Sunday, March 06, 2022

Rodney vs KFC





Zinger Burger anyone?

Rodney is a cool chap who loves his Atari ST and meeting up with fellow friends. One day, he was happily on his way to the Dullsville copy party until he had his compact disk collection stolen by KFC Gang. No, not the tasty fried chicken place but a mob calling themselves Klepto Foreign Chickens, which is hilarious. So he went back home determined for justice! Grabbing an anti-chicken gun, he headed to their hideout for revenge - and his floppy disks!

In case you're wondering, they are ST compact disks and not CDs. ;-) Think Automation, Replicants, Fuzion, Pompey Pirates, Elite, Dream Weavers and many, many others that you can find over on Atari Legend.

Okay, the plan is to kill the chickens and reclaim his disk collection. But, he's only got a few minutes before the bus drives off leaving him behind - and he doesn't wanna miss the copy party! Yep, this may sound like a lame 90s dream but we must help Rodney get his collection back so he can meet up with his mates and copy lots of ST games and demos.

Yeah, it's like going back in time alright so let's check out the first couple of screenshots...



Chickens everywhere should be scared of Rodney with his anti-chicken gun!



Those look like the unbranded disks we would all order by the 100s back in college :D



Rodney should have locked his disk box!

As you've guessed, this is a platformer in a similar mould to the likes of Magic Pockets and others. Infiltrating the gang's hideout is easy, to begin with. This place is inhabited by the thieving scumbag birds who robbed all our floppies and then foolishly scattered them about their lair. Thankfully, one shot is all it takes to kill them and, if you see your disks, then grab 'em quick. Walk, jump, shoot, collect disks - that's about as complex as it gets.

Interestingly, Padman coded the game in GFA Basic for all 1MB computers. But it's best when run on an Atari STe thanks to the extra colours, DMA sound effects and gorgeous music. And it is just that, gorrrrgeous!

The controls are superb and very responsive: left/right walks and pushing upwards leaps Rodney - with diagonal support. The fire button blasts a puny gun that sends the chickens to a slaughterhouse - I found it best to press once, instead of repeatably bashing the button. Hey, these cluckers make a funny noise when dying which I love!

However, don't dawdle with idle exploration or listening to the chickens die. Remember that bus we need to catch? Yep, there's a timer and it's immensely restricting without any allowance for mistakes. So, if you need to backtrack after missing a ledge, don't bother. It's best to restart because you'll never make up for the lost time.

Once all disks are collected, and the KFC dead, you can head towards the exit and then catch the bus to see all your ST mates at the copy party. This quest is straightforward: locate the disks and kill the KFC gang members along the way. I won't knock that simplicity because this is fun and the map is huge with a superb design.

Okay, it's that time again. Yep, you've guessed it! Let's take a look at a couple more screenshots...



I love how the chickens have those beady eyes and fall off the screen when shot.


This is possibly the hardest part of the game, one slip and you fall into the fire!!



Aesthetics

Graphically, this game is great with a murky palette that nicely represents KFC's underground hideout. The sprites are few but humorously bright and perfectly drawn - I love those chickens so much! All animations are excellent and I adore how Rodney's quiff flaps as he walks (a ripped sprite from an unreleased Amiga game is what I heard)

The scrolling is smooth in all directions but a little sluggish and could have been better, especially on the Atari STe. Perhaps I'm being harsh because Padman miraculously used GFA Basic so the results are outstanding in one respect. However, the cynic within asks why the Blitter/hardware scrolling wasn't used for a faster movement.

For the audio, we have excellent sampled sounds used for dying chickens, disk pickups and an 'ugh' as we jump. Okay, it's no Death Chase but what we have, I like. However, it's the music that sets this game apart from the crowd thanks to terrific chiptunes. TAO's in-game music (Atari STe) is absolutely phenomenal. Yes, I said that.

Righto, the last screenshots before I give my much-desired opinion that you all crave so badly...



Liking the subtle stamp Padman placed here. Let's turn that chicken into a curry!!



Can you beat my high score? In fact, this was my first-ever attempt. So beat that! :p



The CryptO'pinion?

I've enjoyed (trying) to help Rodney reclaim his Atari ST disk box but there are a few issues that obviously narked me. For one, there is no indication of the outstanding disks left to collect so I felt blinded, wondering what I'd missed. Plus I wanted a better gun and a LOT more chickens. Worst of all, I hated that time limit with a vengeance.

Nevertheless, I don't want to be overly harsh as this isn't commercial and better than some of the dross we've endured from many companies. Rodney vs KFC is incredibly playable and, although it's doubtful I will ever find all the floppy disks, it keeps dragging me back for that "one more go". I love that addictive aspect of this cool platformer. Play it!!

Grab the floppy disk from Atarimania and check out this excellent video by Gears Of Games.

Saturday, March 05, 2022

Sealed for 32 years




Chronicles Of Omega

I've returned to browsing through eBay after a few years away and, lo and behold, I see a sealed copy of one of my favourite platformers, Chronicles Of Omega. Yes, one of my favourites I actually said that didn't I. Please note, that I am not saying it's one of the best platformers for the Atari ST/e. No. I'm saying that it is one of my favourites.

