Kev's World

Kev vs Bolda

Kev's World was developed for FloppyShop by Ben Pritchard and is the prequel to The Curse of Bolda. In this flick-screen platformer, we explore rooms, grab stars, and shoot monsters. All this to rescue our beloved Katherine from the clutches of the villain, Bolda. I know what you're thinking, but stay with me.

Before we begin, please note that this is the two-level demo version. Sadly, the complete (registered) version seems to have vanished into the digital ether, like a floppy disk’s lost soul forgotten to time. Perhaps Ben has a disk locked away in his attic? My fingers are crossed!

This is a typical platformer with many pitfalls and even the odd puzzle to solve using keys and teleporters. The graphics are as bold as the sound samples, and we have many cute creatures to kill. Our journey will eventually lead to a crude end-of-level fight with a deranged-looking Bolda. This sounds like a typical platformer, but that’s what I love about the STs shareware and PD scene: there’s always something great to play!

Let's take a look at the first colourful screenshot...

There are many baddies, but watch out for the green alien things - I hate those!

Gameplay

Any platformer needs responsive controls that blend well with the mechanics of the game, and this works great. Kev can leap into the air and change direction as he falls back down - this is superb and helps avoid many pitfalls. I love how agile Kevin's movements are as he leaps and explores through each room.

Also, there are a few neat touches that help provide a little feedback. For example, you'd better keep this Krazy Kid busy; otherwise, he complains that he's bored using a speech bubble. Actually, that bubble is also used to indicate whenever Kev's hurt. Along with any items/power-ups he has collected.

Look out for special floor panels that are randomly placed in most rooms. Stepping on one will reward you with extra points or a smart bomb that kills everything on-screen. However, this reward is totally random and may cause something negative - like a rockslide, alert a gang of baddies to your location, or reverse the controls (argghhh, that one is so annoying). Are you ready to take a chance?

Also, you'll find lots of bonuses scattered throughout the rooms that offer a variety of features:

• QuintStar contains the value of five individual stars.
• Aurora Of Invincibility provides temporary invulnerability from everything but spikes.
• Hero Head ... well, don't get too excited because it's a 1UP!!
• Power Heart boosts Kevin's health.
• Sands Of Time adds to the ever-decreasing time limit.
• Oh, and Kevin's partial to playing arcade games!! :)

It's time for another screenshot! This piccy features our beloved Katherine and the nasty Bolda... 

Shoot Bolda in the face to save your girlfriend from this fiend!

Aesthetics

I love the old 8-bit blocky look, which has a clear and concise design in each room. It might look crudely cute, but there's no visual clutter, so the enemies are easily visible, objects aren't accidentally missed, and so on. The sprites are ace and comical; it's obvious Ben spent most of his time getting these just right.

The audio is excellent, with tons of samples used throughout the game. However, Kev's World isn't using the Atari STe's DMA hardware. This means the playback feels like it's pushing STOS to its limits. Don't get me wrong, I love the effects, but the YM chip would have been a better option to avoid slowdown.

Games like this prove the Atari ST has/had a fantastic PD scene. Here's the final screenshot...

Argh, that damn Bolda!! My girlfriend is (slowly) whisked off once again!!

The CryptO'pinion?

I love Kev’s World for its classic/old school/8-bit-style gameplay. The joystick controls are superbly responsive, and the additional bonuses, smart bombs, and other neat surprises really set it apart from other budget platformers. However, the speed of STOS suffers when samples are played. I wish there were a way to use the STe’s DMA hardware or simply replace the samples with zesty YM sound effects.

Yup, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this two-level demo and would have bought it in the mid-90s. It’s a fantastic platformer, and I hope Ben finds the full-registered version soon. We absolutely need to play it!

• The demo of Kev's World can be downloaded for either a floppy or a hard disk.
• Update: I have fully mapped the demo's two levels. Click here to download my hi-res maps!
• I interviewed Ben, which you can check out by clicking here. Go on, click it!

Completed!! I made 12th place and even beat Metallica. Can you beat me?

StarRay

The Atari ST cannot scroll

Logotron's StarRay is a Defender wannabe developed by a trio of incredible talent. It's something I boot up whenever I'm bored and need to kill a few mins after a dreadful day at work! Of course, this was programmed by none other than Steve Bak. A legend who always knew how to get the best from the Atari ST without resorting to lame excuses.

Aesthetically speaking, it's fantastic and complements the gameplay perfectly. Pete Lyon designed what you see, and it's glorious. From the moment you see the futuristic Monument Valley, you're in love with it. David Whittaker created all of the jaw-dropping funk (anyone with extra RAM has sampled music on the title screen - I prefer chiptunes).

