Impossamole

Monty Mole made it onto the Atari ST!!

I loved Monty Mole on my ZX Spectrum, so I had high expectations of Impossamole. I was soon shocked to see a number of critical changes had been made and not always for the better. Why do they do that?

There are five huge levels to explore, and you can begin on any of the first four; the fifth is locked until these are completed. Each is very different with its own unique environment, bad guys, and cruel traps. Weirdly, this is now a scrolling platformer rather than the original flick-screen as seen in most games from that era.

However, the most shocking of all is that Monty can now fight back using karate kicks and weapons. It's a nice idea if the kicks were effective, and the weapons were plentiful and fun to use. Guess what, they're not. Monty suddenly turning into a version of Chuck Norris doesn't fit with the original theme anyhow.

At least there's no Arthur Scargill

My first game began as an exciting stroll through memory lane with many familiar sights in a mining environment. However, my fun ended thanks to the basic mechanics, which failed miserably. Things might appear nice, but each level is impossibly tricky with enemies that know your every move - before you make it.

Monty only has one life, and it's not long until a couple of monsters have zapped your energy and "Game Over" comes all too soon. Sure, Monty can try to fight back with his kicks, but those legs are way too short to be useful. The weapons are a neat idea, but they're too few and far between. Nice idea, badly executed.

My thoughts? As I said earlier, fighting back doesn't work, and it goes against the grain of what makes a Monty Mole game. The weapons are rubbish and his kicks are too short - well - moles have little legs! This whole concept feels like an idea bolted onto the game. It does not work!

Impossible Mole!

It doesn't matter which level I played; the name Impossamole lives up to the expectations of being literally impossible. Every level will need to be pre-played to learn the unfair and irritating traps that make no sense. Not to mention the enemies, which are often impossible to kill and can appear from nowhere, too.

That might sound 'fair' for a platformer, but it doesn't work; the weaponry isn't good enough, and the difficulty is constantly off the scale. Terrible, and incessantly far too tough. Whoever beta tested this game and then thought to themselves, "Yes, it's ready", needs to be shot. Okay, I'm 30 years late - but shoot him anyway!

Can you tell I am absolutely gutted that I'm whinging about this? I was really excited too.

Graphics and Sounds?

Visually, this is beautiful, with each level looking absolutely incredible. The attention to detail is stunning, with highly detailed areas and sprites, plus everything moves along smoother than a hot knife in soft butter. To say it's impressive is an understatement because it's brilliant in every respect. I have zero complaints.

The scrolling... Well done @Andy Green!! Nailed it. No lame Amiga port here, folks.

The title music is a rendition of the Rob Hubbard classic and is chiptune magic. This is something I can leave playing in the background all night long. The same cannot be said for the sparse sound effects!

The CryptO'pinion?

I don't know what to make of Impossamole. Technically, it's well-programmed with great visuals and interesting levels. It appears to have it all. However, it's far too difficult, thus infuriating without enjoyment. Fancy doing the opposite of what was needed and releasing a game that's no fun? Ugh, what was Core thinking?

Impossamole could easily have been another Rick Dangerous, but alas, it's the weakest Monty game in the entire series. I'm tempted to add Impossamole to my list!! Arrrgh, I hated it, but I hated hating it.

If you're curious, then floppies can be downloaded with a hard disk version by D-Bug.