I'm in a nostalgic mood, which is something of an odd thing to say considering the website you're looking at right now! Anyhow, this is one of the earlier cracktros. It might look lame but, it is legendary. Blade Runners used this intro several times and it takes me right back to my early ST days in the 80s. Ah, simpler times :-)
Grr, now I cannot get that chiptune out of my head...
Upgrading to the Atari ST was a monumental moment. I remember seeing
games like Dungeon Master, Xenon, The Pawn, and International Karate. I
couldn't believe the detail and range of colours - without colour clash! Of
course, that feeling happened again when I bought The Union Demo. The joy
my eyes and ears experienced with extra colours, glossy fonts, plasmas,
parallax scrolling, etc. What a moment that began a new era!!
So where is this yabber taking us? I was sitting here wondering
what my favourite ST/e image is. Over the years, I've seen great pictures from people using programs like NEOchrome,
Degas, Spectrum 512, and Photochrome. Not to mention the creations of the demoscene, embedded within intros, cracktro, demos, etc.
You can see my choice (at the top) taken from Drone, an Atari STe demo by DHS. It was originally created by Ultradialectics and is horrifically exquisite. Drone is a remarkable demo with an ominous style and
presentation yet it remains funky-fantastic! Yes,
that's my silly way of describing their hard work!
So what is your favourite pixel art and why? I'm not talking about the technical aspect as it can be anything - monochrome, 16-colour, or feature thousands of colours in
overscan! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, the caveat is that the Atari ST/STe must be able to display your
choice (not TT/Falcon).
You may remember I mapped a platformer by Daniel Walton called
Deluxe Nostram? That is the sequel to... wait for it... Nostram which
he released a year earlier and many got it on an ST Action cover disk.
Anyhow, this earlier version features fewer rooms but the visuals, lack of
sound effects, and puzzles remain very familiar. Sadly, there are quirks with the controls and I noticed several bugs. One
forces you off the screen to displace us stuck in a distant wall.
Another made it impossible to kill the boss if you got too close!
Thankfully, I have listened to my own nagging (for once) and made sure I saved
regularly.
I won't review this game because it's incredibly similar to the Deluxe edition so I would only come to the same conclusion. However, it is definitely worth playing and I loved the explorational element. Plus I completed it within a day (wow!!). Hmm, I might actually prefer this game because there are fewer empty rooms!!
Okay, the image below is a thumbnail of the complete map; to
download the hi-res version click here. I've not labelled any spoilers (although if you get stuck feel free to comment for help). But let's be
honest, the puzzles are easy - a lantern for the dark room and locked doors need a key. Yep, it is that tough.
