Wings Of Death

Quick play

Wings Of Death is a vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up that supports the extra bits 'n' bobs lurking within the Atari STe. It's a stunning production with gorgeous graphics and beautiful audio matched by the killer gameplay. Despite my joystick skills, I've recorded another video because I love this shooter. Even though I'm terrible at it!!

And here are some screenshots to drool over. Okay, convinced now? Right then, download WoD!!!

Eye Of Horus

Walk like an Egyptian...

I've been trolling through my old videos and found Logotron's Eye Of Horus. I remember this platformer thanks to its confusing labyrinths with many peculiar enemies. I was impressed but oddly, left feeling a little cold too. It's one of those games that looks, sounds and plays great but it has relentless enemies. Kinda like Black Lamp in this respect.

We are the hawk-headed God, Horus, a good fella for the ancient Egyptians. Our task is to explore the labyrinths of Osiris' burial chamber because he was murdered by Set who scattered his body parts everywhere. We need to collect them and rebuild him. It sounds cool and quite gross but it's time that I revisited this peculiar platformer for a second go.

So, let's waste no more time talking, and get him rebuilt like the six-million-dollar mummy...

I think Eye Of Horus nails the ancient Egyptian scenario perfectly using awesome visuals.

Hard as nails

The ancient tomb contains many traps and even the decor appears angry, so finding the body parts is not going to be easy. Thankfully, being a demigod means we have the ability to morph into a hawk, even if birds don't have any hands to carry things... Keys and Amulets can be used - from operating particular elevators to summoning other so-called gods.

I can see why I originally felt overwhelmed: the level design is pretty confusing at times which isn't helped by the repetitive backgrounds. The mechanics behind the elevators/coloured keys are unnecessarily rubbish plus I think that there are far too many amulets. All enemies are unique and it's peculiarly funny when the fixtures and fittings begin wobbling in anger. Well, at least our demigod is armed with a paper gun! No, really we are lol

Sounds rather strange yet uniquely intriguing? Well, at least the graphics suit the theme...

Okay, Okay, let's keep this civil... but Hall Of Light has awesome maps, which I feel are essential.

Aesthetics

Graphically, this game is gorgeous and reminds me of how a game of Stargate might have looked. It also reminds me of Death Trap and its intro whiffs of Ice Palace. Anyhow, the scrolling is super-smooth with gorgeous animations and the hieroglyphic backgrounds are stunning. This is a beautiful platformer and a lot of love went into its design.

Sound effects are very zesty and accompanied by gorgeous Whittaker music. Not his best but still superb.

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a cunning platformer with lots to offer. It's different and I loved exploring the tomb but the ability to flip into a hawk is a genius move albeit with its own restrictions. Just have a pen and paper ready to make a map (until the right amulet is found). Overall, I still found it confusing in terms of memorising the map plus the constant onslaught of enemies does not help. The only way you're gonna love this game is if you are willing to put in the hours (pun intended)

Otherwise, don't bother because this fantastic platformer demands your time and respect. I hope you play it.

Budding Daniel Jackson wannabes can download Eye Of Horus for floppy or hard drive.

Strider

Ugh, another lame Amiga port?

I remember reading the review for Strider in ST Format which basically said it was great. And, although the ST version had smaller sprites, the gameplay was faster and better than on the Amiga. I foolishly believed them and wasted my cash on a game I could not play. Boy, this was nothing more than another terrible Tiertex port I thought!! I recently gave it a silly mention and wasn't too kind when I remembered its eye-popping scrolling and ridiculous difficulty.

Since then I've mellowed - and I've also come to realise that my gaming skills suck (well, there's a shocker). So, I figured I should give it another go. And you know what, I think I'm not only older but also a lot wiser. Well, ahem... Anyhow, almost three decades have passed since I last played this game so let's see what I think of Strider today.

Before we begin, here's a screenshot of the opening start to this wonderful arcade platformer...

The first level is unique and kinda Ruskie. This is the place you'll learn the controls and that swoosh!

Me? Wrong? Never!

Well, after several games, I still found it extremely difficult and failed to beat the first boss - a Flash Gordon wannabe. However, eventually, I did it!! But then fire rained down and halted my cries of joy. Thankfully, I beat him on my second attempt and proceeded to a whacky level that I absolutely enjoyed, but was also wishing was larger. Sadly, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't beat the next boss so that was that and I gave up [see the first part of my video recording]

For some odd reason, I felt brave and booted up Strider once again only to enjoy my greatest success. Heck, I even beat the worm thingy and made it onto the following stage - which I've never seen before. This starts off great with big cats that wanted to eat me before a giant mechanical creature thing tried its luck. Banging on the fire button proved profitable and I beat him quite easily but I died later by a circular saw which came outta nowhere. Quite unfair as it's impossible to see it approaching off-screen... [see the second part of my video recording]

Oh, how time flies and can also change the perception of many things. Games being one! Check this out...

That swoosh is absolutely superb as are the enormous monsters. Love it!!

Aesthetics

Graphically, Strider is beautiful. From the very start, it looks the part and I think they did a cracking job of converting the arcade backdrops over to the much-lower-resolution ST. The sprites are just freaking incredible - they all look impressive and some are huge. This is a beautiful game but, of course, something had to give for all that glam and that means we have a slightly reduced play area and the scrolling isn't nearly as smooth as it should be. Don't get me wrong, the scrolling is good and works very well but dies alongside other ST games, like Turrican.

The audio is tremendously entertaining, I love the beautiful tunes which are so apt for this conversion. From the very start, I was hooked, just click on the green arrow below to see what I mean. The effects aren't massive in quantity but who doesn't enjoy swooshing through each level? Yes, I love that swoosh lol. I think they did a great job all-round.

