Crackman was released for the Atari STe by Teenage [Pung] and has one of the most idiotic storylines I've ever heard - make sure you read the docs. Okay, I'm sure you've already guessed, Crackman is a PacMan clone but is also one of the most challenging I have ever played. Well, that's an understatement actually...
The maps are huge with a crafty design but it's the ghosts that cannot fail to impress with insanely intelligent AI. This dictates practice before considering matching wits as their AI isn't like previously seen, it's more like Lode Runner. My first game almost ended in tears - I needed many more attempts before recording a video.
Along with the crazy storyline are a few surprises like mines, hidden walls and power pad support. I love the ghosts and our little pill-popper has a full set of teeth but my favourite is when he dies and turns into a puddle of gore. The Atari STe produces silky smooth 50fps hardware scrolling and superb DMA audio.
Everyone knows Pac-Man but if you thought it was boring then take a look at this - I dare you!! Is it better than Crapman? I don't know... but what I do know is that we have yet another excellent Pac-Man game!!
This demo was released at Silly Venture 2013 by Genesis Project and is amazing. No, it's outstanding and I love ElefantaSTic because it breaks from the norm with unique and stunning styles. Plus the artwork is superb with beautiful effects and a perfectly apt chiptune. This is one of my personal favourites and is downloadable from Demozoo.
I've always had a spark of curiosity for Rogue but also wondered why I should bother with a "roguelike" when I could crawl within the realms of Dungeon Master. Of course, I'm being silly as players crawled long before; spending their lunch breaks in a text-based dungeon looking for the Amulet of Yendor! Epyx released our sexy conversion back in 1986 and it's essentially the same venture through the Dungeons of Doom but we have fantastic graphics to replace the original text (no complaints from me! lol).
The dungeons may look primitive but suit the atmosphere and I love it!! For me, it's the monsters that look the best as these are superbly drawn - I love the Ice Monster the most. And the Zombie looks like he's about to get down and boogie. Pressing the Enter key will zoom out to display and the entire map - viewed full screen. This is probably favourable to the purist using a more traditional oldskool view of the dungeon? Monsters are then represented by letters, ie: B for Bat, R for Rattlesnake, Z for Zombie, etc...
Which visual display style is best for you? Let's take a look at both in these screenshots...
Carefully explore all unique locations and zoom out to see the map...
This is great and allows you to see the entire map.
Let the adventure begin!
From the start, we're introduced to the adventure schematics that allow us to explore in relative safety with only minor baddies to contend with. This is a good learning curve because a novice adventurer (ie, me) appreciates it. However, having said that take a look at my screenshot from a recent game. Wow, quite an incredible gang of nasties, I'm sure you'll agree? But this is also a testament to the game's ability to randomly generate interesting scenarios with each attempt. So, Rogue will always feel different each time you decide to boot it up.
Directional control of our little explorer is done using the ST's keypad which can be used in combo with the mouse. I prefer to use the keyboard for everything. There are other useful functions such as ALT/click to identify objects/creatures. Pressing F1 duplicates your last action with other shortcuts like 0 to rest and '.' to search (repeated searches give the best results). Try it keyboard only and I'm sure you'll agree.
Rogue is an ARPG meant to be enjoyed from the start to death/victory. Once you've been beaten, you are buried and this is permanent. You can save your progress but, coming back to continue is only allowed once (as that file is deleted). Hence, permadeath - it may sound unfair but works well to suit the original.
Hey, do you fancy a couple more Rogue screenshots? What? Really? I knew you did...
There's so much to this old dungeon crawler.
Looks like I'm carrying a lot. Fancy a chomp on my food?
Beware, you're not alone!
The enemies are a wild bunch; from traditional beasts like Snakes, Zombies and Bats to fantasy spooks like Ice Monsters, Hobgoblins and even Emus. Yes, there are emus down there! It's worth noting that not every character is immediately aggressive so it's advisable to try and tiptoe around a Leprechaun, a Nymph or a Centaur. I only wish Trolls and Wraiths had that relaxed temperament as they are mean - how good is your defence?
Fight using swords, axes and more but there are also magical scrolls and potions which perform a variety of uses like illuminating the dungeons, increasing health, weapon strength, and much more. However, not all are good so you may wish to empower yourself with the ability to identify any obscure items you may be carrying. After all, you might mistakingly conjure a demon or leave yourself blind in the darkness.
