Wings Of Death

Quick play video

This is one of the classiest games for the ST and is even better when played on the Atari STe with loads more colours, better sounds, and so on. You play as Sagyr, a powerful wizard who’s been cursed by the evil sorceress Xandrilia. To break the spell and defeat her dark magic, you must battle through hordes of enemies across seven dangerous levels - ranging from forests to dungeons within a dark and gothic world.

This isn't a review. I simply wanted a reason to post my gameplay video recordings. Plus, every ST Nutter out there already knows just how cool this shooter is! Am I right? So, here are some of my tips...

It pays to practice as much as possible because this is a challenging shooter. With each wave of enemies killed, bonuses and power-ups are dropped, offering multiple options for new firepower. I would say learn what each one does and "know your weapons". Some are great, whereas some are less effective. Stick with what you like and don't blindly upgrade for the sake of it.

It's often a good idea to stay clear of the skull icons, which annoyingly offer a downgrade - not what you need in the heat of battle. That "HaHa" you hear can become intimidating, so learn the weapons and ignore the skulls. Additionally, perhaps consider abandoning any thoughts of staying in the central part of the screen, as this is a hotspot of activity. Likewise, don't remain along the bottom as the baddies do attack in an array of patterns. Hey, perhaps you can memorise those?

I hope that helps some of you guys. Wings of Death is a standout shooter, combining slick visuals, stunning audio, smooth scrolling, and a brilliant variety of weaponry. It’s tough (very tough) but also kinda fair, and its gameplay holds up incredibly well. Easily one of the Atari ST/STe’s finest arcade-style shooters.

Look, despite my joystick skills, I've recorded another video to complement the one above. Why? Because I love this shooter so much. Yes, even though I'm terrible at it and require the reactions of a 12-year-old!!

Specs (Credit Atarimania)

Supports Blitter

Supports STe DMA sound

Supports 1, 2 or 4Mb of RAM

Supports audio cartridge

Features up to 154 colours on-screen simultaneously (introduction screen)

Features up to 144 colours on-screen simultaneously (options or static screen)

Features up to 26 colours on-screen simultaneously (in-game)

Features digitized title soundtrack at 12.5KHz (stereo) on STe

Features digitized title soundtrack at 12.1KHz on ST

Features partially digitized in-game soundtrack at 6.25KHz on STe

Features partially digitized in-game soundtrack at 6.1KHz on ST

Features digitized sound fx at 6.25KHz on STe

Features digitized sound fx at 6.1KHz on ST

Finally, here are some screenshots to drool over before you click on a download for Wings of Death. Here are the options for either hard drive (D-Bug), hard drive (PP), or a menu disk on floppy (Atari Legend). Enjoy!

Eye Of Horus

Walk like an Egyptian...

I've been trolling through my old videos and found Logotron's Eye Of Horus. I remember this platformer thanks to its confusing labyrinths with many peculiar enemies. I was impressed but oddly, left feeling a little cold too. It's one of those games that looks, sounds and plays great but it has relentless enemies. Kinda like Black Lamp in this respect.

We are the hawk-headed God, Horus, a good fella for the ancient Egyptians. Our task is to explore the labyrinths of Osiris' burial chamber because he was murdered by Set who scattered his body parts everywhere. We need to collect them and rebuild him. It sounds cool and quite gross but it's time that I revisited this peculiar platformer for a second go.

So, let's waste no more time talking, and get him rebuilt like the six-million-dollar mummy...

I think Eye Of Horus nails the ancient Egyptian scenario perfectly using awesome visuals.

Hard as nails

The ancient tomb contains many traps and even the decor appears angry, so finding the body parts is not going to be easy. Thankfully, being a demigod means we have the ability to morph into a hawk, even if birds don't have any hands to carry things... Keys and Amulets can be used - from operating particular elevators to summoning other so-called gods.

I can see why I originally felt overwhelmed: the level design is pretty confusing at times which isn't helped by the repetitive backgrounds. The mechanics behind the elevators/coloured keys are unnecessarily rubbish plus I think that there are far too many amulets. All enemies are unique and it's peculiarly funny when the fixtures and fittings begin wobbling in anger. Well, at least our demigod is armed with a paper gun! No, really we are lol

Sounds rather strange yet uniquely intriguing? Well, at least the graphics suit the theme...

Okay, Okay, let's keep this civil... but Hall Of Light has awesome maps, which I feel are essential.

Aesthetics

Graphically, this game is gorgeous and reminds me of how a game of Stargate might have looked. It also reminds me of Death Trap and its intro whiffs of Ice Palace. Anyhow, the scrolling is super-smooth with gorgeous animations and the hieroglyphic backgrounds are stunning. This is a beautiful platformer and a lot of love went into its design.

Sound effects are very zesty and accompanied by gorgeous Whittaker music. Not his best but still superb.

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a cunning platformer with lots to offer. It's different and I loved exploring the tomb but the ability to flip into a hawk is a genius move albeit with its own restrictions. Just have a pen and paper ready to make a map (until the right amulet is found). Overall, I still found it confusing in terms of memorising the map plus the constant onslaught of enemies does not help. The only way you're gonna love this game is if you are willing to put in the hours (pun intended)

Otherwise, don't bother because this fantastic platformer demands your time and respect. I hope you play it.

Budding Daniel Jackson wannabes can download Eye Of Horus for floppy or hard drive.