StarRay is a blummin' awesome shooter and tons of fun. It boosts the original Defender format with its own brand of great gameplay style - plus beautiful sounds and multilayer parallax visuals. This is how all retro gaming should be! The perfect shooter if you are bored and fancy some frantic mayhem in your life - grab it now and play StarRay!

Take to the skies, then download either the floppy disk or use your hard drive.

Overdrive

NFS

Feeling the need for speed, I booted up something different - Overdrive by Ross McNaughton which he developed in 1996 using STOS. It's an overhead racer similar to Super Cars or Power Up and features 25 GEM-green tracks. Yes, green. Okay, I know that grass is green and so is our desktop but, ugh, green. Too much!

Anyhow, after listening to the horrendous title music [nails on a blackboard] you're asked for your initials before viewing a diagram of the first track (I'm being mean there because it's FAR better if you have an Atari STe with clear stereo playback). Okay, the physics are pretty dodgy but controls are easy to learn so it's not long before you're tearing up the asphalt. However, that's about as deep as it gets because your opponents are like Sunday drivers! Plus there are no differing road surfaces, weather conditions, car repairs, etc...

I'm probably being harsh because Overdrive isn't commercial and there is a level of fun to be had. Sadly, it's too easy so gets repetitive and that green colour hurts the eyes. It's not long before things feel monotonous. Hence why I abruptly ended my recording. It's good, umm, enjoyable for a few minutes but nothing more.

Go on!! I dare ya to download Overdrive and play it. Let me know what you think!

Crash Time Plumber (longplay recording)

> Update: Read our review featurette about this beautiful game!!

Crash Time Plumber is an astounding platformer but I struggled to beat level 6 with my joystick skills. So that meant there was only one thing left to do - cheat! The later levels are killers!! Even with a cheat, all I would do is die-die-die!! But, eventually, I did it, as you can see in the recording. I dare anyone to complete it without extra lives...

This is most definitely one of my favourite platformers. It's nothing less than infuriatingly awesome!!

Insecticide

This game is bug-ridden!

This game feels familiar but, this time we're a ladybird who kills insects with her Spit Laser weapon! Yep, Insecticide is a Robotron-inspired shoot 'em up by Peter Hague where each screen is littered with two types of critters for us to destroy: those that move (kill 'em quickly) and the sleepy ones that offer extra points or bonuses. Controls are easy in all four directions plus a diagonal flying manoeuvre for quick motion.

Shooting the moth, which dallies at the top of your screen, gains extra speed - but only for the current level. Weirdly, you shall hear "Nairobi" when you kill it but this makes sense once you've read the docs. I know, who reads the docs? Every eighth level a "parent" turns up for a battle which makes a nice boss fight that isn't too difficult. This doesn't ruin your momentum so you're soon fighting the insect hoard once again.

I seriously doubt that Llamatron fans will be convinced by Insecticide? However, this is a fantastic game in its own right and definitely worth playing. What it lacks in originality it - more than - makes up with great gameplay, jazzy colour cycling and sampled sounds. I've enjoyed this silly alternative to the Robotron theme.

One final word to make you play this fantastic game: Nairobi!!!!!

Download the newly updated version of Insecticide released yesterday :-)

Ironically, it's had many bugs squashed so fine on all computers [thanks PP!!]

Shadowlands

Stay Awhile and Listen

Shadowlands is a 1992 RPG by Domark and developed by Barry Costas, who created another personal favourite of mine Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters. I've wanted this game for years, and I finally have it proudly displayed on my ST shelf!! Will it live up to my expectations after all these years?

The story is based on an ancient legend of a warrior prince who was slaughtered on the battlefield. Somehow, our dead dude has magically awoken to find himself alive and kicking with the nifty ability to mind-control. So he has selected four loyal subjects to venture back into the Shadowlands and wreak his vengeance!

I don't know about you, but I'm excited and need to see some screenshots!! Onwards we go...

Earlier messages may appear rather obvious, but reading them can be rewarding later on...

Don't be so quick to begin your adventure - take the time to look around this open area!

The graveyard proves a little clumsy for our warriors to navigate, but the dungeons are fine.

It's that time... Dungeon Crawl time!

As you would expect, the gameplay is in real-time with characters, puzzles, and beasts to kill. We begin with the option to use the default characters or manually generate their attributes, which I suggest you do. The first level begins outside in a woodland graveyard with useful pickings before taking the plunge into the depths.

Our adventure begins once inside the creepy dungeons, but the first thing that hits you is the lighting. This is incredible, using a technique called Photoscape that adds a gradual gradient to the light around a character carrying a lit torch. This makes the dungeon spooky with its disturbing atmosphere. The audio isn't too shabby, with fantastic title screen music and sampled sound effects throughout the game.

