Anarchy

Too quick for this 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 game has been found and preserved inside the archives of AtariMania. Yes, it's (yet another) Tetris clone, originally developed in 1991 by Tassos Seizis, with 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 to download it. Let me know what you think in the comments!

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.

Firstly, let's read about the background story, which goes something like this...

In the year 2042, a socialist government is in power, but nobody had foreseen the progressive dictatorship that settled in. The elites of the government hid behind a sham democracy, disconnected from the lives 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 media's complicity with the government's 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!

Let's Play

Escape 2042 drops you into a futuristic prison complex and leaves you to figure out how best to survive. At first glance, it looks like a straightforward platform game, but there’s a little more going on beneath the surface. Running and jumping are important, but you'll also need to keep an eye out for security systems, locked doors and hostile guards patrolling the various levels. Quick reactions will be required.

This is also a game that encourages a more cautious approach than simply charging through like Mario. Certain terminals can be accessed to disable nearby systems or unlock new areas. Security cameras and guards can quickly kill if you're careless, so timing your movements becomes incredibly important.

After a couple of hours of playing, I can honestly say this is incredibly slick. It’s a refreshing change from what I expected, and the puzzles are challenging yet doable. The joystick controls are perfectly responsive, and everything moves and reacts flawlessly. This is truly a slick game. Has that word been overused?

Well, how about this then: Escape 2042 is quite literally an epic release!!!

Links and Screenshots

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• 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.