Like the dungeon, both enemies and objects are randomly generated so you never get to perform the same battle twice or know the location of items. This is one of the many things that makes Rogue special.
Let's put the reading on pause whilst you gander at a couple more screenshots...
Some kind soul has left food and it's not rotten.
Oh no, a Centaur appears and he's not happy!
Tricks and traps
Rogue has many hidden traps. So if something doesn't feel right, remember to search and you might just uncover a hidden passage. Watch out for teleporters that will zap you to another part of the map or maybe even drop you down a level. Gas sends you to sleep and bear traps are dangerous and require a few turns to escape their clutch. Avoid the temptation of a Nymph who might sneak something from your inventory - and I laughed when battling a Leprechaun as he actually managed to rob me of my gold. O_o
Rogue has aspects which are traditional yet amusing like being caught by cursed clothing which is impossible to remove without using the right spell to counteract it. I travelled for five levels before being able to remove a nasty piece of cursed chainmail. Cursed clothing, who'd have thunk it? Irritating but humorous too.
Finally, remember to look after yourself and watch those stats. Food is sparse down in the dungeons, so collect everything and only stop for a bite when it's absolutely needed. The action is lurking around every corner but a careful adventurer will find tactical exploring to be both enjoyable and rewarding. Think before you act.
Can you tell that I'm enjoying Rogue? This game is hot stuff and it's now screenshot time...
Carefully, I sneak by the old bat (insert mother-in-law joke)
Beware of leprechauns on level 7... $$$
Aesthetics?
Nobody loads up Rogue to be blown away by dazzling visuals but this is actually better than I imagined. I love how the dungeons look; bright, colourful and quite bare. It looks the business and feels like a graphical upgrade on the original but without ruining it. As I said earlier, the best parts are the sprites and those little iddy-biddy monsters lurking in the dungeon is fantastic. They are updated yet faithful to the theme.
The Sound effects are authentic to the original, ie there aren't any! Well, little beyond the default clicks & dings we're all used to as ST owners, which is perfectly fine and natural to what Rogue is all about. However, I'd have liked an option to turn off the clicks without having to resort to using something like XControl.
I had an idea for my video recording - that's at the top of this page - so scroll back up. I wanted to replace the silence with something eerie using the Atari STe ACCessory: STe Background Audio Player. This plays samples using the DMA coprocessor and works tremendously well without any slowdown. Let me know what you guys think?
We're almost at the end of this gripping review so here are the last screenshots...
Use this view for a bigger image of your dungeon and keep stock of the inventory.
The fun didn't last long ... I only reached level 7. Yikes!
The CryptO'pinion?
As I write, I've reached level 14 which is an outstanding feat for me! However, Rogue has cranked up the difficulty a lot since level 9 and I'm struggling. I'm low on supplies and suffered heavily when fighting a Wraith and a Troll. I need to rest and hope nothing creeps up while I'm vulnerable. Hang on, I've just found a healing potion and a spell to confuse the monsters. There is so much to this fascinating game!!
Yes, Rogue is easy to get into and extremely rewarding. I'm still learning the ropes of this immense dungeon crawler and have only scratched the surface. Rogue thrills and excites this old gamer and I am loving every minute of my tremendous adventure. This is quite possibly one of the best Atari ST games I've played.
That's right, this is an adventurer's masterpiece. Absolutely wonderful and highly recommended!!
ST Format #42 featured The Fractal Engine by Daniel Grace and Mike Harris. I love programs like this and, after a couple of hours of tinkering, I began creating some rather funky images. This superb program is capable of creating impressive images using tripped-out colourful effects - if you have the spare time?
Features of The Fractal Engine v3.0
17 different fractal types, including 11 Mandelbrot/Julia pairs and Lindemayer Systems
Divide and conquer algorithms, with fixed-point arithmetic
Zoom animation and Julia Set morph batch processing
3-Dimensional Mandelbrot and Julia landscapes
480, 16 colour palettes
Simple but effective image compression
The Fractal Engine delivers exquisite results and is extremely easy to use. Oh no, does this mean I'm turning into a groovy hippie? I hope not!! Anyhow, I hope you like my images which were all calculated using my own Atari STe. (Thanks to Michael Keenleyside for this link to the latest version)
What's more fun than creating trippy images on your Atari computer? Nothing. Yep, that's right.
