that causes the whole screen to sway as if viewed through an underwater porthole, 8-bit style. The stylish wrap-around HUD pulled my heartstrings, too.

However, the visual and aural niceties weren't enough to compel me to swim through the entire maze; I'm ashamed to admit I only collected 2 of the 4 artifacts. I just didn't have the patience to give it another go, performing all the same actions in the same maze all over again only to be caught on the last pixel of the edge of a soggy weed tile and die a horrible plant-induced death. I would encourage all retro game lovers to fire up Subacuatic at least once to take in the cool visuals and interesting soundtrack, but I'm sure only a devoted few will see it through to completion.

Download the game here (from The Mojon Twins' site).
Run the ZX version using Spectaculator (shareware) or Klive (freeware).
Run the MSX version using blueMSX (freeware).

Ramiro El Vampiro (ZX Spectrum)

2013-03-24T00:57:00.000Z

The website 'World Of Spectrum' lists over thirty titles credited to The Mojon Twins published over the last six years. It is pleasing to see that their impressive output doesn’t show any signs of slowing and the lovely Ramiro El Vampiro is their latest, and quite possibly one of their greatest so far.

From the clean loading screen, tuneful opening music and menu, it is obvious that the Mojon’s usual polish is evident, but this offering trumps the usual expectations by actually being two separate, but linked, games. “Ramire ain’t got a break!“ and “Ramire gets back the Zaphire” tell the story of Ramire the Vampire and the joys of being an undead parent. Ramire's first quest is to collect the four pieces of a Talisman as a gift for his daughter on her Deathday and then – in part two (have had his daughter kidnapped) he has to return the four pieces of the talisman to four shrines as ransom. As usual the Mojons have provided a ridiculous piece of backstory for their game, which is well worth the time taken to read it - even if just to enjoy the silly names of the characters (such as ‘Raiden the Dead Maiden’). Gamers of a delicate nature will be happy to note that this game contains none of the nudity sometimes present in the Mojon Twins’ game, and is pleasantly kiddy safe. Both the backstory and the game are also provided as English and Spanish versions, which is definitely a "bueno" thing.

The game itself plays as a nice piece of tight platforming, with Ramire moving fluidly and controllably, with a very pleasing floaty jump (presumably that’d be due to his cape). In a thematically relevant touch, our hero - being a vampire - can not spend long in the sunlight without incurring damage. The level design ensures that the shaded areas are sufficiently far apart so that moving between them without getting sunburned pushes the player to be slightly more reckless than is advisable. Cue some nice frantic races through the moderately challenging (but not pixel perfect) platform sections. Excellent stuff!

Along with the damage taken from spending too long in the sun, any contact with enemies and floor spikes will deplete your energy and push you closer to the true death. As well as the regular enemies who follow preset paths, special screens in which the pieces of the talisman are either collected or deposited trap you and contain a homing-bat which will chase Ramire until he's collected all the crucifixes on the screen. These crucifixes actually add a little health, so with a bit of skillful jumping and dodging these booby-trapped rooms can actually be helpful rather than just life-sapping. It’s nice touches like this, and the aforementioned limited-time-in-the-sunlight mechanic, that really lift Ramiro El Vampiro above the run of the mill fetch-quest platform game.

Both chapters of the game are playable separately, and whilst neither are particularly long, both are very satisfying and are very accomplished examples of the platform genre – with particularly effective use of graphics (including nice background art). Despite sharing art assets and game engine, the two halves have their own identities, Part One (which has a predominantly Red/Black colour scheme) is perhaps the more traditional of the two - with a basically horizontal layout of screens, whereas Part Two (Yellow/Black) has a more vertical nature - due to the ascent of a large tower, which includes the potential for frustrating falls between screens. Happily, both parts are great fun to get your (vampire) teeth into!

'Ramiro El Vampiro' is also known by its (far less poetic) English title 'Ramire the Vampire' and presents a pretty much perfect slice of platform goodness. Highly recommended.

Download the game here (from the Mojon Twins' site).
Run it using Spectaculator (shareware) or Klive (freeware).

Cheril the Goddess (ZX Spectrum)

2013-03-24T00:44:00.001Z

I can only apologise for my crassness, but I don't think it is going to be possible to review the Mojon Twins' Cheril the Goddess without addressing her bosoms. So, I'm just going to get this over with: you see, she has a rather large and prominent pair (see the tasteful loading screen above). And, for reasons unexplained, she is apparently buck naked for the duration of the game - or at least wearing an article of clothing so skimpy as to make no difference.

Despite a discernible bounce when Cheril moves, there's really no need to shy away from playing when your partner/mum/grandma might see. Her sprite is so tiny that no, erm, details are on show - and despite having lovely hair she certainly does not titillate. Think Atom Ant with big boobs. On second thought, don't - it's a bit wrong. Now, there's an image I wish I had never conjured up...

The Atom Ant analogy is not necessarily a bad one as the game mechanics and controls are rather similar, although Cheril has a larger, more varied, platform-based world to explore. She has super powers too: the player can make her fly by 'pushing' up and she can fire energy balls to vanquish enemies. The problem is that doing so drains her life-force; to preserve it, it's especially important to minimise her time in the air.

