Ambermoon Music Demo

Let's kick back and enjoy some toons!

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I've had this gem on my hard drive for ages and finally got around to recording what is nothing less than a jaw-dropping collection of chiptunes converted by Gunnar Gaubatz aka Big Alec. It was (eventually) released for Sommarhack 2019 by Grazey of Psycho Hacking Force and features several tunes. I've recorded snippets from each track but it's advisable to download this to enjoy it properly. Remember, nothing beats real hardware. Certainly not YouTube!

But what about Amberstar?

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Well, Thalion may not have released the ST game but, this got me thinking of its prequel, Amberstar. A game I've never actually played - not ever! I remember seeing it featured in magazines and the graphics looked very nice. So, today, I downloaded the pre-configured HDD version by 8BitChip and had myself a playtest...

Stonish has the floppies but there's three of 'em. Good luck with that disk swapping!

We begin with an overhead view of a graveyard which is a dead interesting place (sorry). This leads onto the City Of Twinlake which flips our view from 2D to 3D, ala Dungeon Master. Now the adventure begins with plenty of places to explore and folk just waiting for a good natter. The first thing that grabbed me was the aesthetics that look and sound brilliant. However, I was unsure by the clunky user interface which initially feels a little cumbersome and messy.

Amberstar is quite difficult to get into from the start, and I'm perplexed that I wasn't able to create my own characters - but that's something to do with a dodgy installation program the Thalion boys made? Tut Tut Tut... Anyhow, the world of Amberstar appears huge so I'm wondering if I should add it to my ever-growing list of Atari ST games to play over a quiet weekend. Yeah, I often say this a lot... sigh... I think we all know how that plan will go. Hmm.

An early CryptO'pinion?

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Considering I only played for half an hour, I'm quite taken aback by what appears to be an in-depth RPG. There's so much to initially overcome from the interface and characteristics, as with any new game. Graphically, it's amazing and the storyline is interesting with dread and captivation. Although I'm wondering if I need another life-sucking RPG especially as I still play Temple of Apshai, Rogue and the mighty Shadowlands. Not to mention the obvious ST classic!

Hey, have you played it? Are there any fans out there? What can you share about this Thalion RPG? I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys think because it looks intriguing. Well, for now, it's something for me to ponder over.

Until then, take a gander at these screenshots and try not to drool at the gorgeous pixel art...

Well, that's me heading northward the moment he turns his back!

Who knows who you'll meet under the beautiful skies?

Look at that lovely artwork. Very Ultima and very sexy!

Come on, how you can not love reading stuff like that!

The inventory here will take ME some time to master as I'm fussy like that.

A map. A freaking map!! This isn't cheating as it aids the quality of your adventure.

Kid Gloves II

The Kid has hung up his gloves?

Kid Gloves II was developed by Dave Semmens (click that for his interview) and is nothing like its prequel. In fact, it's more like a Wonderboy, Giana, Mario and the ilk. I believe it was originally called Little Beau but Digital Magic went bust and Millenium stepped in with their own ideas. Anyhow, this is great news for me because I was never a fan of the first.

The background story, you say? Okay, brace yourself... the love of our life has been kidnapped by an evil wizard who now has trapped her in his castle. We want her back, of course. So that means travelling through five islands before reaching his castle lair to rescue our beloved. Hardly original, I'm sure you'll agree, but I'll buy into it like the sucker I am.

Kid needs to travel through a number of islands on his way to that castle. Each is split into sections with its environment: ice, water, fire, sand, and wind. That means they're all slightly different with their own hazards, monsters and the usual types of platforms to leap across. It's classic and nothing new but something tells me that doesn't matter.

Okay... Firstly, let's take a look at some screenshots to see what kinda game we have here...

Ice Island is excellent and nicely introduces you to the gameplay styles.

Water Island has been flooded so bring your swimming costume!

Things are hotting up for the third level with... hmm... warmer visuals!

