Goin' Down With The Captain

Wait... Come back!!

Goin' Down With The Captain was developed in GFA Basic by Terry King of Ninth Wave Software and must be one of the silliest titles since the robot monsters invaded. Or is it just me? Anyhow, imagine yourself as the unlucky cabinboy onboard a sinking ship who is running around for the lifebuoys. Can you help save him?

Collecting the lifebuoys is easy, but you must venture deep into the waters to find some scattered about the ship. Fetch them back to their hangers up on the top deck, but you are only able to carry a maximum of two at a time. Later levels will require multiple trips into Poseidon's realm. This is a frantic race against the clock!

Sounds interesting, right? Okay, let's take a look at a screenshot...

Leaky pipes, rising water, and now a crab has sent us to heaven, ala Monty Mole!

This ain't no killing gameshow!

The flooding is constantly rising due to leaky pipes splurting out water. These can be patched with a sticky plaster, and some decks have pump levers to reduce water levels. Flooded decks can be accessed - if you hold your breath and use air bubbles to replenish oxygen. Any treasures you find are yours to keep, but beware of snippy crabs roaming the lower decks who love nipping at your toes. There's much going on, but it never feels OTT.

The joystick controls are incredible, with responsive movements and no learning curve. Oh, and using the levers is an entertaining moment that brought back memories of Decathlon, albeit waggling up & down!!

It's fun and very hectic - trust me! Hey, I think it's time for another screenshot...

Some levels are a little more puzzling with lifebuoys hidden behind locked doors...

Cheap & cheerful

The graphics aren't exactly Bitmap Bros standard, but they do their job, albeit with the occasional slowdown. Scrolling is great, and I have massive admiration for the palette - especially when underwater.

The audio is in stereo on the Atari STe, but I'd much rather have the crisp YM chip over poor-quality samples. Yep, the music and sound effects are made from low-quality samples, which I didn't care for. Hence, this is another reason why chiptunes are timeless compared to many MODs. Flame me all you like, but it's true.

Am I trying to start a fight? Bring it on, Commies! No, let's chill with another screenshot...

Remember, not every door needs to be unlocked - so use your keys wisely before you drown!

The CryptO'pinion?

This is an oddball with more than a hint of a certain other action platformer. I enjoyed the gameplay style; it's fantastic with many interesting ideas. In fact, it's downright silly at times, but you won't mind one bit. Ignore the weak visuals and fuzzy audio because the gameplay is top-notch, and that's what matters.

Going Down With The Captain is challenging, addictive, and one of the best PD games I've played.

Goin' Down With The Captain download @AtariMania

Megapede

My bad (as the kids say)

After drooling over Sinister Development's Centipede, there seemed to be little reason to play any other version. Stupidly, I skipped Robert Dytmire's Megapede without giving it a second thought. Thankfully, I came to my senses and went back to it. I'm glad I did because this is nothing less than a fantastic homebrew effort with exhilarating gameplay featuring bosses, extra swarms, level-select, and support for adults or kids. The audio is great, and I adore the clunky 8-bit style with comically cute sprites and enormous mushrooms.

Don't be an idiot, like I was, this is a fantastic millipede conversion!!

--> DOWNLOAD MEGAPEDE <--

Whirligig

Spinning in space

Whirligig was developed by Maelstrom Games of Midwinter fame for Firebird, and I've recorded a short video which I thought might be fun to share. Why? Simply because I cannot play Whirligig for love nor money - zipping about in space without ever being able to properly control my direction is agonising. If I happened to kill one of the baddies, it was pure luck because I usually end up killing myself instead!! This is a good game, but could so easily have been great with a bit of thought... I don't know, but I appear to be grumpy today.

Technically, Whirligig is impressive, and I could have dug my heels in and mastered the controls. But I couldn't be bothered, which is my mood today. Enjoy my video recording, and I promise to try harder next time!

Sorry for this terrible article :o)

* Floppy disks can be nabbed off Exxos [Automation #10] and via Stonish [Klapauzius #1].

* AtariMania has links to reviews and the manual. In hindsight perhaps I should have read that? lol

Alien Blast

A quick news flash!!

Our Atari world is buzzing with news of Matthieu Isorez giving away his copy of Alien Blast!! Previous public releases crashed on level 3 due to data corruption, and we've needed the original disks/files. Finally, we have them and can play the later levels - which is exactly how I plan to spend the rest of my Sunday!!!

More to come when I have the time. Thanks to Marko Latvanen @AtariMania for the heads-up :)

KLAX

Another ST game gets updated

Jamie Hamshere (aka junosix of Droid fame) has released an upgrade of Klax for the Atari STe. This new release uses the arcade game's sampled sound effects, which beats the original's chirpy chip by miles.

The game is basically a 3D Tetris that Domark released in 1990. Once again, we're stacking piles of coloured tiles but this time they are travelling towards us and need to be dropped into a bin, making sure they stack vertically, horizontally or diagonally. It sounds simple, but this is brutal and demands lightning-fast reactions.