The plot is relatively sane by Mojon standards, but still crackers, and for once nicely tied into the gameplay. Cheril must gain access to the Temple of the Big Cucumber (hmmm...) to intercept a delivery of 'arogas.' This would prevent the evil Prince Chicken getting his hands (or talons?) on it. But more importantly, the arogas would give our heroine great inner power, meaning that flight and fireballs would no longer drain her energy so drastically. To win the game you must unlock three shrines by finding the amulets that undo their magic seals that protect the temple, then find the temple key to finally gain access. It's not difficult to find the shrines or any of the required objects, as the game world is relatively small at around 20 screens. However, Cheril may only carry one object at once, so a little to-ing and fro-ing is required, and care should be taken to plan the shortest and/or least dangerous route.

It takes a while to master controlling Cheril accurately as she leaps and flies through the air, battling to overcome that pesky old enemy gravity. It's energy sapping stuff, and the trick is to use her power as sparingly and efficiently as possible. Thankfully the game has three difficult levels, where essentially the difference is how quickly your energy is drained when flying. This means you can hone your skills and get to know the game map on 'Easy,' before attempting the game in more unforgiving form. 'Hard' is just that, and I doubt many players could complete the game consistently at this level.

The difficulty levels give Cheril a friendly learning curve with a very stern challenge at the top. It takes a while to master, and it's also necessary to memorise the best route through the game and the location of objects, shrines, and the vital energy recharge points.

There are plenty of nasties to dodge as well. Cyclops monsters and other beasties will simply trudge back and forth along platforms, not giving Cheril much bother. There are also flying monsters and bats that can really give a vicious bite. Some patrol in set patterns, but the worst of them will circle, swoop and home in on you mercilessly. Although Cheril can shoot and send the bats flapping off into the darkness with a couple of hits, I really found it better to concentrate on avoiding them - to the extent that I forgot she could shoot until I came to write this review!

The game has a good splash of colour and the graphics are attractive. Despite its small size, Cheril's central sprite is nicely drawn with simple, effective animation. Other sprites are a little more crudely animated but the quirky little beasties certainly look the part. Sound is minimal but when it is used, it works well and does not irritate. The 48k title music is something of a dirge, really, but somehow I still don't mind it. I must really love the Speccy, eh?

In the end this is a slick little platformer where the central character has unusual abilities and moves around very delicately and smoothly. The platform world is very well designed, too. There are plenty of enemies that are tricky - but not impossible - to dodge and you have to play with great care and an amount of forward thinking to make it through. It's a challenge, and that will spur you on to keep playing until you have completed the game on the highest difficulty setting.

My main criticism is the same levelled at one or two other Mojon Twins games in recent months: it's just too short. Yes, the adjustable difficulty makes it last longer, but it still feels like a mini-game or even a single level of a game. It does seem a shame to have a great concept for a platform game and not squeeze a little more fun out of it.

Download the game here (from The Mojon Twins' site).
Run it using Spectaculator (shareware) or Klive (freeware).

Knights & Demons (ZX Spectrum/MSX/Amstrad CPC)

2013-03-24T00:36:00.001Z

Being a retro geek and a high fantasy nerd, seeing a new game on the ZX Spectrum called Knights & Demons (from Kabuto Factory) naturally got me all aflutter. You can imagine then, my disappointment when I realised it was actually a puzzle game based on the old Light's Out toys from the 1990s. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but I did have to readjust my expectations somewhat.

Light's Out was a puzzle game featuring a grid of lit tiles, where the aim was to switch off all the lights on your board. By selecting a tile on the grid you switch the status from on to off (or vice versa) as well as those tiles directly adjacent to the one you have just selected. Knights & Demons essentially takes this concept and replaces the lights with, you guessed it, knights and demons. It also introduces 'pikes', which allow you to switch off a tile without flipping any of the other tiles around it, which is useful for dealing with individual tiles when you don’t want to switch the others adjacent to it. As you progress through the game the number of pikes you possess doesn't reset, so the game becomes progressively harder as the number of pikes dwindles and you have to rely on your skill alone to clear the gameboard.

When starting the game you choose from easy, medium or hard settings but it’s unclear what differentiates the difficulty settings. Presumably the boards are more difficult to clear, certainly when playing on hard you are given more pikes and time to complete the board to reflect the increased difficulty.

There is a light-hearted plot, for what it's worth, which involves a bathroom-based 'domestic accident' taking down the king, leaving you to step up to the plate and command his armies against the forces of evil. Graphically the game is well presented, on the ZX Spectrum at least, harkening to the classic colourful style of the Spectrum (e.g. Rainbow Islands) rather than in monochrome (e.g. Robocop) or the earlier, basic style (e.g. Splat!). Admittedly it's only a single screen game and there's a fair whack of colour clash but it's nice to see and the loading screen is similarly well drawn.

Aurally there's nothing to speak of beyond a simple but nice intro tune, however a game of this style will always stand or fall on the gameplay anyway. Given the effort that's gone into the graphics it's perhaps a little odd similar effort hasn't gone into some sound effects, but on the Spectrum in particular they can grate in puzzle games if they're not well implemented.