The fourth level has you walking like an Egyptian...

It's getting windy on the fifth level but things are looking rather samey!

We made it to the castle but only with extra lives and a timer freeze. Oh yeah!!

Looks nice, but how's it play?

As you can see, the levels look great with the first stage being of ice. This is a superb starting area with snow, melting platforms, and much more. Each island follows the same mechanics so is pretty much what you'd expect albeit with the obvious aesthetic differences. However, I found the fifth island tiresome with irritating platforms that were hard and integrated with very long jumps - which meant losing lots of time backtracking!

Getting around most areas is exceptionally easy thanks to responsive controls and helpful arrows guiding you on your merry way. Kid actually walks using a two-fold method: shorter bursts, from a still, are of a slower pace for jumping across the ledges. Whereas a continuous run is faster and just perfect for leaping over those wider gaps.

The monsters may look cute but they need killing with your trusty dagger (upgradable!). When slain, they drop items like coins, energy fruits and others that can empower special abilities - super-high jumps, monster-squashing boots, balloons, critters and fireballs. Ultimately, we're searching each level for the baddie carrying the exit key. Once you are through the stages, the end-of-level guardian is waiting for you - for an easy battle!

Kid Gloves II features a couple of "hidden" features which you might find when exploring the levels. Stumbling upon something that looks like it should be in Vegas provides a chance to earn yourself lots of rewards be it a fruit machine or an arcade game. Use your selection of coins in a slot machine or a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up.

Hey, perhaps this is the perfect time to show you those extra bits of this wonderful game...

Hey, what's that I see? Perhaps I should stop and take a break from the girlfriend's rescue?

Woohoo, I'm back in Vegas baby!! Well, there's a chance this machine might yield big rewards.

Ignore his freaky eyeballs because this shoot 'em up is a lot harder than you might first think.

I want juicy aesthetics!

Well, you've got 'em because graphically, Kid Gloves II is a cutie pie, thanks to the talents of Doug Townsley. I love its 8-bit personality with each stage different and gorgeous. However, it's the sprites that stand out the most with awesome attention to detail. The backgrounds are also fantastic but I was a little puzzled on Wind Island as everything looks samey - so some platforms are difficult to see. Which is a tad annoying, especially compared to the rest of the game.

Not many know this, but Kid Gloves 2 was the first platformer I booted up when returning to the Atari ST a number of years ago. I instantly fell in love with its cartoon visuals and how smoothly it scrolled - my happy days had returned again!! Oh, the floppy still works and remains one of my most cherished possessions.

Musically, this is fabulous with a fantastic selection of chirpy chiptunes by Andy Severn and Justin Scharvona. What's interesting is that they each suit the gameplay style perfectly. However, I didn't find a way to switch off the tunes in favour of sound effects which is odd. But, if I'm honest, I wouldn't have wanted to anyway - chipmusic will last forever!

So it looks and sounds magical? Yes, so let's celebrate with a screenshot before the final conclusion...

Critters are ace because they're as deadly as they are cute!

The CryptO'pinion?

As you have probably already guessed, I've absolutely loved playing Kid Gloves 2. However, nothing is perfect so what didn't I like? Well, each level kinda feels the same albeit with different visuals and the bosses are far too easy to kill. However, my biggest beef is the unnecessary timer that spoils my chances of beating the third island. Yes, I admit to cheating on those later levels and I normally never cheat. Honest. Ahem, anyhow no game should rush the player!

Wow, I sound like a right old moaner? Okay, I apologise because Kid Gloves 2 is a genuinely fantastic platformer packed with fun levels, lots of baddies to kill, great power-ups and the control mechanics are fast and fluent. I think your kids will enjoy it as much as we Dads did back in the day? What say you? Let me know in the comments below.

An enjoyable console-like platformer that I cannot recommend enough. Quite simply, it's a truly fantastic game.

Download available by D-Bug

Floppies can be found at Atari Legend.