What a fabulous upgrade to replace the drab effects with super-duper arcade sounds using the audio coprocessor. I'm sure Tetris and brainteaser addicts will love Klax even more now that it sounds this good!!

Nice work Jamie. Please don't stop and enhance other ST games.

AtariMania hosts the STfm original and this spanky new Atari STe update.

Need help? I know I did... just hit the '4' key to play to the final level. Good luck! ;-)

Alien Thing

In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream

Alien Thing was released late in the ST's life by 999 Software for Top Byte and is an Alien Breed shooter. So, if you've ever played that or others like Alien Syndrome, Gauntlet or Storm, then you'll know exactly what to expect from this overhead shoot 'em up. It's the same old story: heading for Earth is a distant spaceship filled to the brim with a vicious alien horde hungry for our blood. It's time to tool up, sneak on board, and begin mercilessly killing anything that looks like it bites. Oh, and they all bite, so beware!

The spaceship is split into 11 levels, with each requiring a mission to be completed. The first starts off simple (kill everything!!), with later missions more complex. If you fail, then you are immediately sent straight back to the beginning. This is a bit of a bummer, especially when coming into deadly contact with alien blood.

This ship is huge, yet with a clear definition in design, so you won't lose your bearings! There are locked doorways, but almost every corridor has some kind of door that can be opened, one way or another. Key cards are a good idea, and can usually be found hidden inside the blue cabinets - along with other bonuses like a 1UP and ammo. Use these cards wisely because not every door needs to be immediately opened.

We need to stop reading and view a couple of scary Alien screenshots...

Argh, those green pools of acid! Let's get rid of 'em right away!

I love those splatter effects - they are quite messy but in a good way!

They mostly come out at night, mostly

Joystick controls are responsive, so it's fun exploring the ship, even if I move quicker than the aliens! These beasts are everywhere - so stay frosty - because they can withstand several hits before turning into a splattered mess. Their eggs must be blown up before a new alien is born and pops out to eat you!

Dead aliens leave behind pools of poisonous slime that need to be destroyed before you can pass (how I wish that was possible in the Jag's AvP). Each of your weapons has varying levels of effectiveness, and the flamethrower is awesome, so try searching the orange cabinets for it. However, I'm not too happy with the laser, which needs to be recharged too frequently for my liking. It could have lasted a bit longer!

So, we have great joystick controls and lots of aliens to kill. This game is fantastic and something you need to download and play. However, there are also a couple of other versions you might wanna try...

• Alien Thing has two "sequels" which you might wanna check out? There is an Exper Edition which was designed to be more challenging. However, I found many of the changes actually made the gameplay ridiculously difficult, thus frustrating. 
• There is also a Director's Cut that never got released. Thankfully, there is a demo and this game looked incredibly promising!! It features a change of visual perspective, new enemies/missions, and lots of DMA sound effects.

Alien Thing (above) and the updated Expert Edition (lower)

This is a simple example of the differences, ie: map changes, items, pools of gunk, etc.

Close your eyes, baby

No, open your eyes wide to enjoy the sci-fi graphics, as everything is well-designed, and I liked the contrast of vivid colours against the spaceship's metallic structure. Plus, the near-luminous green aliens really do stand out, even if they walk like squashed spiders! Sadly, the scrolling isn't too great and should have been smoother - it's disappointing that the Atari STe's hardware scrolling wasn't used to full effect. WHYYYY??

The audio is fantastic with effects for just about every action (the older STfm does as well as it can, but this game is best run on the Atari STe). Many of them are ripped. I like the Star Trek doors opening, but a few are crude. That doesn't mean they're not superb, because they are genuinely entertaining. The weirdest of all is when an alien dies, which is almost as strange as our own pitiful death cry.

Alien Thing looks and sounds great, so that can only mean one thing! Yes, it's screenshot time...

Explore everywhere and leave lots of dead bodies in your wake!



Tooled up and patrolling the corridors... Surely, this is a gamer's perfect dream?

I guess we’re not leaving soon?

Okay, we're done with the Alien quotes - did you get them all? This is a belting game, but nothing is perfect, and I have a few things to whine about. For example, when a corridor is blocked by a pool of slime that's impossible to destroy because it's too close to a wall. Also, one touch of slime means instant death! Plus, it's silly having just one sound effect for a shot - regardless of the weapon. Whoa, let's end the moaning, please!

Alien Thing is a decent take on the Alien theme. To think this came from a small company late in the ST's life is marvellous. It's superb, with a nifty balance of arcade-style action, exploration, and strategic thinking. The missions are challenging and enjoyable, but I never felt overwhelmed by the maze-like design.

Yup, I absolutely love Alien Thing. It's a blast, and you will love it too, so stop your grinnin' and drop your linen - this is a seriously addictive shooter!! (I just had to get one last quote in there, didn't I?)

Several different downloads are available, and some are bad. So I've bundled together the best versions, which you can freely download from my Dropbox.