On the MSX and CPC things are much more basic, with no proper background to speak of though oddly the MSX version does have some sound effects when you select a tile that the ZX Spectrum lacks. Ultimately the differences are cosmetic but the ZX Spectrum version feels the most polished of the three.

Speaking of gameplay, the game is pretty simple to pick up and get stuck into although it's debatable how many times you'll want to play what is essentially the same gameboard over and over again, even on a different difficulty setting. Although the starting combination of knights and demons (i.e. on and off tiles) changes each time, there's only so many times you can solve what is essentially the same puzzle before becoming a tad bored.

A meter bar across the top of the screen shows the balance between the armies of knights and demons. It shifts depending on whether you clear a gameboard by filling it with knights or demons allowing you to complete the game by moving it all the way to one side.
It provides the game with an element of a quest objective and allows a measure of replayability by giving you the option to clear the board via knights or demons. However it's frankly pretty arbitrary and given that the plot puts you in the role of the good guy, attempting to fill the board with demons feels slightly contradictory.

Ultimately Knights & Demons is a pretty simple puzzle game and while the graphics are bold and colourful and the puzzle is well implemented, but nonetheless the game lacks longevity. Puzzle fans may get a kick out of it and it feels mean being slightly dismissive of a game that clearly had the effort put in to make it as good as it could be, but given the competition in the retro market at the moment it's difficult to see how it stands out from the crowd to demand your time.

Download the game for free or buy it on cassette for 2.40/4.50 Euros here (from the Kabuto Factory site).
Run the ZX version using Spectaculator (shareware) or Klive (freeware).
Run the MSX version using blueMSX (freeware).
Run the CPC version using WinAPE (freeware).

Berzerk Redux (C64) (2013)

2013-03-16T00:30:00.000Z

System Requirements

* A Commodore 64/128/GS (PAL/NTSC) (6581 SID Recommended).
* A joystick/joypad.
* A VDU preferably connected to a loud sound-system.

Downloads

Download the Final RGCD build of Berzerk Redux (1.18) in .crt format HERE!
Download the Final RGCD build of Berzerk Redux (1.18) in .d64 format HERE!

BONUS! Check out the source code HERE!
BONUS! Check out Onslaught's cracked version in .d64 disk format HERE!

EMULATOR PACKAGE! Download the game ready-to-run combined with the Windows 32-Bit version of the VICE emulator HERE!

Introduction

The astro date is 3200 and you are the last survivor of a small group of Earth people who came to the planet Mazeon. Soon after landing, you discovered the planet is a dark and apparently uninhabitable place, but by then it was too late to turn back because your space craft had been destroyed by Automazeons!

Now you are a prisoner here, trapped in a maze where even the walls are death to touch. Grim robot thugs known as 'Automazeons' stalk you relentlessly and you must systematically pulverise them with your laser gun before they eliminate you with theirs.

You are never safe on the planet Mazeon. Even when you've destroyed the mechanical heavies, Evil Otto, the mad and merciless mind behind the robot gangs, leaps out from where he's been observing the battle. You flee in panic because you know that you cannot kill Evil Otto and that, once he catches you, you'll never escape. He will pound you to a lifeless pulp, grinning like a maniac all the while. Your only hope is to get out of the electrified maze before Evil Otto catches you.

If you do get out, you'll find yourself in another maze. Again the faceless robots shoot at you, again Evil Otto pursues you, again you must dodge and shoot and run... in yet another maze. It's enough to drive you bonkers!

Playing Berzerk Redux

To play the game (downloaded from the links above) you will need either a real C64 (and a method of transferring the files over to it) or an emulator. For emulator users, we recommend VICE, as it works on a variety of systems and is very user friendly. Just download the emulator and drag and drop the .prg file into the open program window (or attach the .crt image from the file menu).

Your challenge in Berzerk Redux is to score as many points as possible without being destroyed yourself.

Use the joystick in port 2 to manoeuvre your man through the maze (but don't touch the walls or robots or you'll electrify him). Press the fire button to shoot your laser gun. You score 50 points for every robot that is destroyed, and bonus points for clearing a maze (10 points per robot) regardless of whether the robots are struck by a laser, electrified by the walls, pummelled by Evil Otto or simply destroyed by colliding into each other. Each maze ends when your man escapes.

Initially, the robots move a shoot slower than your man, but as your score increases the colour of the enemies change and their movement speed and firing rate increases.

Exclusive to this RGCD Cartridge Version

Several changes have been made to Berzerk Redux since the last available build (1.10):

The bitmap title screen now prompts for fire to be pressed after a five second delay.
New title screen music by Necropolo.
When a maze is cleared the game scrolls to the next one instead of screen-flipping.
The room layout is the same if the player takes the same route through the maze, allowing for fairer competitive play.
There is a hidden "master robot room" where killing the master robot gives a huge bonus score and extra life.
The door graphics are now like the arcade rather than a crosshatch pattern.

The game also supports high-score saving to disk. When loading, the game searches any connected drives for a disk containing a save file. If none exists, the user is asked if they would like to create one, or continue loading the game without using a save file.

Strategy & Pro Tips

The robots' shots cannot penetrate the maze walls, use this to your advantage. Hide behind walls to avoid incoming laser fire, then leap out when it is safe to shoot back.

