Tetris

Another lost Atari ST game has been found and preserved inside the archives of AtariMania. Yes, it's (yet another) Tetris clone originally developed back in 1991 by Tassos Seizis and graphics by his brother John Seizis. Sadly, it was never released - until now!! I'm not a huge Tetris fan but today is a good day for all ST nutters!!

Click the link above and get this downloaded. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Escape 2042

Fancy playing a slick new game?

Escape 2042 has just been released for the Atari STe by Cedric Bourse (yes, he of Yopaz IceStar). It's an exciting new platformer with great gameplay mechanics, ultra-smooth scrolling, and DMA sound effects. It's something else alright!! The game can be downloaded for only a few pounds, which is insane value for money, I'm sure you'll agree. Your purchase will get you both the floppy disk and hard drive versions.

The only requirement is an Atari STe with 1MB of RAM (2MB for HDD installation). Additionally, a boxed release is planned for later in the year for all interested!! (I hope to buy this - sadly, now sold out) :(

The story goes like this: In the year 2042, a socialist government is in power, but nobody had foreseen progressive dictatorship that settled in. The elites of the government hid behind a sham democracy, disconnected from the life the people were leading and acted solely in their own interests.

The regime considered the dissidents as conspiracy theorists, treated them like terrorists and locked them away in highly-secured prisons, to prevent them from telling the people the truth about the manipulating medias accomplice of the government power.

You are Shun, a computer engineer and member of the Truth Defenders coalition.

After a clandestine operation to inform the people, you are locked away in the highly-secured prison Bulor 24. But your knowledge of security systems will enable you to escape.

Your turn now to escape as fast as you can from this place!

Links and Screenshots

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• Escape 2042 download page - https://orionsoft.itch.io/escape2042
• YouTube promotional video - https://youtu.be/aEo9V6zCZeY?si=...
• Yopaz Ice Star -  https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/2015...
• Cedric's profile on Demozoo - https://demozoo.org/sceners/10490/

The Atari STe looks good, with detailed visuals and ultra-smooth scrolling.

Watch out for those cameras flipping between two points of view. Time those tricky jumps!!

Rolling Ronny

A wheelie good platformer

This is an attractive platformer developed by Carsten Neubauer of Bones Park and published by Virgin Games in 1991. Before I begin, we're not using our feet to walk - because we're on skates! This is in the quiet town of Fieldington, a lovely place that has just suffered the theft of its crown jewels. I know, I know...

Fortunately, the gang of bumbling thieves were disturbed, but they still had the time to hide each jewel inside glittering boxes and scatter them about before fleeing. Why? I don't know, but Scotland Yard decided it was a good idea to enlist Ronny as their secret agent to recover the jewels in return for a generous reward.

Ronny uses his skates to get around this oddball town, but he can still climb ladders and leap across most platforms. He will need every ounce of agility to avoid/kill the nasties lurking. There are many silly creatures, so defend yourself by hitting the fire button to fling your killer salamis. Yes, you heard me correctly!

This is starting to sound rather unbelievable, right? Well, we need a screenshot then...

Ronny needs to watch out for various nasties, even those cute little birdies!

Run, Jump and Kill

Any platformer needs decent controls, and thankfully, these are responsive and allow Ronny to leap from ledge to ledge, but as usual, reaching for the function keys to activate a gadget is a bit of a pain. The status panel displays various pieces of information: love hearts indicate health, a clock is counting down, the number of remaining jewels, and the gadgets enabled. Along the way, you can be stopped to run errands for extra credit. This is an excellent way to top up your earnings, so not really an optional part.

Ronny's inventory is his four spare pockets to store gadgets (essentially power-ups). These provide functions, like a Super Jump or the Magnet, which attracts any out-of-reach items. There is a massive range of different power-ups, and I really like Power Sneeze!! Coins can be collected to spend in the town's shop. However, be wise and leave enough cash for your bus fare to access the next level. Yeah, that is very odd!

