Pogo the frog?
Nebulus was released in 1988 by one of my favourite companies, Hewson. It features an armed frog with big eyes called Pogo. He isn't happy with the thought of eight large sea-based towers, so decides to climb them and blow 'em up! Essentially, this is a platformer with some interesting pseudo-3D mechanics that provide a unique visual style within an ingenious design. This is class programming as you will soon discover...
All towers are cylindrical with platforms dotted around the outside. Nifty tunnels offer a way to quickly access the opposite side - if the current route appears to be a dead end. The world certainly revolves around Pogo because he remains at the centre of the screen with horizontal movements, causing the world to scroll in a "three-dimensional" circular motion. Thus, turning the tower around into view. It's quite brilliant.
Sounds rather insane, but let's ignore that initial opinion to check out this colourful screenshot...
Talk about going the extra mile and NOT sticking to 16 colours! Absolutely superb.
Frogs love water, right?
Getting through any of the towers will never be easy, thanks to a barrage of unusual nasties to either shoot or avoid. Access to the top will involve careful strategy because your route is broken, thus forcing you to use opposite sides of the tower depending on where you are. Always consider the option of using these tunnels to quickly nip through - they might come in handy to avoid those flying obstacles!!
Nebulus may sound easy, but it's actually very challenging, and a brisk time limit allows little room for error. Bumping into an enemy will drop you down to the previous ledge. That's rather good, as it doesn't necessarily mean a frustrating loss of life, nor will it impede your momentum to try that part of the tower again. However, if there isn't a ledge to land on, you might fall even further, thus requiring hefty backtracking.
Of course, falling further still (and into the water) is strangely fatal for this froggy. Yup, that means we lose a life! Also interesting is a bonus game featured between the levels - this has Pogo travelling to his next tower via a nice horizontal scrolling level. It's a shooter with lots of Psygnosis-busting smooth parallax scrolling! It should have been longer because I really enjoyed it a bunch (best viewed on a real ST).
Right then, you guessed it! Yep, it's time for another cool screenshot...
Another day and another tower to climb. Ahh, this one looks too easy, right?
16-Bit Sex Appeal!!
The visuals are utterly tremendous. Nebulus is programmed by legend, John M Phillips, who treats us to a lovely display of artwork and ultra-smooth framerates. Not only that, but he added a ton of extra shades of colour for the backgrounds. The end result is an astounding display that puts many other games to shame. It's incredible what the Atari ST cranks out when programmed by somebody with talent and commitment.
The audio is equally impressive, with zesty and sharp effects, totally suiting the gameplay. Also, a beautifully unique chiptune that I could leave running all day, it's captivating and totally enchanting.
This is how all 16-bit games should look and sound...
Okay, ignore my jerky capture because this part scrolls so smoothly. And it's great fun!!
The CryptO'pinion?
Nebulus can feel daunting thanks to its learning curve, but with lots of practice, I guarantee hours of addictive gaming because Nebulus is a real firecracker. I love how it integrates both arcade action and strategic thinking using a fascinating visual style. In many respects, this game was ahead of its time.
I rate Nebulus an Atari ST classic, not only because of how it looks and sounds, but also for its addictive gameplay. Enjoy this piece of JMP magic, which is nothing less than an icon of the 16-bit era.