Position robots between your man and Evil Otto. This strategy should cause Evil Otto to destroy any robots in the middle section of the screen as he pursues you, increasing your score and leaving you more time to escape.

Evil Otto moves more slowly when there are robots in the maze - but when the maze is cleared he'll race towards you with amazing speed! Remember this and ensure you are positioned near an exit whilst finishing off the last few remaining robots.

Keep your finger held on the fire button as you exit a maze. The robots take a second or two before they begin their attack, so when you enter a new maze you will zap any robots in your path before they have a chance to retaliate.

The robots are programmed to follow you, so influence them with your movement to walk into walls and collide with each other.

Evil Otto always enters the maze from the same entry point as the player, so get away from this danger zone as quickly as you can.

Keep your distance from robot gangs and avoid being surrounded as you can only shoot in one direction at a time. It is much easier to see and avoid distant robot fire, so put some space between you and them whenever possible.

Berzerk History & Trivia

Alan McNeil, an employee of Universal Research Laboratories (a division of Stern Electronics), had a dream one night involving a black-and-white video game in which he had to fight robots. This dream, with heavy borrowing from the BASIC game 'Robots' ('Daleks' in the UK), was the basis for Berzerk. The game was named Berzerk as a homage to Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series of science fiction novels.

"Evil Otto" was named after Dave Otto, security chief at McNeil's former employer Dave Nutting Associates. According to McNeil, Otto would, "[smile] while he chewed you out." He would also lock McNeil and his fellow employees out of the building to enforce a noon-hour lunch, as well as piping "beautiful" music into every room.

The idea for a black-and-white game was abandoned when the colour game Defender was released earlier the same year to significant success. At that point Stern decided to use a color overlay board for Berzerk. A quick conversion was made, and all but the earliest versions of the game shipped with a colour CRT display. The game was test-marketed successfully at a Chicago singles bar before general release.

Probably the best-remembered feature of Berzerk is that the robots talk. It was one of the first video games to use speech synthesis. In 1980 computer voice compression was extremely expensive and estimates were that this cost the manufacturer US$1000 per word - and the English version had a thirty-word vocabulary. Stern nevertheless did not spare this expense.

The game's voice synthesizer generates speech for the robots during certain in-game events:

"Coins detected in pocket": During attract mode, specifically while showing the high score list.

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!": Spoken when Evil Otto appears.

"The humanoid must not escape" or "The intruder must not escape": Heard when the player escapes a room after destroying every robot.

"Chicken, fight like a robot": Heard when the player escapes a room without destroying every robot.

"Got the humanoid, got the intruder!": Heard when the player loses a life. (The "got the intruder" part is a minor third higher than the "got the humanoid" part.)

There is also random robot chatter playing in the background, phrases usually consisting of "Charge", "Attack", "Kill", "Destroy", "Shoot", or "Get", followed by "The Humanoid", "The intruder", "it", or "the chicken" (the last only if the player got the "Chicken, fight like a robot" message from the previous room), creating sentences such as "Attack it", "Get the Humanoid", "Destroy the intruder", "Kill the chicken", and so on. The speed and pitch of the phrases vary, from deep and slow, to high and fast.

Berzerk was the first video game known to have been involved in the death of a player. In January 1981, 19-year-old Jeff Dailey died of a heart attack soon after posting a score of 16,660 on Berzerk. In October of the following year, Peter Burkowski made the Berzerk top-ten list twice in fifteen minutes, just a few seconds before also dying of a heart attack at the age of 18.

Additional Details & NTSC Compatibility

Berzerk Redux has been tested on both PAL and NTSC machines, and works on the C64, C128 and C64GS (there is no keyboard input required to play). Although it runs on NTSC hardware, it does play fractionally faster and will be harder as a direct result of this. As such, the game is labelled as NTSC compatible, but designed for PAL systems. A disk drive is required for high score saving.

Gameplay Video

Below is a gameplay video of the RGCD version of Berzerk Redux running on a C64 with 6581 SID chip. The footage was recorded by Stefan Nowak, and shows the loading screen, title and gameplay.

Credits

The following people made this game possible.

Code & Design
Martin Piper (Element 114 Software)

Music & Sound Effects
Necropolo (Ancients Pledge Inc.)
Richard Bayliss (TND)

Character Set, Graphics & Artwork
Flemming Dupont (RGCD)
Groepaz (Hitmen)
Zeldin (Cascade)

Manual
David Simmons (Onslaught)
James Monkman (RGCD)

PAL & NTSC Testing
David Simmons (Onslaught)
James Monkman (RGCD)
Raymond Lejuez (C64 World)

Berzerk Redux is an Element 114 Software/RGCD production, Copyright 2009-13. Berzerk Redux is on Berzerk by Stern Electronics, 1980.

Sn4ke / Grazer (PC)

2013-03-16T00:28:00.002Z

Games that use procedural generation, either random or from a seed value, have always fascinated me. Ever since first playing Elite as a child and wondering how on earth a eight galaxies could fit on a single disk, the concept of a game world or design structure unfolding itself from an algorithm into memory seems like the ultimate solution to the limitations imposed by the time consuming, manually-crafted alternative. By using procedural generation, games can be huge (even endless) yet developed and delivered by small teams with minimal assets. The lack of bulky level data means that huge games can also be tiny.

