Spellfire The Sorcerer

We're a wizard, again!

Spellfire is a scrolling platformer developed by Dave Semmens for Code Masters and released in 1992. It is set in a time long ago: a time of myth and legend when knights patrolled the woodlands and magicians were the cool guys. We're a wizard called Willy (stop it!!) and our beef is with an emperor who is holding captive (wait for it) Fifi The Fairy. She's trapped in his tower, so our valiant quest is to rescue her.

Fifi can only be rescued from the dark fortress by collecting ten magic eyes scattered across the levels. It's the usual quest through lands filled with monsters and demonic guardians. Will you help Wizard Willy?

Come on, I know you will, so let's check out the first screenshot from the game...

The graphics are great, but sometimes it feels cluttered.

It all sounds incredibly original, right?

He begins his journey in a forest that leads to the castle where she is imprisoned. This is a great start, which introduces us nicely to the gameplay mechanics: our hero can walk, leap, climb trees, shoot fire bolts, and even mash up magic spells using a rather large cauldron. Health status is displayed at the top of the screen and will decrease if you happen to touch enemies or a dangerous object. Gold coins can be collected (after a kill), and these are used as currency inside a cauldron that can mix magical power-ups, ammo, or health.

Collecting the magic eyes allows us to battle the first guarding boss - a wasp-like critter who isn't exactly intelligent and therefore an easy kill. This grants us access to the castle via the creepy dungeons, but the guardian is a bit of a bonehead (you will see why). This castle takes us deeper into our quest, but continues with the same theme, with lots more tricks and traps to fool you. I really am enjoying this journey!

This ain't no rushed port, the quest is massive, so let's celebrate with another screenshot...

The first boss is a giant wasp who is a bit dumb and easy to kill. I like that!

Aesthetics

Spellfire has stunning visuals, and I love the contrast between lush nature and medieval environments. Sadly, it can feel "busy", and I dreamt of a background without so much clutter. However, the game is colourful, using a gradient sky. I liked the erupting volcanoes and awesome skeletons when raised from the dead. Everything you see is complemented by smooth scrolling that never lags and keeps up with the pace.

The audio is impressive and can be set to chip music or effects. Whatever you decide, you will love it.

Isn't it great when something looks & sounds as good as it plays! Screenshot time...

Watch out for tricks that will catch you off guard.

The CryptO'pinion?

I've enjoyed Spellfire the Sorcererl it reminded me of a cross between Stormlord and Chronicles of Omega. It's easy to get into, so instantly entertaining with good levels, excellent monsters, and power-ups that work nicely. However, I did feel that the screens were a little too (visually) cluttered, albeit very, very pretty.

I'm grateful this isn't a lazy Amiga port and plays every bit as well as it looks. Code Masters released what I can only describe as a hidden gem. Challenging, but stick with it, and you have a superb platformer!

Grab the HDD version @ 8BitChip.

And the floppies @ Atari Legend.

Kult

Let's play something different

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... No, wait, wrong game!! Okay, let me start again. Many moons ago, a good friend of mine surprised me with a gift sent from the land of Vikings. Inside was a beautifully preserved, sealed copy of Kult, something I'd not played before. He was adamant that this was a 16-bit classic, and I even remember it receiving good reviews. Heck, Atari ST User magazine rated it a perfect ten!

So what's this peculiar game about? We are Raven, a psionic mutant, who saw a bunch of other mutants destroy a village and now wants to fight back! That's the gist of it, for what is a confusing (French!) adventure. It's got a tough learning curve, and there are many cunning puzzles. This is a game like no other I have ever played, but it's that learning curve you need to master, especially concerning the user interface. The graphics are creepy-cool in a sci-fi style, and the sound effects are samples, with great speech effects.

Kult has more to it than you first realise. You're probably wondering how my first game went...

I've been getting to grips with this game today but the hard drive version fails to work for me (I think it's my SD Card) so I went for the floppy version, linked below, by Zuul and this worked perfectly. Well, after a couple of hours, I am blown away by this captivating game. The user interface might first appear confusing and quite laboured but in fact, it's actually anything but because navigation is a breeze. I also love how the rooms are titled, which certainly helps me a bunch!