I love it when a platformer comes with gameplay that matches the aesthetics perfectly! The controls are a joy and complemented by interesting ideas and amusing mechanics. Simple, and it works. Why didn't I know about Rolling Ronny back in the day? I missed this one and I'm gutted about that!

Right then, let's take a little break for another colourful screenshot with our red-nosed fella on skates...

This jump across the water looks tricky! Surely, I can make it in one?

16-bit Sex Appeal

The visuals are fantastic with cartoon quality, comical sprites, and smooth scrolling. It's obvious that colour is a big deal because of the richly decorated backgrounds; even the title screen is a stunning Spectrum 512 image. I believe this was Bones Park's only Atari ST game? They should be proud of their achievement.

The audio is a sweet title tune (that I can't get out of my head), all thanks to Adrian Dalecki. The sound effects are accompanied by an obsessive tune that manages to get my foot tapping. No complaints here!!

And on that note, let's view the final screenshot...

Hang on a moment, there's an actual droplet of water chasing me? Or is it a ghost lol

The CryptO'pinion?

Rolling Ronny doesn't exactly break the mould, but the addition of a skating clown is a rather odd idea that works (even if he has mad hair - just look at the hideous barnet - lol). There are a few niggles which I didn't care for, the most irritating is failing to collect enough cash for the bus fare. I hated it when that happened!!

There is something about this quirky and extremely entertaining game that I love. It's so challenging and keeps you coming back for more. Also, this ain't no lame Amiga port - it's obvious that a lot of love went into making Rolling Ronny. One of the best platformers for the Atari ST. Yes, I actually said that.

Floppy & hard disk versions from Klaz!

H.A.T.E Hostile All Terrain Encounter

8/16Bit Legends

Vortex Software released amazing games for the ZX Spectrum, and they were one of my favourite companies. I still remember the day I saw Android, and I played Revolution to death! Which is odd, as I usually hate (no pun) games like that. Their legacy ended with H.A.T.E as their final effort, a scrolling shooter similar in style to Zaxxon.

The year is 2320, and aliens are invading our peaceful galaxy. What can we do? Fight back, of course! It's our quest to defend everyone from the alien invasion, so head out to Stripworld. That's where pilots go to train. Ahem.

I know you will think this is a Zaxxon rip-off, but it's not, as the gameplay is very different...

This game is tough, but what's even harder is trying to capture screenshots when playing!



Hey, I'm a tank. Let's go and blow stuff up!

A boring Zaxxon clone?

Our all-terrain encounter takes us through numerous isometric levels using a variety of crafts, from planes to tanks and even a hovercraft. As the landscape scrolls by, our ultimate mission is to destroy the nuclear generators - hit 'em where it hurts! This reveals plasma cells, and collecting these not only determines how many lives we are given on the next level but also acts as a shield to protect us from harm during the current game, which I personally think is genius!

Unlike Zaxxon, which I found soon got predictable and very samey, HATE is constantly varied and interesting. The enemies appear in various guises, from ground-based machinery that spews out deadly mines, missiles, tanks and aircraft. There's a lot going on, so you will need to use evasive manoeuvres, especially when piloting a plane, as the enemy will often attack in waves. At the end of the level, a mothership whisks us off for more action with different graphics.

Controls are initially a little confusing, but I soon got the hang of it after a couple of games. The craft can move left or right with the fire button used for the main weapon. But there are differences to learn depending on the craft being used: land-based tanks can move forwards and backwards, whereas planes cannot - they increase or decrease their altitude. Also, pushing up whilst firing will activate a secondary weapon, such as lasers and bombs.

Righto, it's that time when we take a gander at some more sexy ST screenshots. So, here you go...

Hitting the water in my hovercraft just adds massively to the enjoyment.



I'm back inside my ship, and there are bouncy spikey balls. Let's destroy 'em!!