For those struggling, there is a genius password system!
Press the "/?" key on the menu to use these codes:
PARTY,  WORK,  LARD,  WHEEE,  HELLO,
HARD,  GOSH,  NIGHT,  PEN,  RULER

Grusel

Comedy Horror

This was one of the first demos I ever bought from a PD library when I became an ST user. The scene was fresh and bewildering for me back then. Plus, I had little money and took the plunge, blindly spending my pennies on something called "Grusel". I miss those days of ordering disks from PD libraries!

Thanks to the insanity of Eckhard Kruse, I've been hooked on graveyards, weird skeletons, and ghosts for over 30 years. Yes, it's silly, but this is an ST classic, and I just had to share it. Grusel can be downloaded from Eckhard's own website (don't forget Ballerburg, an outstanding turn-based strategic shooter you need to play!). This little demo is nothing less than a timeless classic. A childish demo. A masterpiece!

• Grusel can be downloaded from Eckhard's website.
• Please don't forget about Ballerburg, utter ST classic this one!

HangAbout!

Cliffhanger!

HangAbout was released in 1995 by John Hodskinson and is one of the quirkiest games I've played. Ignore what you're seeing above and read on... Three (randomly generated) mountains need to be climbed by a little stickman, with the first being relatively easy. The second is harder, and the third is a killer!

Each mountainside has ridges to which our adventurer can cling. He uses these to find a route to the top. However, if you fall too far, you suffer a messy pixelated death. It's brilliant, albeit not what you wanna see! Our stickman can use his arms to reach those parts that are a pinch out of reach. Sometimes, the route appears blocked by a gap too large, so a "megajump" can be used - but only once! Use it wisely.

HangAbout! is one of those games that first appear rubbish (with rubbish graphics). But then turns out to be incredible and extremely addictive. In fact, it's gobsmackingly brilliant, and for less than 10Kb!!

+ Download PD Games Compilation Disk #2, which features another by John called Haywire.

Turrican II - The Music

Check this out!!

Turrican II: The Music by Black (aka Scott Clifford). A music disk for both ST computers shows just how great this game's tunes are. Included is a selection of stereo remixes for the Atari STe, so what more could you want? I've recorded this video, and it plays about a minute from ten random tracks - so you should nab the download to hear all the tunes properly. It's best experienced using a real Atari STe - so crank up the volume!!

Credits and the download...

Black - Code

Jochen Hippel - Music

Sven Meier - Graphics

https://demozoo.org/productions/152964/

Burger Dream

You are what you eat

Burger Dream is Reisoft's spin on 'Clowns & Balloons' with a Ronald McDonald lookalike collecting flying burgers. Imagine Breakout with a dollop of Space Invaders - but replace the aliens with hamburgers!

Ronald is left to feel the wind in his wig because we control a couple of goons who move a trampoline contraption that allows him to bounce high in the air and collect burgers. These are scrolling across the screen to make it extra difficult. However, try not to drop Ronny otherwise, or he ends up in a crumpled heap.

The mouse is used for left/right movement and is perfectly implemented for smooth & precise control. Sadly, the graphics aren't exactly 16-bit, more like something I would have drawn! Only the blind will appreciate these pixels! Burger Dream is hideous and repetitive, but I admit it was surprisingly enjoyable.

Download your Big Mac right now!

NIBE

Wiggly Slimy snakes!

NIBE is a Nibbler/Snake game by Marc Bourlon that features an ever-greedy snake chomping its way through lots of apples. This gluttony makes him grow longer with each bite, so it becomes harder to protect him from bumping into walls or even his own tail. You get the idea, so it's our job to help him eat his way through the screens - and many are cruel in their design. You can even change the game's speed (if you dare!!)

The graphics are humble and suit the theme perfectly. I love the title screen, which is a great intro. As there are no sound effects, Mad Max music plays throughout - never a bad thing!! Overall, Nibe is pretty straightforward yet challenging thanks to a sinister design. Stick with it because the basic mechanics are spot-on and Nibe will certainly test your reactions, patience, and concentration, so prepare thyself to be tormented!!

Here are a couple of links for downloads, screenshots, and another game you might enjoy...

Floppy disk downloads appear to be quite rare.

And if you enjoyed Nibe, then try N.o.B.I. - Racing!!

This is a level that looks so easy, but it's completely the opposite!

Oh yeah, I definitely think this is going to be easy. Ask me if I ever completed it...

Breakout

Going noSTalgic

Breakout is an excellent GEM desktop accessory that lets us play the game of brick-busting at any time. I had this installed on my boot drive back in the day and remember marvelling at the multitasking capabilities of my lovely Atari ST computer!! It seemed like black magic, even if ACCs faked that illusion in GEM!

Of course, it works best in a multitasking OS - just use MagiC, MiNT or Geneva!

The game is fun, and it works in all resolutions. However, I doubt anyone will choose this over the magnificent Bolo, which is the best version for the Atari ST. Still, finding this little ACC has made my day once again, 30 years later. So, thank you to whoever developed this - please, get in touch and say hello.

It's time to hit the download button. Erm, link I meant to say. Enjoy this piece of history!!