Okay, before I give my opinion this needs to be said: Dear ST Format, I've hated your review for years but today I hold my hands up and apologise for that!! After all these years, you was bang-on correct so please forgive me! You guys rocked and I shall blame my old opinion on my poor skills ;p

The CryptO'pinion?

Strider is absolutely superb so now I'm tempted to whack on the trainer and play through to the end? Okay, the scrolling could have been better but the gameplay is furious and makes the Amiga conversion look dull as dishwater. Strider is sleek and with bucketloads of fun so don't be a fool and load it up right now. More fool me, brilliant game!

Klaz has a spiced-up version for both floppy & hard drives (it includes an option for faster gameplay)

Aaargh!

Aaargh?

Sometimes, I don't want to play a life-sucking adventure or learn the ins and outs of some RPG. Sometimes, I just wanna smash up stuff and then feast on many annoying human beings. Well, today I loaded up Aaargh! by Melbourne House which is basically Rampage and we can be a giant ogre or a fire-breathing dragon.

Destroy buildings, kill attacking critters, eat stupid humans and then collect an egg trophy. Watch out for the angry yocals and various dangerous critters so conserve energy by eating what you find - or those tasty humans!! Once you have the egg, it's time for a (terrible) battle with a beastie opponent before plundering the next village.

The controls are a little clumsy because our beastie must be facing in the right direction to pick up items and perform specific attack moves. Sadly, we can be knocked to the ground far too easily which is very frustrating when waiting for him to get up - and that gives other nasties more than enough time to creep up on you once again...

It's not Rampage, but it's still fun for an hour and who doesn't enjoy burning homes before eating the angry villagers? Aaargh! might be utter rubbish but I actually enjoyed it. Of course, I'm mad but it's great fun being mad!

I found this screen pretty awkward to walk around.


This is a great level and nothing is better than killing the native peasants!!


Oh no, this looks scary. Love that face in the rock!

Rainbow!!

I've just been laughing my ST socks off at one of my oldest video recordings on YouTube. Rainbow might not mean much to many around the globe but, here in dear old Blighty, it was one of the most popular children's TV shows for about 25 years. I really miss Zippy lol. Enjoy what is an amazing demo that pushes the Atari STe to its limits. Erm, honest...

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for lots of great Atari ST videos!!

Joust

Let's go medieval!

Joust is a cracker - whether solo or with a mate - and all you need is medieval chainmail and a flying ostrich. I think this is one of those games that everyone loves so I figured that I should record a video demonstrating different versions? This also includes Winglord, an awesome take on the theme for the Atari STe.

Note: I used OpenEmu to emulate the Atari 2600/5200/7800 and Hatari for the Atari ST/e computers. My recording is best viewed directly on YouTube as each part is linked within its description.

Okay, let's start at the beginning and see what's what in the jousting world...



- A T A R I  2 6 0 0 -
First up is the Atari 2600 which I'm saddened to report I did not enjoy nearly as much as I was expecting. I don't know what it is, but I didn't gel with this version at all. Yes, the gameplay was quick and fun but I was also left a little baffled as to why I wasn't enjoying it that much. I guess that I never felt totally comfortable with the controls.

However, I will say that the sound effects are typically 2600 and very raspy! This is what I absolutely love about the machine because it's so cool. Ultimately, I came away feeling cold so this isn't something I'll return to.

- A T A R I  5 2 0 0 -
I'll always be the first to admit that I'm a noob concerning old consoles but the Atari 5200 never seems to disappoint me. Once again, it delivers the goods with a fascinating conversion that is fast and frantic but always fun and well-balanced. And it's that what I enjoyed the most for maximum, fair and balanced, gameplay.

Okay, the graphics aren't exactly pushing this machine but that doesn't matter at all. The sound effects are a brilliant step up from those on the 2600 (which I loved). The 5200 knocks it out of the park with a killer and zany experience. Looks bad, sounds great, and plays even better. What a fantastic version of Joust this is!!

- A T A R I  7 8 0 0 -
Next up is the obscure Atari 7800 and what a tough conversion this machine brought to the table. It's pretty much as you would expect, so more of the same Joust'y goodness. In fact, it looks, sounds and plays superbly well but is it a hard nut to crack. Over and over (and over again) I would fail miserably and I began to question why I bother!

Like the 5200, I found the controls perfect even if I failed to progress much (and that's an understatement). This version could/should have been the best of the lot but it's just so darn difficult. Make sure you watch my video for a hilarious end to this game - I think this sums up my luck rather well with this game?

- A T A R I  S T -
Onto the Atari ST and the boys did a fantastic job. After a peculiar title screen, we are greeted with detailed sprites and lovely animations - they sure look the part!! The gameplay is spot-on perfect thanks to awesome mechanics. This is a belting conversion that I find hard to fault because it's fun to play without the irritation of being too difficult.

I'm trying not to sound like an ST fanboy but I genuinely had the most fun here. A perfect 10/10.

Floppies can be found via Old Games Finder but install to a hard drive if you can.

- A T A R I  S T e -
Winglord by Victor Bruhn is something possibly unknown to many and it runs on both ST computers - but is best on the Atari STe thanks to Blitted graphics and lots of funky DMA sounds. There are a number of changes, like unicorns and yellow jackets so it's hardly an authentic clone. Which I'm glad of. Plus I love how the unicorns strut their stuff and did I mention that we have missiles? Oh yeah!! Winglord is a magnificent alternative to Joust.

Updated May 2021 - https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/2021/05/winglord.html