I'm getting to grips with the locations and examining everything I see in the rooms. Objects are often tripped-out and plain silly - I've just polished the eyeballs on a fountain to get it working, why I'm not exactly sure yet but I've done it. I have also chatted to some strange looking fellas, so I followed them and used the attack function. Won this battle but then his friends ate the corpse!

I laughably love using the brain to select instructions, such as inspect, attack, and talk. What a strange yet oddly obvious way to make decisions!! I've learned not to trust people, I walked into a dark room and somebody told me to follow them. Stupid that I am, I did just that and promptly fell through a trap into a water-filled pit. Here, I was eaten alive by some kind of monster...

This game is different to anything I've played. Its storyline is deep and involving but never overwelming. I feel that I've only just scratched the surface of what will be a unique experience!

Downloads & More

• 8BitChip has created a version for your hard disk.
• Atari Legend has the floppies, and I recommend Zuul #195.
• Wasabim has recorded a brilliant YouTube video.
• Atari ST User scored Kult 10/10 - wow!! [AtariMania]

Guardian Angel

Dimamic get Dynamic!

Freddy Hardest is our Guardian Angel for Dinamic's scrolling beat 'em up in the Big Apple, which actually ain't too dissimilar to After The War. Manhattan always seems to be the perfect setting for a grim future with crime and gangs. I don't know why, but it's got that Deathwish vibe and setting nailed so perfectly.

I've always had a soft spot for Dinamic, and I think it's because I played their Army Moves via disk (instead of tape) back in my Spectrum +3 days (a short-lived machine as it died after a few weeks... sigh).

They've released some good Atari ST games, and you can find them by searching at the top of this web page. Anyhow, we begin our Death Wish at the docks and are instantly assaulted by waves of 80s-styled thugs! Some have brought their toys, like baseball bats and knives. Where's Charles Bronson when you need him?

The docks are a great place to go looking for trouble, as you can see...

Ahh, nuts! That guy is big, and I hear sneaky footsteps behind me!

Yee Aw that sucka!

As a beat 'em up, we get around crime-infested streets using left/right. The fire button performs a punch, which you'll find is good against the weaker Sailors. Pulling down allows us to stomp on rats but offers little benefit against tougher dudes. Pushing up will unleash the fury of your infamous high kick, which is your only powerful move. Energy levels will automatically replenish IF you get a chance to stand still for a moment.

Guardian Angel doesn't take itself seriously and has you laughing at the silly antics you see on-screen. I love how the baddies turn into zapped skeletons for a split second when dying - it's like a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Watch out for "Death Star", a forklift trucker called Ricky Chang, who is the world's worst driver!! However, my favourite is being kicked out of your cute yellow boots when suffering a final death blow. Hilarious stuff.

That's this game to a tee, it's stupid but so entertaining. The kind you play after a bad day at work...

What? You think ganging up is going to scare me away - not on your nelly!!

Aesthetics

The gameplay window is small, with much of the screen being mostly pointless decor. However, I do like the backgrounds, even if they're too colourful for a bleak city scene! Sprites are large and well-detailed with basic animation, but there are some cool scenes - Ricky Chang will always make me laugh. Fantastic!!

Forget the terrible theme tune. Thankfully, all in-game effects are made from good and meaty samples, with the chainsaw guy being superb. In fact, I really love the excellent variety of sampled sound effects.

This game has sound and vision that will rock your 16-bit world, and I love it all...

Now, this is a proper title screen with outstanding artwork.

The CryptO'pinion?

Guardian Angel sure has good qualities; a bucket load of humour matched by responsive controls, superb sprites, and sound effects. Sadly, it's typically Dinamic with incredibly tough gameplay and having only one decent attack move is insane! However, I have enjoyed it with a trainer enabled, but that's a bad thing, right?

You guys need to play this beat 'em up regardless of the trainer. Hilariously entertaining!!

Atari Legend has Medway Boys #85 Floppy Disk

Fuzion #185

Fuzion #185 is an intro for the game Ork, by Psygnosis. I love this intro because it presents itself particularly well, with lots of colour and an adaptation of one of the most memorable chiptunes created. It also makes use of the Atari STe hardware for even better results, but happily works on either machine just fine.

Credits

Dump - Music

Orion - Code

https://demozoo.org/productions/84067/