Take cover fast!
I remember those episodes of classic 80s TV shows like The A-Team, where they would trek through a jungle in some third-world country to rescue hostages held by the cartel. It was so cheesy and totally unrealistic, yet always entertaining. I really miss the 1980s, especially the TV shows and the music!
Anyway, let's not dwell too much because Jungle Hero takes us back to those days. It’s a straightforward game created in STOS for the Atari ST (not the STe) by Jason Holliday in 1989. There are just four screens, but the objective is simple - on the first screen, there’s a sleeping guard. Sneak up and take him out, but watch out for three twigs precariously lying on the ground. Breaking them will alert the guard.
The second and third screens are about ducking and dodging until you get close enough to take the shot. Unfortunately, I failed, so I jumped through and exploited an obvious bug in the code. The final screen’s a breeze - just shoot the boss holding the (invisible) hostage. Then, it's back to the beginning to repeat the whole thing, like an endless nightmare lol. I managed to rescue one prisoner, but that was as far as I got.
I think it's clear by now - this game is an absolute disaster. It’s awful beyond words. The controls are so finicky that even the smallest mistake gets you shot. The basic mechanics make no sense, and you just die over and over again. It's a constant cycle of frustration. Also, the graphics look like something I would have drawn, and the animations are a joke. Honestly, it’s probably the tackiest game I’ve ever played.
So why on God's green earth am I featuring Jungle Hero?
Easy. Because this is a brilliant game. It's ridiculous, makes no sense, and is mind-numbingly pointless. However, I kept on playing. I couldn't stop. Not only that but the death scenes are incredible, packed with 'gore'. There might only be four badly designed and senseless screens, but trust me, you’ve got to give this a go.
Jungle Hero is so bad it's great! No, it's actually terrible but I absolutely loved it.
He's fast asleep but too far away. Tread carefully and shoot him when close enough.
You're supposed to be able to duck from his firing but I found that impossible.
This giant won't even shoot if you hop towards him like Bugs Bunny!
One final shot rescues the hostage. Not them all, just one...
I thought this was going to be a Jungle Hunt clone from ATARI 8bit...
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