Aesthetics

The graphics remind me of Highway Encounter, but with more variety. The attention to detail for buildings and structures is superb. I gotta say - I love the shadows, especially when carrying the plasma cells. The only negative is that some levels use a bland colour palette, which spoils things somewhat - the levels look as sexy as a bruised banana!

Timid music plays during gameplay to provide a nice background that complements the zip-zappy sound effects. The title music is a gem and most certainly one of the best chiptunes ever, thanks to Ben Daglish's audio magic.

Yes, it looks and sounds very, very nice, so let's celebrate with the last couple of screenshots...

This is a screenshot with... more action going on. Yep.



Gotta say that I love the graphics. Great attention to detail throughout.

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a good conversion of Costa's brilliant 8-bit classic, but it's not perfect, and a couple of issues frustrated me. This began on the second level as my beefy tank exploded because I accidentally touched a nearby building!! After losing a life, it can feel like forever and a day waiting to continue. I know, I'm being a bit petty - and scraping the barrel.

Hostile All Terrain Encounter has its problems, but I've enjoyed myself. This is a fun shooter with challenging and addictive gameplay. I've spent several hours playing H.A.T.E and I have L.O.V.E.D every second of it. It's fantastic!!

Fancy a little extra hate in your ST life?

Grab the download for floppy disk or hard drive.

Quartz

Be Trigger-happy!

I've spent much time trolling through loads of disks using the nifty Floppy Image Runner and eventually came across this beauty. Quartz was released in 1988 by Firebird and is a tripped-out 8-way shooter that has us playing inside a cloud of sub-atomic particles. Each stage is a variety of short mini-stages similar to Asteroids but there are also incredible horizontal and vertical shooters along with some impressive 3D effects.

Our job is to shoot the colourful hadrons, transforming them into quarks - which we blast into tiny neutrinos. Collecting these eventually offers a selection of power-ups ranging from ship repairs to awesome weapons. The end-of-level boss is perfect for the physicists lurking within and needs to be shot several times until it spins into oblivion. Lives are limited but you're offered the chance to continue on - if you're willing to give up a weapon - which is a strange idea but one that forces you to play better rather than whining for extra lives!

I'm gobsmacked with how brilliant this is with its frantic action, rich graphics and chirpy audio not to mention its beautiful parallax scrolling. My 8-year-old daughter gave this a playtest and she found the controls daunting but soon got the hang of it and said it was crazy but lots of fun. And I think that sums up Quartz nicely!!

Fancy taking this groovy spaceship for a spin?

Then grab the floppy or hard disk game right now!

DBA Magazine #06

Synergy's famous DBA Magazine intro helped to create one of those moments in time when everything changed. I've probably watched it several hundred times over the years, and it never gets dull. It's magnificent with beautiful visuals and groundbreaking SIDtastic audio by Joris Maarten de Man. One of my favourite intros ever made.

This jaw-dropping experience can be yours by downloading from Demozoo, but... come on, use a real Atari ST!

Credits:

BAT - Code, Other (FX Design)

Rapido - Code

Scavenger - Music, Other (FX Design)

Zanac - Graphics

Switchblade

It looks like Ricky D. has a new bandana

Switchblade was released in 1989 by Gremlin Graphics and programmed by Simon Phipps. Yes, he of the Atari ST classic Rick Dangerous. Okay, we are a little dude called Hiro, who wears a bandana and can kick hard. He must explore the UnderCity to locate sixteen broken fragments of the Fireblade to reap revenge on today's evil entity - Havoc! This beast has been on a savage rampage after being dormant for 10,000 years.

So it's time for us to save the day... again! What a shocker :)

I'm usually worried when a big name makes something that is along similar lines to what they're famous for. After all, it's another platformer, so will we get another carbon copy of Rick Dangerous, or will it be different?

Hmm, I worry too much, right? Well, let's begin with a couple of cool screenshots...

Wow, that is in-your-face aggression, alright!

Hmm, looks easy enough. Just gotta drop down a couple of levels. Hang on, what's that?