Now, before you get excited about the prospect of n.h.k.'s Sn4ke and Grazer featuring gigantic, expansive worlds, let me set the record straight. They are not huge at all. In fact, they are incredibly simplistic, so much so that if judged on the playing experience alone it could be argued that they don't really deserve feature space at RGCD at all. Yet, nonetheless they are special little games, with 'little' being the key word here; combined, Grazer and Sn4ke take up less than 8KB of disk space.

In the retro scene, mini-games like these are common (thanks in part to the popularity of 1KB, 2KB and 4KB game development competitions for 8-Bit machines), but they are somewhat of a rarity on the PC. Or at least they are outside of the demoscene, from which Sn4ke and Grazer originate (released as 'wild' competition entries at ToykoDemoFest 2011 and 2012).

In contrast to development on 8-Bit machines, where coders can access the (standard) hardware directly via machine language, on a modern PC a huge variety of hardware and peripherals needs to be catered for, so common practice is to use API calls to DirectX or OpenGL, acting as an interface layer between the code and the hardware to ensure compatibility. The hardcore few may consider this cheating ("What? No software rendered graphics?") but even so, 4KB doesn't exactly leave a lot of room to play with for game logic and presentation.

Intrigued by these two ludicrously tiny games, I wrote to their Japanese based developer Hole (h013) to discuss their development.

"Both games were written in 99% C code and 1% assembler. SDL1.2 and OpenGL 2.0 were used to render the graphics, although I didn't use any OpenGL extensions. To decrease the total size of the programs, I omitted the standard library and then I had to write some math functions in assembler."

"I created these programs for the TokyoDemoFest demoparty place in Japan, and in order to qualify for the 4KB category I compressed the them using the executable file compressor Crinkler. After compression, the size of the game logic in Grazer is 2.5KB, and 3.5KB in Sn4ke. The rest of the space is taken up by the music and sound - all the graphics and level layouts are generated procedurally from code. In fact, the background objects and the foreground objects in Grazer are the almost same logic, and tricks like this help to keep the code small."

Out of the two games, Sn4ke is most certainly the more impressive accomplishment. Grazer is a very basic (yet gorgeous looking) cave flier, whereas Sn4ke is a more ambitious three-dimensional Nibbler clone, with your snake traversing a rotating globe, avoiding red spikes and eating blue orbs (each of which predictably adds an extra segment onto your body). It's a really neat effect - and surprisingly enjoyable to play, especially considering the minuscule file size. Hole/h013 went on to explain how the 3D globe was achieved;

"In Sn4ke, the vertices of the globe are generated at run time. I used a spherical coordinates system for appropriately generating each position of the vertex, and the globe is rotated by using rotation matrix from axis. It was a complicated to code, but the most complex part was the moving snake logic."

Also impressive is the fact that both games feature sound and music. Tracker format is the obvious choice for such a tiny executable, but even so, you still have to include a playback system in your code;

"In Grazer, BGM is synthesized by '4klang' (very small software synthesizer for 4KB programs) and I used the Renoise tool to make the music because 4klang supports it. In sn4ke, at first I used 4klang but the size became larger than 5KB! Then, I wrote a software synthesizer myself and composed the music directly in the source code. My software synthesizer is very limited and supports only square wave, sine wave and sawtooth wave."

In conclusion, neither game will keep you entertained for long, but I'd still recommend that both should be at least experienced once as modern day curios. As such, it's impossible to give them a traditional RGCD 'Atari joysticks' score, as what would you base it on? The technical accomplishment or the gameplay?

With today's gaming shift from the PC and super-console to less powerful handhelds and phones, there are valuable and seemingly forgotten lessons to be re-learnt here. Efficient code and game design using procedural generation saves on disk space and download times, and although the algorithms can be initially more complex and time consuming to program, the end result can be either endless gameplay with a unique play experience every time - or simply a seed-based design that saves the developer from time-consuming level and world creation.

Download the games here (from Hole's web site).
Download the games here (from the RGCD server).

Intergalactic Space Rescue (ZX Spectrum)

2013-03-15T12:41:00.000Z

Rescuing stranded space ships, lost in the inky black void of space – now that sounds like an exciting job, doesn't it? The ZX Spectrum has a long history of confounding expectation regarding the levels of excitement found in particular jobs. Trashman and Paperboy took the commonplace and mundane and made them fun. Unfortunately Intergalactic Space Rescue manages to defy expectation, and makes the fantastical rather mundane.

This game is by no means bad, but at its heart, it is a simple game of 'hotter/colder' where you move your ship around a small playfield trying to locate the hidden target. The 'signal strength' of the stranded ship indicates its proximity, and fuel depletes as you move. Fuel can be topped up at planets (which are sometimes revealed), asteroid belts use lots of fuel, and black holes transport you elsewhere on the map - thus helping or hindering you in your search. Running out of fuel means mission failure, although you can restart your mission, and there are 1000 levels to work through (procedurally generated, and repeatable with a seed code, so you can replay your favourite missions or continue from the place you got to when working through them all). Unfortunately, there is very little to encourage you to do this, as the game just isn't all that fun. Although the graphics are clean and the sound effects are nice, the requisite of a game – even a relatively simple puzzle game – is that it should entertain on some level, but Intergalactic Space Rescue quickly becomes rather tedious, and the motivation to make it all the way to level 999 rapidly diminishes.