Only this morning did ST Survivor ask me for a video recording of Quartet, a new game based on the original, by Photonstorm. The task is to place pieces of four faces, into four slots, in four separate areas with bonuses awarded for a whole face. Watch my video recording and you will see that it's simpler than it reads - and very addictive!
I love finding YouTube channels with great Atari ST content and The New Retro Show is one such place to get my fix. It's run by a fella with a beard, called Mike! He's been addicted to the ST since he first got to play Dungeon Master (there's a shocker) and currently owns two machines: a Mega STe and a 1040 ST.
After watching his video I came up with the idea for a challenge and suggested a few games that have appeared on AtariCrypt: Chubby Gristle, Cybernoid, Zynaps, along with others. Shockingly, he actually agreed to the challenge (Muwhahaha!!) and released the first Ironman Challenge which you can watch here.
My thanks to Mike for taking on my silly challenge but I am now looking forward to the second part!!
Whitewater Madness was under development in 1989 by Scott Williamson and Ed Schneider for Atari. With great faith, it was specifically designed for the new Atari STe (possibly one of the first games to utilise the enhanced hardware). The game was finished but never released which is disappointing, to say the least.
This is a shoot 'em up taking place on a river; imagine what would happen if you took Toobin' and then slapped in a dollop of river-raid's violence. You will have Whitewater Madness, a vertically scrolling shooter that has us sailing down a bizarre stretch of water through space and time like Dr Who.
In Atari's wisdom, they decided not to bother releasing it. It was left gathering dust in the halls of the forgotten. I love Atari for giving us the ST/STe computers but their marketing skills tested our patience! Well, cheer up because I have a treat for you - the full and finished version of Whitewater Madness to download and play for yourself. That's right... the disks have been found, and I've been given precious copies - by the developer!!
Note, for many years there has been a demo version available to download. Do not bother with that. It's a lame and very old beta which plays nothing like this final release you will find here.
Are you excited? I know I am, so let's see a screenshot and find out more about this game...
The controls are superb but you can also use the rapids for additional effect.
A Toobin' River Raid?
We sail a magical river in our little Pod to search for green energy cells. Why I don't but, but collect them to raise your Warp Energy levels to maximum capacity - so we can travel further through time. If successful, we are presented with an information screen telling us how good (or bad) we did. However, if you failed to collect the required amount then you're sent back to the start again to do it all over again. (I saw that a lot)
Our dinghy is equipped with a rapid-firing mounted gun! This is a good job because we are under a constant onslaught of hazards and weird creatures. Avoid dangers such as rocky rapids, mines, artillery and other crazy stuff like kamikaze dinosaurs - who love to leap from the shores. It's absolutely insane!! There are lots causing mayhem; cavemen, something that resembles a pterodactyl, a giant turtle, and centaurs.
The controls are dead easy to get to grips with - and superbly responsive. I love the directional method that works for fast and efficient guidance down our insane river raid. Picking up green "L" pills will recharge the Pod and stop it from going BOOM but these are few, so collect as many as possible - quickly.
Let's take a break to check out another screenshot from this crazy Toobin...
Those rapids are ace but you better watch out for the nasties - like kamikaze dinosaurs!
An Atari STe game that never was!
Old gamers (me!) will love the graphics that are kinda 8-bit in style. It feels like something you'd expect of a console because of its traditional palette and dinky sprites. They are small, with little animation, but nicely detailed. With one exception, a hostile kamikaze dinosaur that loves to leap from the shores!!
Scott informed me the Blitter co-processor was used to handle the visuals. And it shows with brisk movements that keeps up perfectly with the player and the hectic action without any trouble.
The sound effects are pretty nice with lots of shooting, explosions, and more. The DMA coprocessor is used and is super-duper. However, I must admit to being disappointed with the title music because it sounds like it's using low-frequency samples and is "STFM" in quality. A bit odd considering what the STe is capable of.
Fancy another screenshot? Of course, you do so here you go...
Watch out for dinosaurs, mines, birds, riverside cavemen and lots more!
The CryptO'pinion?
Whitewater Madness has the hallmarks of a fantastic arcade game and is something I'd expect to see on an Atari console. I love the frantic Toobin-style action which is perfectly balanced yet challenging without feeling impossible. There's much going on and I think this is an excellent action/shoot 'em up.
Why Atari didn't release this is unbelievable! It's a great game, so sails into the seas of retro gaming gold!! It's simple, it's fun and it's now available to download after being 'lost' for three decades. That alone makes it extra special so enjoy what would have been one of the first Atari STe games. A delightful arcade game!!