Get ready for a great adventure

We begin on the planet's surface before taking the leap (fall) into the orientally-inspired UnderCity. This labyrinth is composed of numerous individual rooms, and exploring each one is fascinating. Tread with caution because you never know what baddies might materialise from out of thin air. Your route is completely "free-roaming", which is excellent (rather than moving from room to room in a specific order i.e. Manic Miner).

Look out for dodgy blocks that crack with a single kick: these can unveil health and weapon power-ups or may even lead you on into hidden rooms with more goodies. Boss characters appear regularly; the first is easy to kill, whereas later ones can be tough and beaten only with patience and lots of well-timed jumping.

The controls are superb with the usual movements like running, jumping and climbing ladders, but there are also three kinds of attack. Tapping firing allows you to punch like a weak Arnold Schwarzenegger, but you should notice a white combat meter along the bottom/right. This helps with two kicks: holding the fire button for a mere second (so the meter isn't at full strength) will perform a high kick Jean Claude Van Damme would be proud of. Holding it down indefinitely performs a powerful Chuck Norris sweeping kick.

Master these moves before you begin exploring. Okay, let's view more screenshots...

Wake up, there's something creeping up on you mister!



Tighten that bandana, Rambo. Now, go and kick his monster ass!

NESthetics!

I doubt Hiro will blow your socks off with its clean and well-designed 8-bit Nintendo style. Underneath these unassuming graphics is a rather functional design with mysterious rooms. The characters are excellent with nice details that I adored. Also, the game self-maps in a similar fashion to Ranarama or even Rogue.

Switchblade has killer audio from none other than Ben Daglish. Or you could decide to hear sampled sound effects? I love both and couldn't decide which I preferred in the end (a good predicament to be in?)

In most respects, Switchblade looks and sounds different, yet superb. Love it. Screenshot time...

Yes, there's a Ricky D. vibe plus a dollop of Saboteur and NES thrown in for good measure.

The level guardians are either daft or just plain awkward to hit - I wish they would keep still!!

CryptO'pinion?

Switchblade is amazing. In fact, I could end this gripping review right there, because it is just that.

Okay, this game has got a superb blend of adventure and action. Plus, the lack of a linear structure is perfect for an explorer like me who is eager to see what's around the next corner. Thus, it keeps you enthralled throughout. The controls are incredible, and I've thoroughly enjoyed every second playing this platformer.

This is one of the few games I've completed, and I will come back to it again (and again). As with Rick Dangerous, this is one of the best platformers available for the Atari ST. Don't miss it!!

Grab the floppy or hard disk installable games, and enjoy this incredible game.

Tip: You might find these maps useful to properly enjoy this superb platformer.

BoinkSave

What, an Atari ST screensaver?

I've been digging through the archives again and found an interesting piece of software on Atari ST User's cover disk from August 1992. It's a screensaver by Damien M. Jones and works brilliantly to save your old CRT from burning an image of the GEM desktop. This can also be fully configured to use other graphics along with altering the timeout.

I love finding programs like this and we all adore a good Boink so, I thought this was excellent. If you don't have the cover disk lying about, like geeky old me, it can be grabbed off the Zogging Hell website. I hope you download it.

Of course, something like this is pointless but come on, it's incredibly and utterly fantastic!! I love it :-)

Tempest 2000 Music Demo

Remembering the Atari Jaguar...

Tempest 2000 is an incredible psychedelic experience and sure made the Atari Jaguar roar like the beast it was always meant to be. The ST demo group 'Effect' released this cool music disk for the Atari STe. This has sure brought back many happy memories from the 90s when I first got my Atari Jaguar. Yup, a belting musicdisk this one!!

Credits and the download link...

Alastair Lindsay - Music

Blaze - Graphics

Jovis - Graphics

Kevin Saville - Music

ST Addict - Graphics

Tronic - Code

Wizzcat - Code (Tracker-Replay)

Grab the download via Demozoo and crank up the volume!!

