Xiller

Killing Time

This is a Defender shooter that throws us straight into the action as we blast wave after wave of aliens across ten levels. It was released in 1990 by Billy Allan (Wheee the Fibble) and developed using STOS. I'd never even heard of Xiller until recently, which is hardly surprising considering the stiff competition.

Obviously, this shooter revolves around clearing each wave while avoiding collisions and incoming attacks, with the screen becoming increasingly crowded as more enemies join to annihilate you. Early levels are easy, but the challenge ramps up with enemies that actively track your movements. Thankfully, our ship is armed with an unlimited supply of ammunition, although there is a catch. Hammer the fire button too quickly, and your laser loses its range and hits nothing! So it pays to slow down when hitting that fire button.

An extra life is awarded after each level, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the documentation claiming things get tough after about level 7 or 8 and then saying no one will finish the game because it’s too difficult. Even Billy admitted he couldn’t finish it himself, despite being the creator. I love his honesty.

Okay, only seconds into this game reveals it's nothing close to being another Defender II, or Anarchy. But wait a second, it's PD and still plays well with balanced gameplay that's great fun. Also, everything scrolls smoothly, even if there are some odd collision-detection issues. The gameplay is very good, and the enemies are dumb. Although I liked their strange dive-bombing tactics and the way they surrounded you.

It lacks the speed and excitement of the previously mentioned shooter, but if those are too frantic for you, give Xiller a go. What's impressive is it being written in STOS by one fella. With that in mind, it's good in a crude sort of way. I can’t explain it better than that. I enjoyed this - nice work Wheee the Fibble lol.

• Head over to 8BitChip to install Xiller onto your hard drive.
• Atarimania has the floppy disk version.
• Billy made (wait for it) Frank And The Lost Aubergine, which I played for Serenade #78.
• What, you need more Defender in your life? Better click here then!
• Xiller appears to use the Blitter, but I saw no actual benefit. Do you? If so, which computer did you use? Let me know, as I'd love to add it to the Enhanced Games List.

Can you beat my high score?