The ST world constantly amazes me. Just when you think you've seen it all, a "new" version of Street Fighter pops up and slaps you in the face!! Yep, I had oddly never heard of this before! Where have I been all these years?
Anyhow, this beat'em up was developed for the Atari STe by Patrice Mandin, a guy whom I'm grateful for Doom and more. However, it's incomplete without the full game's content or even colours (although it is running in ST low). As is, it's fast and responsive by making use of the Blitter, hardware scrolling and DMA stereo sounds. It's actually very playable!
Sadly, Patrice stopped development so it's left this project in limbo - waiting for another techie to pick up the gauntlet. Great progress has already been achieved, and the source code is available, so it's sad that nobody has attempted to finish this incredible "beta". I think the potential is huge so download Street Fighter and prepare thy jaw to drop!!
I have just listened to this amazing tune called Wowy, by Tomchi (played using JAM) and simply had to record it. Absolutely superb!!! So, kick off your weekend in style and download this gorgeous chiptune for your Atari STe!! 🎧
Infogrames has done it again and released what I think is something rather quirky and special. In Mystical, we get to play with magic and spells to battle against the strangest creatures. We are a novice magician of the Grand Wizard, eager to learn the ropes but quick to make silly mistakes! Like losing his precious scrolls and phials! So now we must travel to parallel worlds to retrieve them. Should be easy, right? Get ready for the oddest journey you ever expected!
Our quest will take us into strange places to battle against all sorts of whacky characters: Buzzards, shepherds, faithless Monks, reptiles, sea creatures, farmers, little girls, Vikings, walking trees, funny faces, and more. Most will throw something at you or will chase. Sounds mad, right? It certainly is and I'm sure everyone will love its silliness.
I cannot continue without showing screenshots of just how unique this game is...
I must say that the palettes used are pastel-perfect and with lovely artistic tones too.
The characters you meet are... different! What a weird game this is.
Magically weird!
The big man has granted permission to use his magic to help us. This means the ability to cast spells that provide a variety of unique ways to dispose of our foe. For example, the ring of fire scorches anyone who dares to get too close whereas the blue ring deflects enemy attacks. Another will open up the ground and swallow our victims whilst we can summon cages to trap those nearby. Possibly the best of all is shouting "Boo" to shoo off anything nasty. Seriously!!
As you collect then, a spell activates immediately but, if you are quick, slap that Spacebar to stockpile it for later use - in combination with the Return key. Yes, it's quite a cumbersome design but it works well for those moments you're struggling. Each level ends when you reach the pentagram and must-do battle with an end-of-level boss - the first throw babies at you! Once defeated, a very large sphere appears and whisks you off to the next level.
Yes, I'm sure you're thinking this is weird? And you're right, it is!! But it's brilliantly weird!!
Collect the funky power-ups and use all magic spells to the best of your ability!
I'm tripping out here but three blue dudes appear and cause me trouble.
Aesthetics!
The visuals are gorgeous with smooth scrolling across beautifully-detailed landscapes. All use a very impressive and pleasing palette I might add. However, it's the tremendous quantity and quality of all the characters that steal the limelight. Never have I seen such gorgeous sprites with humour and animation that are always fantastic.
I must take off my hat and commend Olivier Roge and Jocelyn Valais for such amazing work. Take a look at these screenshots and tell me you're not impressed by the gorgeous sprites and even the artwork as a whole? Possibly one of the best examples of 16-bit pixel art I've seen in any game.
Sadly, the audio is a mixed bag. The sound effects are ace using samples for each character and other things like the spells. It's great and I adore the "Bla Bla Bla", which reminded me of the speech in Donkey Island. However, the title music is not good and I cannot see the point of low-quality sampled music over the option of a crisp chiptune...
Hey, what's that? I've got a doppelganger to help me out so let's cage the beasts!
The CryptO'pinion?
As much as it might try to hide behind the storyline, Mystical is a generic shoot 'em up albeit with cool power-ups and silly humour. (I never knew the French had a sense of humour? heh). I'll stop that now because it is obvious a lot of time and effort went into the production of this lovely game. It's magical and oozes so much lush artistic quality.
Sadly, it is repetitive and the end-of-level bosses are frustrating, to say the least!! But these are my only quibbles as I have genuinely enjoyed playing Mystical. I'm sure most gamers will love its unique style & personality.
