Rotor

Another one for my collection

In the not-too-distant future, everything will be impossibly expensive. Jobs will become very scarce with no decent opportunities for the majority of us (yikes, what a surreal prediction). Hmm, perhaps we should move on quickly? Anyhow, there is the prospect of joining the Roto-Raiders who pilot huge tanks through dangerous caverns for a lucrative reward. Only the brave need apply because the missions are deadly.

Dare you sign up? You said yes? Really? Yeah... Of course, we do, so count me in!

Gravitar-Esque games are popular for the Atari ST. We have killers that are extraordinarily awesome - Oids and Thrust instantly come to mind. That means Arcana had to bring something new to the table in order to stand out from the crowd. Plus, I naturally had high expectations considering the strong competition!

Before we crack on, I bought Rotor off eBay, so let's look at all the goodies...

It's hardly in perfect condition, but it's pretty good, and I like the design too.

  
Mind-blowing content? It's minimalistic, but it's a piece of hiSTory.

Get to it, I wanna blow stuff up!

Rotor is like Thrust, with tasks split into separate missions. We begin with a training simulator to learn the controls, how to collect items, and kill the many different types of enemies. This is a great way to understand the basics and to learn (or rather grasp) the technical user interface. Oh, and the training needs to be fully completed before moving on to the real missions. That sounds like a con, but it is a good thing.

You can attempt each mission in different environments - earlier levels are tame compared to the torturous ones later. Every cavern has antagonists (as the manual loves to say) who are enemies like Cannons, Laser Guns and Gravity Generators. Some can be destroyed, whereas others can be temporarily disabled.

Our spaceship is a large circular craft with adequate manoeuvrability. Physics plays a part, so there is gravity to consider, and you can only accelerate in the current facing direction. The caverns are vast yet claustrophobic, owing to the ship's size and its lacklustre abilities (which feel leaden compared to Thrust or Oids).

All missions require completing requirements, such as shooting Container Pods to retrieve their contents. Destroying them and killing the enemies rewards extra points. All this is within the time constraints of limited fuel and armour. Once you're finished, exit coordinates detail where to go to escape.

Simple stuff, so let's take a peep at a couple of early screenshots...

The training missions are a fantastic way to learn the ropes.

In this simulator, we only need to shoot (and then collect) what's in that box. Easy!

Power-ups & other stuff

Rotor could have been a simple game of shooting/collecting stuff. But it's not. Arcana obviously thought this would be far too boring, so jazzed it up with pointless clutter. Let's begin with its user interface...

• On the left-side is a map showing your position, and the dots above it represent your remaining lives. The coordinates of the zeros will change once the mission is complete to indicate the rendezvous exit location (the other coordinates are your current location). The three icons between these are 1) the time before a bomb explodes. 2) The time until a disabled laser resumes. 3) The required number of crystals for exit coordinates.
• At the bottom of the screen is the radar, which shows helpful information such as the state of your armour, cargo, and remaining fuel. However, it also displays potential enhancements that can be gained by collecting pearls. For example, the second icon is for the ship's rotational speed. The third icon improves upon its lethargic thrust.

Hang on, what was that about Container Pods and Pearls? Container pods offer a variety of goodies, such as fuel, upgrades, explosives (potential traps), and sun crystals (to exit). Pearls significantly affect performance: collect two, and the ship rotates faster. Pick up a third, and you can upgrade the thrusters.

I cannot help but wonder why they needed to be earned rather than come as standard? It feels unnecessary to upgrade the ship during a mission instead of concentrating on the task. Too convoluted.

Let's take another look at some more screenshots from my victorious venture...

Blast those gun turrets before attempting to sneak by.

Things are getting hectic in Lego land, which is very difficult to manoeuvre through.

Tips and level codes!

• Don't even think about skipping the training missions. Trust me!
• Bombs automatically activate after first shooting the pod. You have two options, leave the screen safely and survive or collect the extra cargo and take it home.
• Beware of how much cargo you're carrying. Extra weight means a slower ship using more fuel.
• Watch the walls, take your time and let the scrolling catch up with you.
• If something is able to shoot at you then it's best to shoot that first and clear the way.
• I hate to say this, but don't worry about ship upgrades as this wastes time (and fuel).
• I said don't skip the training but, if you really can't wait, here are the level codes:

Level 1 = GAG,

Level 2 = LIP,

Level 3 = SLY,

Level 4 = MEW,

Level 5 = AWE,

Level 6 = TNT.

 

As tough as it is, it's groovy-looking. Must admit, I do love the weird palette!

Argh, this level looks so passive but is insane! I died straight after taking this screenshot.

Input & Output

Controls are as familiar: fire button to (erm) fire, upwards to thrust, and left/right rotates your craft. I doubt there would be any reason to change this asteroid-ripping formula, as it's tried and tested. However, my problem is the craft's manoeuvrability, which is too sluggish by default, and that's a bit rubbish.

Graphically, Rotor is lovely, with a futuristic/Tron-like feel for the training simulator. Later levels look funky with colour and a design that feels 8-bit in some respects. The screen scrolls in four directions smoothly, but it will struggle to keep up with your ship if you go too fast. At least that forces you to be more careful!

The sounds are acceptable, albeit not the best you've heard. There are effects for the engine, shooting, enemies, etc. They hold back the deafening silence of space and make Rotor pretty much what you expect.

I think it's time for the final run of sexy screenshots...

Later levels are far too hard (for me) because there's too much going on for your sluggish ship.

Another later level, which has far too much going on for my reactions to cope with!

The CryptO'pinion?

I've enjoyed Rotor but not as much as I should have. Don't get me wrong, Rotor has good points like the training missions and groovy graphics. However, it complicates what should be a fun time for no decent reason. The most frustrating aspect is the need to upgrade ships during the game rather than after each stage.

There's a lot to moan about, I guess? I have enjoyed Rotor, it's good to play and something new. But let's not kid ourselves, it's bordering on mediocre compared to Thrust and Oids. Close but no cigar!

• PP has adapted Rotor to run from a hard drive, making it the best option.
• Atari Legend has a cool floppy disk.