For those new to this often unknown website, I first featured Chronicles Of Omega back in 2016 so you can read all about it by simply digging through our archives (loads of links on the righthand side) or by skipping straight to that page by clicking here. Go on, you know you want to. Enjoy yourself!

I liked ARC but they didn't seem to last that long, so I reckon that I was dead lucky to find this still sealed. In fact, being sealed means I carefully sliced it open to breathe in some of that 20th-century air before inserting the disk and praying it still worked. Well, it does and I'm happy to say that I stand by my earlier thoughts about this platformer - it's one of my favourites albeit with clunky mechanics that should have been better. Click the link above folks.

For those interested in other Atari ST games that I've purchased, click here to see lots more (all are from my own collection). Okay, let's check out the cover art of this ST/STe platformer! And also see what goodies are inside its box...


I must admit, a part of me wanted to keep this sealed and safe from the insanity of the 21st century!


Is anyone else reminded of Thunder Jaws? No, I mean the game...


Wow, what incredible cover art!


A good storyline and cool Atari ST screenshots. Nicely done, Arc!


Inside the box, we have a poster. That the wife won't let me pin to the wall... :(


No guys ever read the manual? Well, it's tiny and enough even for us blokes to bother with.


Has anyone got a stamp?

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Toogle



Argh, I keep saying Toggle!

Decades after being told the Atari ST had died, another new game is out by Côté Gamers. It's a puzzler by demo crews Dune (José Martins) and Sector One (François Galea & Denis Huguet). Each screen has a 5x5 board of square tiles and the challenge is to flip these (in order) to display the correct pattern. Easy Peasy!

This is done by group-selecting a particular number of tiles and flipping them over until you obtain the desired pattern (which is shown opposite side of the screen). You select these tiles in either a vertical or horizontal line but not diagonally. I know it sounds like a superficial idea and one that is probably very easy?

Wait a minute - you're only allowed X number of moves (indicated on the right). That means staring at the screen - before making a stupid mistake - as each action must always be correct. Toogle is demanding but would be boring if it were easy, right? Are you ready to be tortured and entertained in equal measure?

Visually, this ain't no Enchanted Land. But that's a good thing, right? Let's check it out...

Level 6 is actually one of the easier boards to fix. It's almost like the game is spelling out a word ;-)



Six Juicy Tips

  1. Take a gander at the instructions in the title menu for initial guidance.
  2. Toogle is very simple, but that doesn't mean you should go rushing in like an idiot.
  3. Stop. Look at the screen for what feels like an eternity and think.
  4. Mull over each move that you might be thinking about - how will that affect the next move?
  5. Take care to note how many moves you're allowed. A cruel but necessary limitation.
  6. Basically, you're dead unless you can think like a Vulcan. Or reboot the ST!

This is a game of learning and trial & error. And then more trials and more errors! But it's always entertaining and has that addictive factor you cannot deny. Yep, this game puts you through agony but somehow you keep coming back for more! So take your time, think, and you'll get the hang of it. Or cry trying (bring a tissue).

On that tearful note, let's take a gander at another funky screenshot...


I was proud of myself for finally completing this one. Only took about 25 attempts!



Aesthetics

Graphics are by Mic of Dune so everything looks very cheerful with colourful, bold visuals. I don't know of many games that have a scroller and jazzy background smoothly whizzing about all over the screen - is this a demo or a game? Either way, Toogle looks downright superb and crammed with 16-bit sex appeal.

Music has been composed by Mathieu Stempell, aka DMA-SC. There are two outstanding chiptunes which are both absolutely chip-tastic!! You can listen to either tune, at any time, by pressing the F1/F2 keys (never hit F3). Yep, killer tunes once again and my only gripe is wanting more from this incredible musician.

This is possibly the best-looking/sounding puzzler made for the ST? Truly, stunning stuff!!

I got so close to beating this screen. I'll smash it next time!!



The CryptO'pinion?

I'm often sceptical of puzzles but Toogle is as sweet as it is sour using an elegant design that hides its devious soul. There are screens that had me stumped for aeons and remembering that agony is almost unbearable! Level 3 had me stumped for longer than I care to admit but I breezed through others.

So, if you're wondering why I would purchase something so sinister. Think again. Toogle is unique in many respects and a tough brainteaser that entertains by design. If puzzlers are your thang, I highly advise you to head over to Côté Gamers website and grab a boxed copy. Quite simply, this is a fantastic game.

Sigh, I doubt I'll beat all 99 levels but... hang on... there's an envelope inside the box...

The box is nice and I love the colours. Plus today I finally learned what 'jeu' means... doh!


Hmm, I wonder what sadistic reason Cote Gamers had for sealing this envelope? ;-)


Guys, this is the one time you really must read the flipping manual!!


The disk design is superb but "a 3D printed stress reliever". What's one of those? heh

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More random ATARI ST articles from the archives