Whilst the game itself might not be fantastic, Damian Walker should be applauded for making his source code available (which is well annotated throughout) and in this generous act providing an excellent tool for seeing behind the curtain of how ZX Spectrum assembly language programming should be done. It is just a pity that the final outcome, whilst polished, lacks the spark to keep the player interested. File under 'interesting technical showcase' rather than 'fun'.

Download the game and source code here (from the World Of Spectrum site).
Run it using Spectaculator (shareware) or Klive (freeware).

Super House of Dead Ninjas (PC)

2013-03-14T22:45:00.003Z

The superb Super House of Dead Ninjas (by Adult Swim Games and Megadev) started its life on Adult Swim's online platform. Back in August of last year, after a brief play of the game, I closed the window and bellowed my wishes for a proper desktop release out into the ether. Apparently, someone at Adult Swim was listening, because Super House of Dead Ninjas was recently released on Steam and, as promised, I bought it immediately. This remake of the original, much more low-fi House of Dead Ninjas simply knocks it out of the park.

The basic concept of SHoDN (as it will be known from here on out) is that the player, controlling scrappy heroine Crimson Ninja in her quest to traverse the tower and slay the demon Abarghus. Not only is the main character a fully capable, ass-kicking female - which is fantastic, given the current hot topic of negative female tropes in videogames - but she will gain access to an impressive arsenal of weaponry, stat boosters and ninja suits over the course of the game to rival the best of any digital hero(ine) out there! Crimson Ninja can also double jump in mid-air as well as perform a very handy downward strike to catch unsuspecting enemies on the descent.

Utilizing a simple and tight control scheme (arrow keys to move and jump, as well as keys for main and secondary attacks as well as bombs and magic) players will harness Crimson's aforementioned firepower and skills to travel ever downward, avoiding and destroying the many perils the seemingly endless tower has to offer. Ala Super Meat Boy, the levels present a number of tricky passageways and rooms to slash through, each with its own unique array of traps and monsters.

Traps vary from conveniently placed spikes to wooden stakes that drive up through the ground, slowing the player down as they are destroyed little by little, to statues that belch fire or emit waves of hadouken-like energy. Monsters are even more varied and number to almost 50. Every single enemy is different and exhibits a special attack, movement pattern, speed, and so on. Some of these baddies can be easily dispatched with one swipe of the player's chosen armament, and others are tougher or more evasive. To make things even more interesting, each descent into the tower is different due to clever randomization; while segments of rooms will be alike, they are arranged so that it is impossible to tell what will come up next - making for some very interesting (and deadly) combinations of these traps and ghoulies.

I, perhaps foolishly, skipped directly to "Hard" difficulty mode, and I wasn't disappointed. This game is not shy about being brutally difficult while never seeming unfair. The controls are so tight they are almost too tight; tap an arrow key for just a nanosecond too long and WHOOPS there you go into the spikes. Dammit. Time your double jump just wrong, dammit, stepped on a scorpion. I swore a lot when I played this game, but it was gleeful cursing, I swear.

Gleeful because SHoDN is an absolute perfect recipe for addiction as pleasure, for videogames as art and displays of skill, for being both unique and familiar. The gorgeous graphics remind me more of a 16-bit era Neo-Geo title than the implied Super Nintendo, exhibiting a particular penchant for sprite animation and detail (think Metal Slug) and dark ambiance (think Magician Lord). Every character and location seeps detail, from the loveable, snarky knitting ninja grandmother who guides you in your choice of gear to the painstaking appearance of each and every creature to cross your path. Once in a while, players are even treated to a bloody beheading or anime-style split-in-half death scene. The pumping chiptune soundtrack adjusts itself to the players progress, becoming faster and faster as the time clock ticks down. A Mortal Kombat style narrator with an echoing voice chastises or praises you occasionally with humorous phrases, my favorite being simply "you fail."

All of this loveliness is tied together with some of the most truly addictive gameplay I've experienced of late - not addictive like every game on the iOS App Store says it is, but truly addictive in a way that will appeal to hardcore players who like a varied, intelligent challenge that also requires lightning reflexes. Crimson Ninja must balance the need to move as quickly as possible with the simultaneous need to gather powerups... and stay alive. Players must decide in an instant how (and if) to kill a creature or to simply avoid it, whether to take the top path or bottom path, whether to use up a bomb destroying spikes and evade damage or hoard the bomb for use with an upcoming boss, and so on. Randomized level sections ensure that while players can master a segment, there are virtually infinite possibilities for how the tower can be assembled, thus assuring a challenge each time. Kill enough enemies in a row and enter 'rage' mode, enabling Crimson to plow through enemies in one hit, unharmed, for as long as she can keep the chain going.

As if that weren't enough, by accomplishing various achievements, she can unlock an impressive array of gear, custom suits, and powerups. Plus, players can even build their own custom levels to challenge their friends... or themselves.

