Drugs... Guns... Violence!
I've always had a soft spot for Dinamic. It might be because they were one of those companies releasing games during my twilight ZX Spectrum years, just before playing their Atari ST games. Along with games like Army Moves, they went on to make some belters, one of which is their 1991 hit shooter Narco Police.
In the future... or rather... back in 2003, most of us were apparently heavily dependent on hardcore drugs, and this addiction made the dealers rich and powerful. Actually, I'm now getting a whiff of the recent scamdemic! Anyhow, the various nations of the world all got together to form an elite anti-drug unit: The A-Team. No, I meant NARCO POLICE who have been trained to rid this filth from existence. Yeah!!
Three Narco units are deployed to infiltrate the drug lord's hive located on a remote island off Colombia. It won't be easy because they have invested in security, including marines and combat soldiers. You start with the 'option' of choosing your team's equipment and weaponry. Also, a map of the island allows you to view the landscape and choose the best entrance into its network of underground tunnels. Dare you enter?
Of course, you do, so let's take a look at some earlier screenshots...
Don't forget to visit the armoury before heading out into no-man's land!
There's little to plan, but at least we get to tunnel in like killer worm cops!
Walk... Shoot... Kill
In the tunnels, we encounter henchmen, security systems, and artillery. As we venture deeper, the enemy will surprise us by jumping out from hidden sidewalls or falling down from the ceiling to ambush us. Use the joystick to direct gunfire at their location and unleash an onslaught of revenge!! Controls can take a little getting used to with movement feeling inelegant, but you will get used to dodging grenades in no time.
Other defences cannot be destroyed easily and require a tactical approach. (It's now that you realise your team needed the correct equipment). A terminal is available to enter basic control commands, such as 'C' (which stands for 'chopper'), to display information about your teams. The 'K' command restores vitality. The 'M1' command is entertaining in sticky situations! A command list can be displayed using 'DIR'.
Don't be fooled into thinking this is a simple shooter; hold fire and blindly kill everything? Far from it, and you will need to practice to make any kind of progress. After a few games, I found the controls great, which helped me make headway deeper into the game. Very rewarding, but reading the manual is essential O_o
Is this too demanding for a 16-bit computer to handle? Think again...
Tell me you're not impressed by this floppy disk-based computer from 1985!!!
Aesthetics, long before Doom!
Visually, this is gorgeous, with captivating locations and huge enemy sprites using great animation. Our soldier is stunning as we patrol the corridors - even with our suspect limp. It's not all perfect, as some soldiers almost look like cardboard cutouts waiting to be shot. Other soldiers roll across your screen in slo-mo!
I've always had a passion for 3D shooters (especially the first-person variety) and, even though this is third-person, it's one I have enjoyed since the 90s. Narco Police actually uses a pseudo-3D engine that pushes our 8MHz CPU by using clipped graphics that increase as you walk, giving the illusion of movement. I remember drooling over my ST's keyboard the first time I got to see this in action!
The audio is fantastic with a stomping theme tune for an 80s retro-styled title screen. All in-game sound effects are made from impressive samples; however, it's odd to walk without hearing the sound of my footsteps. Maybe I'm being picky, and perhaps our hero is just too stealthy for his own good!!
This game looks and sounds brilliant, so, erm, here are a couple more screenshots...
Hands up who would love a job as a Narco Policeman? No, me neither! lol
The perspective used in this game is impressive, but that doesn't stop me from dying!
The CryptO'pinion?
This is a Christmas Cracker stuffed full of mayhem to get the blood flowing - all over the walls, usually! Who doesn't enjoy killing henchmen and repetitive tunnel exploration? Sadly, Dinamic made yet another ludicrously tough game. Perhaps too tough? Maybe the Spanish are ultra-hardcore gamers, but I need a trainer!
Having said that, I'm always drawn back into the tunnels, time & time again, because Narco Police is a seriously addictive shooter. Sure, it's always predictable, but in a good way. Even though it's insanely tough, I cannot help but recommend it to those who love guns, loud explosions and plenty of killing.
A fistful of fun, and I love it. It's tough, but this is an excellent shooter!!