Let's crack on and see a few of the puzzles with some of that cool lighting...

I love how subtle many hints are! They nicely use silly wording to give you a hint.

Sometimes it's far too subtle, but at least it tries to help you, and I love that!

Now it's time to spend a quid... All brilliant puzzles help make this game so interesting!

Bring friends... and a torch!

Playing Shadowlands is an instant and fascinating experience. In fact, I couldn't wait to leave the graveyard to venture into the depths to see what nasties lurked. As you can see, we're in charge of four characters, and each can lead and be controlled independently using their avatars along the bottom of the screen.

The first thing that hits you is the skills and the lack of progression. Each character can offer similar talents and fight as well as the others. This takes away some of the RPG aspects, as Shadowlands is more of an exploration puzzler in the dungeons. Treat each character as a solid member of your party rather than unique.

It's not always necessary to remain as a group. Sometimes, it's best to go alone when scouting in search of items. However, idle warriors should still be vigilant for critters that like to nibble!

Your four loyal subjects will need replenishment, so eat, drink, and rest whenever possible, but be wise and use your stock sparingly. Flasks can always be topped up from fountains, but nothing stops you from having a sip or two while there. Torches are most helpful as it's so dingy plundering through the grim levels, but once again, use these sparingly and extinguish any idle ones in your inventory to make them last longer.

All dungeons should be this scary!! Hey, let's check out some more screenshots...

Look out, something hideous is creeping up on you!!!

The warrior is now a bag of bones... Perhaps he should have read the notice below?

Well, come on, it does say in plain English what not to do. He asked for it! lol

Run, think, shoot, live!

Soon into your first game, you realise how awesome the user interface is for controlling your A-Team. The inventory screen can be accessed at any time with a single right-click and is a cinch to use with extra functions like swapping items or grouping the adventurers into structured squads rather than a clumsy mob.

Each level has a superb design without losing your bearings. It's a good idea to read everything you come upon because not every puzzle is obvious; it might be a masked trap that conjures something nasty. Always beware!! Also, look out for switches, wall slots, or even rickety floor panels. Other puzzles are a fun play on words, such as "weight and see" (a great way to get rid of any useless items).

Weapons vary and can be just about anything you can carry, and there are many impressive items just waiting to clobber your foe. Look around right at the start for something helpful... However, it's always good practice not to feel like you need to fight everyone all the time - sometimes it's best to simply walk away.

Enough of my boring jibber jabber, let's see more screenshots...

Okay, I've got the key to the teleporter. Where is that?

Here it is. Okay, you first! No way!! (This is how my mind would work if I were there!)

The Magician finds three suspicious holes - will he choose the correct one or will he perish?

The CryptO'pinion?

Shadowlands is epic, and I'm enjoying ransacking the dungeons. However, it has a few niggles. I failed to get the save game function to work, no matter what I tried (not much of a problem today when using the emulator's snapshot feature or the hard drive version). Also, guiding our loyal subjects can sometimes be awkward as they struggle to walk around the graveyard and through the odd open doorway. Yes, they're a sandwich short of a picnic and often need a gentle push to help them out. Let's end this pickiness.

I've featured a few adventure/RPGs over the years, and I thought nothing would live up to Dungeon Master! Shadowlands is more of a lite RPG without aspects like races/skillsets or levelling/progression. Regardless, this leaves you to concentrate on the terrifying environment, how to beat the puzzles and stay alive.

This is truly one of the most rewarding dungeon crawlers I have ever played.

Install to hard drive with the snapshot-save feature!!
Are you stuck? AtariMania has some game tips.

Of course, Shadowlands wins the accolade of an AtariCrypt SMASH award. Easily!!

Anarchy

Too quick for an old man

Running this humble website means that I get to play tons of Atari ST games – it’s hard work, but somebody’s gotta do it!!! Quite often, I revisit games that I remember being good at, hoping they will make for a good review. So, I thought it would be a good idea to play the amazing Anarchy by Psygnosis.

Anarchy is a shameless Defender clone, albeit with tremendously fast visuals and great audio. It’s fun and challenging, running at a jaw-dropping 50/60fps (to think WJS didn’t use the Blitter!!). Yeah, I remember this as a wonderful example of what the ST was capable of in the hands of a developer who cares.

However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to realise there are some games I shouldn’t boot up anymore. Games that push my reactions too far, and Anarchy has proven to be my new personal gaming nightmare!! Yep, I was all over the place, wondering what was going on as I died over and over again.

In the end, it was fun but disastrous - thank you, Wayne Smithson/WJS for making me realise my age!

... So, what's your "Anarchy" ??

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

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

---

• 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.

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!!