I simply cannot praise SHoDN enough for what it's done for the endless genre. In a world that's constantly churning out lame Temple Run and Canabalt ripoffs, Adult Swim and Megadev have crystallized a near-perfect blend of endless run'n'jump, platformer and roguelike with a brutal difficulty level and polished panache that is just retro enough to get your juices flowing, yet modern enough to keep even the most veteran gamer satisfied.

Buy the game here (from the Steam page).
Play the original free flash version here (at Adult Swim Games).

Second Opinion

It's not very often that I write fan mail, but after downloading and playing SHoDN I was so gobsmacked by the quality of the artwork and game design that I wrote to both Jon Davies (artist) and Mike Tucker (code and design) to gushingly congratulate them on this masterpiece. It totally deserves that 5/5 mark, and the post-release addition of controller support cleared any gripes that I had with it completely (SHoDN plays far better via a joypad).

Peter neglected to mention one of my favourite aspects of the game in his otherwise spot-on review; the boss battles. Considering that these are a bolt-on for the Steam release, they are executed really well and compliment the procedural-platformer gameplay perfectly, providing a fresh, well-timed and memorable challenge to the player.

Other personal highlights include the radical 1990's style comic book (in the place of formal instructions and background story) and the skeletal 'Smither' you encounter every so often during your descent who offers the player a choice of three bonus items as well as some much needed respite from that dreaded timer. These seem like minor features, but along with everything else they combine to further enrich the experience of playing Super House of Dead Ninjas.

Indie game of the year 2013? Well, if it doesn't take the crown it'll be a close call.

J. Monkman.

Wasteland Kings (PC)

2013-03-11T20:53:00.000Z

As part of the 3-day Mojang & Humble Bundle run Mojam 2 (a live-streamed charity game jam that raised over $500K and resulted in Minecraft's Notch shaving off his beard), Vlambeer - the Dutch indie-heroes responsible for Super Crate Box and Gun Godz - created Wasteland Kings, an 8-way scrolling post-nuclear shmup featuring heroic, shotgun-wielding mutant fish, plants and silicon-based crystal lifeforms duking it out for supremacy and ownership of the blasted remains of human civilisation.

Using a 2.5D perspective, the game instantly bought back memories of the ancient DOS classic C-Dogs - albeit with a modern WASD and mouse control combo - and although there are only three different worlds and a small number of different enemy types, the fact that each level is generated randomly is enough to keep the experience from growing old. Add to that the five different player character classes (each with their own stats and special attack) and a frankly ludicrous arsenal of weaponry, it has to be said that compared to the other games created during the jam, Wasteland Kings is certainly the highlight.

Interestingly, traditional power-ups have been dropped from the game design in favour of a leveling-up system. Your mutant warrior collects plutonium capsules with each kill (as well as the occasional ammo or weapon drop) and if your radiation quota is full at the end of the level you can select a new mutation, giving your character special abilities (increased melee range, extra health, speed, etc.) and affecting gameplay (reduced enemy health, kills regenerating player health or ammo, and so on). This makes the game hugely replayable, with no two play-throughs ever alike. It's worth noting that your character maxes out at level 9, so some of the special powers (Plutonium Hunger, for example) are not really worth collecting.

Each world features three stages and comes with its own distinct array of enemies, with the desert home to maggot-filled carcasses, scorpions and Tusken Raider lookalikes, the dark and dank sewer populated by giant rats and the city/bunker/scrapyard with its army of stick-wielding robot ninjas. Treasure chests containing weapons and ammo are scattered throughout each maze, and upon killing the last enemy you are automatically sucked into a vortex and dropped into the next battle zone. After the first loop (level 10) things get really crazy, with the game throwing monsters at you from across the entire range. At these later stages it doesn't take long for your ammo to run dry and for the sheer number of enemies to overwhelm you - but, hell, it's hugely fun whilst it lasts. In fact, part of the reason you'll run low of ammo is because the weapons are extremely satisfying to use (the auto shotgun being a firm favourite here). It's just too easy to forget to use short, controlled bursts when you are spitting out flak all over the screen.

Combined with the special powers, interesting strategies can be explored by the player, such as using The Eyes' mind control power to line up enemies single file and pinning them all to the wall with a single crossbow bolt. The characters unique stats and powers offer different play modes to suit a variety of gaming styles; do you go for the tank-like Crystal with his shield, or opt for the Plant and his ability to spit out balls of vegetation, ensnaring enemies? Or what about Melting, with his ultra-low HP yet extremely lethal 'exploding corpses' special attack?

The presentation, again considering that the game was developed over three days, is exceptional. Paul Veer's artwork, that golden age arcade style he seems to pull off so effortlessly, suits the game perfectly - but it has to be said that more than anything else it is the music and sound effects that take centre stage in Wasteland Kings. Instead of the expected chip music and sfxr bleeps and buzzes, Jukio Kallio (Kozilek) delivers an atmospheric, movie-like soundtrack that ranges from headphone-blasting distorted percussion, feedback, moody guitar noodling, droning alien vocals and heavy synth bass - further complimented by Joonas Turners beefy explosions and mutant grunts and snarls. The soundtrack is actually available on its own EP from Kozilek's bandcamp page (priced at four euros) and is well worth checking out.

