I love it when I find something new - new to me. After decades of using an Atari ST, I stumbled upon a program that I'd never heard of - an emulator called Artemis. This is a Z80/ZX Spectrum emulator by Jörg Tochtenhagen and Ralf Hemsing and features numerous options for the technically minded - not me then lol. Thankfully, it seems to perform very well indeed on my own Atari (the video above is via emulation).
Feel free to tinker with the configuration but the performance -as is- is more than acceptable on the stock ST. That's a relief because Artemis doesn't work properly on faster computers! Plus there is no support for colour, meaning your game is in black and white. Even more peculiar is that we only have one game - Jetpac.
The game uses a format I've not heard of before --> .PRO
Can anyone help with more information or other games in .PRO format?
Playing Jetpac is never a bad thing and even though it's not as good as the real machine (or indeed the Speccy emulator) it is great to find something new. Note: Artemis comes with no documentation, lacks colour support, and doesn't work properly with computers other than the stock 8MHz Atari ST/e.
Needs other games but I have enjoyed finding this gem deep within the ST archives.
Unheart is something I've been meaning to feature for far too long. It's pretty new and was only released in 2014 at Silly Venture by Masters of Electric City. It's based on the original PC game, Heartlight which happily mixes Sokoban with a dollop of Boulder Dash to produce a riveting and refreshing brain-teasing challenge.
Boulder Dash fans should look elsewhere because this is a Sokoban game and a brilliant take on that idea. We are a dwarf who enjoys digging his way through caves looking for love hearts. Watch out for falling rocks that might block your path or worse, a head-crushing blow. You might even come upon a bomb as you crawl through the soft soil but be careful, because these will detonate when impacting something hard, like a wall or rock. Heck, there are even balloons that will float upwards potentially pushing whatever gets in their way...
Don't worry if you get stuck, hit ESC will humorously explode our dwarf so we can restart. Also, a level-skip function is used to bypass those brain-destroying levels with the option of coming back later. The difficulty remains a constant throughout with cunning map designs causing the most intense problems!
The graphics are simple yet superbly detailed using a gorgeous C64-like palette. The status bar is displayed using overscan, which is always going to be a great thing for obvious reasons. The chip music is on another level. It is breathtaking and perfectly suits the gameplay - I just wish there was more.
Unheart is good fun and pushes you to think differently. Its difficulty remains a constant throughout with shrewd map designs causing the most intense problems to overcome. Thankfully, with unlimited retries - and the ability to skip troublesome levels - you aren't distracted and will keep coming back.
Unheart is challenging, distinctively brilliant and one of the beST puzzlers on the Atari ST.
- SCREENSHOTS & DOWNLOAD -
Some levels look so simple yet they are not. Perhaps well-placed explosions will help here?
I spent ages on this level and yet it is so easy to complete!! Sometimes physics helps a bunch.
Another level that appears so simple - and is - but that didn't stop me from pulling out my hair!!
I can imagine Boulder Dash fans loving the first level, but not so much the others!
Anduril is a PD game by Markus Dheus that features a flying hero. Like the ZX Spectrum game, Kokotoni Wilf, this is a flick-screener with cunning rooms to explore. Unfortunately, unlike Kokotoni Wilf, our guy cannot walk or even touch the landscape scenery. If he does, it results in an instant loss of life. Thankfully, he can fly like a flappy bird using simple controls: use the SHIFT key to fly with H + J turning left/right.
I imagine Anduril is beginning to sound rather easy? You couldn't be more wrong as anyone who loves a challenge will get just that - the first screens are easy but it isn't too long before the game's true sadistic nature is exposed. Most of the map is made up of tight spaces with which to guide our man. If that wasn't tough enough, once gravity is factored in, Anduril becomes distressing for all but the patient gamer.
The graphics are crisp and detailed but I sometimes had collision detection, which often worked in my favour so I shouldn't complain. Sounds are almost void with only a low-volume spot effect for item pickup.
Very difficult, so not for everyone but I found it an enjoyable change.
Download Anduril from AtariMania and this program will help those without a high-res monitor.