Battle Command

If the tanks succeed, then victory follows

Late last year, I planned to feature BattleZone, but couldn't get to grips with it, no matter how much I tried. I found it sluggish with lifeless controls that didn't feel right. In fact, I hated it and came away quite upset by this deduction. However, I still had an urge to jump into a tank and kill something with a big gun! How was I going to scratch this itch?

Of course, it can only be Ocean's very own Battle Command - which I've recently bought. The story goes that two factions are at war, and we are in control of a heavily armoured Mauler who must complete a variety of different missions that have us trawling the landscape looking for enemy tanks to shoot. And much more. But let's not kid ourselves! Yup, let's stop right now because this is basically a shameless BattleZone ripoff, and it appears proud of it, too.

Okay, before we begin, Battle Command is crammed with cool spinning 3D objects. Like this one...

I think this is excellent and shows they went the extra mile, but not at the expense of gameplay.

Let's take it for a test drive

First, the controls are absolutely superb, so it was easy to control my tank using the mouse for acceleration, turning and firing. It's worth taking the time to arm your tank properly, and I had a preference for heat-seeking missiles. Inside the game's box is a nifty reference card that details the extras like: the damage display, a detailed map, and the chance to view our tank from outside - this offers cool perspectives, if kinda pointless. But I loved it all nonetheless!

For those who value a challenge, there is a huge mission selection ranging from the starter levels, through to more advanced tasks like protecting a bridge, accompanying a transport, and even recovering a U-Bomb! Before any missions, the briefing screen will detail the necessary information and weaponry options - accompanied by more 3D animation. Don't let the thought of tough missions fool you, this is an arcade game through & through.

Unlike Battlezone, this game has a nice framerate to complement the controls and mechanics. You can take this game seriously, but it's also fun roaming the landscapes looking for enemies. The difficulty is always challenging throughout the many assorted ranges of different missions, so you're never likely to get bored. And, if you require even more of a challenge, then Battle Command will not disappoint, as it features many strenuous missions to test your nerve.

This game isn't just an arcade blaster; it's much more. So let's celebrate with some more cool 3D...

You wouldn't believe how much swirling 3D there is!

Aesthetics

Battle Command has excellent 3D, which reminds me of a cross between the obvious - along with Mercenary for some peculiar reason. I was hooked from the moment I saw each mission's 3D imagery swirling. Seeing our tank dropped into play by an aeroplane clinches it!! The in-game framerate isn't exactly Resolution 101, but everything is smoother than many games, and the enemy crafts are great up close. It's an understatement to say I admire the graphics!

Music is amazing on the title, whilst the game begins to show off its 3D. Sound effects during gameplay are good, but certainly nothing like Starglider, for example. They do their job well enough to break the silence.

Right, let's take a look at some of these gorgeous graphics. Carry on scrolling...

Screenshots are great, but this looks even better moving in-game!

Another mission begins,  and I admire the beautiful intro.

Don't dawdle and keep your wits about you at all times!

The CryptO'pinion?

Battle Command is a great tactical shoot 'em up and a lot of fun, but it's not perfect. What I didn't like was the immense size of the play area, which felt like a slog for my little tank (and now I sound like Hubert Gruber!). This means opponents feel like they're a zillion miles away - not good for a 320x200 display to cope with. Also, making distant attacks would be impossible, but for some suspect collision detection - that actually balances things out rather well. Hmm...

With the bad stuff out of the way, I enjoyed BattleZone... oops... Battle Command. This game is a stonker, and I've enjoyed blasting everything in sight. Even the trees feel the wrath of my uncontrollable insanity. Battle Command is adventurous and bucket loads of fun with eloquent controls. A brilliant action shooter and one of the best in my collection.

Get it downloaded (floppy or hard disk) and then jump inside your tank to kill every last enemy!!

There's nothing quite like flaunting your Atari ST collection! :D

This is the reference card I previously mentioned.