In conclusion, it's both inspirational and typically Vlambeer-ish that despite all the preparation work underway for the launch of Ridiculous Fishing (iOS) and the ongoing development of Luftrausers (Steam), Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman still found the time to collaborate in Mojang's event to produce this perfect slice of arcade pie. It's just a shame that only those who donated whilst the event was live on humble bundle will be able to sink their teeth into it. Here's hoping for a future Luftrauser-to-Luftrausers style future rework - at the very least Wasteland Kings deserves online scoreboards for each character class (or even offline, failing that) and dual-stick joypad controls would have been the cherry on top. With a little more work it could easily become their best game to date.

Wasteland Kings is not currently available to download!

Huenison (PC)

2013-03-10T23:55:00.003Z

It can be incredibly hard to provide a friend with honest criticism when asked to play-test their game during development. How honest should you be? Will brutal analysis put your friendship at jeopardy? Should you lie and say that it's great when actually it's the opposite? Are the faults actual problems or simply unfinished or unrefined features? It can be only too easy to completely demotivate a developer, and I suspect that often overly-harsh beta feedback is one of the contributing factors that result in so many game previews never progressing past that first milestone.

So when I was invited to play-test and give my views on Retream's new game Huenison last year (with a view to showcasing at our Play Expo stand), I found picking fault with the game quite a stressful experience - but not for any of the above reasons. Instead, the problem I had was actually finding complaints to report that didn't sound pathetic on my part. The game, even at that early stage, was excellent - and in the past months it has evolved and matured to become even better.

The first thing you've probably noticed from the screenshots is that the game has a rather unique visual style; Huenison uses a dot-matix display (click on the images to open them up full-size). Developer Simone 'saimo' Bevilacqua, creator of BOH, KOG, MEMO and Quod Init Exit explains;

"The first time I saw the dot-matrix stuff was in Pinball Fantasies on the Amiga, and it really made an impression on me - although Slam Tilt later used the same effect and took it to new heights. Creating a whole game in dot-matrix visuals is something that I have had in mind since 2003 - and, indeed, the first prototype of BOH was created like that!"

Similarly, the klystracker-composed soundtrack really stands out as something special, with an authentic SID-like sound that almost gives the impression of playing a Commodore 64 game - an illusion made stronger by Huenison taunting players 'Impossible Mission' style, using sampled speech recorded from a real C64, no-less. In fact, despite the game having an active development thread on the TIGSource forums, it was an early video of the work in progress title theme that first brought my attention to the project - Simone is that rare 'master of all' when it comes to game development, handling all areas of its creation alone.

Huenison's listed influences include Tetris, Vital Light, Qix, Oils Well and Bomberman, but it's the Vital Light inspiration that comes through strongest of all. A late commercial-era Amiga game, this simple arcade-puzzler involved shooting a coloured beam at descending blocks - the trick being that you had to cycle through the colours on your cannon quickly in order to take them out before they hit the bottom of the screen. Although it featured a number of interesting levels and block patterns, Vital Light's actual game design was sadly devoid of variety - but thankfully this is a problem that Huenison successfully avoids. Huenison follows a similar match-colour-and-shoot-descending-blocks formula, but without spoiling the surprise too much (the game really needs to be experienced from a fresh perspective), there are a staggering number of game modes, block types and scoring strategies that combine to form a whole that verges on being chaotic, but at the same time remains incredibly fun, accessible and well-balanced.

Unlike BOH, Simone's mission-based puzzle-riddled overhead dungeon-romp, Huenison drops depth and complex structure in favour of simple and addictive arcade gameplay. Your goal is to destroy a target number of blocks in each level, whilst avoiding crossing the zapper line at the top of the screen. Blocks that get past your defences and land on the bottom of the well cause the floor to raise, and every missed shot results in the deadly zapper lowering towards your tank - so it's not long before the play area becomes very claustrophobic.

Huenison's 25 levels start off very simply, providing the player with breathing space and introducing gameplay elements slowly via a fair difficulty curve - but thankfully not so slow as to annoy veterans looking to play through the game again to beat their online high score. In fact, it is easy to race through these early stages, but they also act as an excellent sandbox for experimenting with different play styles and block types, preparing the player for the onslaught ahead.

The mash-up of shmup and puzzle genres, intense gameplay and retro presentation may not win everyone over, but for those craving something different from the typically 'casual' block/colour-match market will find Hueinson very rewarding after investing some practice, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The Windows build of the game is currently finished and pending release (date and channels to be decided), but like Retream's other games Simone also has plans for another port - although it is not likely to be ready for the Windows launch.

"Ideally, I would like to release two versions: one for AOS4 (AmigaOS 4) and one for Windows. The game was mainly developed on my AmigaOne, a so-called next-generation Amiga computer, but the machine recently died for the second time. I don't know if it's because the CPU got fried again, but I'm currently too busy to look into it at the moment".

On the plus side, it's possible that the AOS4 version's release will coincide with a physical boxed copy of the game - which is something that I am personally looking forward to having in my collection.

Huenison is not currently available to download!