Rolling Ronny

A wheelie good platformer

This is an attractive platformer developed by Carsten Neubauer of Bones Park and published by Virgin Games in 1991. Before I begin, we're not using our feet to walk - because we're on skates! This is in the quiet town of Fieldington, a lovely place that has just suffered the theft of its crown jewels. I know, I know...

Fortunately, the gang of bumbling thieves were disturbed, but they still had the time to hide each jewel inside boxes and scatter them about before fleeing. Why? I don't know, but Scotland Yard decided it was a good idea to enlist Ronny as their secret agent to recover the jewels in return for a generous reward.

Ronny uses his skates to get around this oddball town, but he can still climb ladders and leap across most platforms. He will need every ounce of agility to avoid/kill the nasties. There are many silly creatures, so defend yourself by hitting the fire button to fling your killer salamis. Yes, you heard me correctly!

This is starting to sound rather unbelievable, right? Well, we need a screenshot then...

Ronny needs to watch out for various nasties, even those cute little birdies!

Run, Jump and Kill

Any platformer needs decent controls, and thankfully, these are responsive and let Ronny leap from ledge to ledge. The status panel displays various pieces of information: love hearts indicate health, a clock is counting down, the number of remaining jewels, and the gadgets enabled. Along the way, you can stop to run errands for extra credit. This is an excellent way to top up your earnings, so it's not really optional.

Ronny's inventory consists of his four spare pockets for storing gadgets (essentially power-ups). These provide functions like a Super Jump or a Magnet that attracts out-of-reach items. There is a massive range of different power-ups, and I really like Power Sneeze!! Coins can be collected to spend in the town's shop. However, be wise and leave enough cash for your bus fare to access the next level. Yeah, that is very odd!

I love it when a platformer has gameplay that perfectly matches its aesthetics! The controls are a joy and are complemented by interesting ideas and amusing mechanics. Simple, and it works. Why didn't I know about Rolling Ronny back in the day? I missed this one and I'm gutted about that!

Right then, let's take a little break for another colourful screenshot with our red-nosed fella on skates...

This jump across the water looks tricky! Surely, I can make it in one?

16-bit Sex Appeal

The visuals are fantastic, with cartoon-quality, comical sprites and smooth scrolling. It's obvious that colour is a big deal, given the richly decorated backgrounds; even the title screen is a stunning Spectrum 512 image. I believe this was Bones Park's only Atari ST game? They should be proud of their achievement.

The audio is a sweet title tune (that I can't get out of my head), all thanks to Adrian Dalecki. The sound effects are accompanied by an obsessive tune that gets my foot tapping. No complaints here!!

And on that note, let's view the final screenshot...

Hang on a moment, there's an actual droplet of water chasing me? Or is it a ghost lol

The CryptO'pinion?

Rolling Ronny doesn't exactly break the mould, but the addition of a skating clown is an odd idea that works (even with his mad hair - just look at that hideous barnet - lol). There are a few niggles which I didn't care for, the most irritating is failing to collect enough cash for the bus fare. I hated it when that happened!!

There is something about this quirky and extremely entertaining game that I love. It's so challenging and keeps you coming back for more. Also, this ain't no lame Amiga port - it's obvious that a lot of love went into making Rolling Ronny. One of the best platformers for the Atari ST. Yes, I actually said that.

Floppy & hard disk versions from Klaz!

H.A.T.E Hostile All Terrain Encounter

8-bit Legend

Vortex Software released amazing games for the ZX Spectrum, and they were one of my favourite companies. I still remember the day I saw Android, and I played Revolution to death! Which is odd, as I usually hate (no pun) games like that. Their legacy ended with H.A.T.E, a scrolling shooter similar in "style" to Zaxxon.

The year is 2320, and aliens are invading our galaxy. What can we do? Fight back, of course! It's our quest to defend everyone from this invasion, so head out to Stripworld. That's where pilots go to train. Ahem.

Yep, you might think this is a Zaxxon rip-off? It's not, and it's very different...

This game is tough, but what's even harder is trying to capture screenshots when playing!



Hey, I'm a tank. Let's go and blow stuff up!

A boring Zaxxon clone?

Our all-terrain encounter takes us through numerous isometric levels using a variety of crafts, from planes and tanks to a hovercraft. Our ultimate mission is to destroy the nuclear generators - hit 'em where it hurts! This reveals plasma cells, and collecting them determines how many lives we are awarded. It also acts as a shield to protect us from harm during the current game, which I personally think is genius!

Unlike Zaxxon, the gameplay is constantly changing, which I found interesting. The enemies appear in various guises, from ground-based machinery that spews out deadly mines, missiles, tanks and aircraft. A lot is going on, so you will need to use evasive manoeuvres, especially when piloting a plane, as the enemy will often attack in waves. At the end of the level, a mothership whisks us off for more action with different graphics.

The controls are initially confusing, but I soon got the hang of them after a couple of goes. The craft can move left or right, with the fire button used for the main weapon. There are differences depending on the craft being used: land-based tanks can move forward and backwards, whereas planes increase or decrease their altitude. Also, pushing up whilst firing will activate a secondary weapon, such as lasers and bombs.

It's time to take a gander at some more sexy ST screenshots. So, here you go...

Hitting the water in my hovercraft just adds massively to the enjoyment.



I'm back inside my ship, and there are bouncy spikey balls. Let's destroy 'em!!

Aesthetics

The graphics remind me of Highway Encounter, but with more variety. The attention to detail for buildings and structures is superb. I gotta say, I love the shadows, especially when carrying the plasma cells. The only negative is that some levels are quite bland, which is a shame as they look as sexy as a bruised banana!

Timid music plays during gameplay to provide a subtle background to complement the zip-zappy effects. The title music is a gem and most certainly one of the best chiptunes, thanks to the magic of Ben Daglish.

So, it looks and sounds great! Let's celebrate with the last couple of screenshots...

This is a screenshot with... more action going on. Yep.



Gotta say that I love the graphics. Great attention to detail throughout.

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a fantastic conversion of Costa’s classic 8-bit game, but it’s not perfect, and a couple of issues really annoyed me. Firstly, loading times are incredibly slow, especially after losing a life. It’s a bit of a pet peeve, but it’s frustrating! Secondly, my tank exploded because I accidentally touched a building. ARGHH!!

Hostile All Terrain Encounter has its problems, but it's a thoroughly excellent shooter with challenging and addictive gameplay. I've spent several hours playing H.A.T.E and I have L.O.V.E.D every second.

This is an exciting and fantastic shooter. Miss it at your peril, you silly boy!!

Grab the download for floppy disk or hard drive.

Quartz

Be Trigger-happy!

I've spent much time trolling through loads of disks using the nifty Floppy Image Runner and eventually came across this beauty. Quartz was released in 1988 by Firebird and is a tripped-out 8-way shooter that has us playing inside a cloud of sub-atomic particles. Each stage is a variety of short mini-stages similar to Asteroids, but there are also incredible horizontal and vertical shooters, along with impressive 3D effects.

Our job is to shoot the colourful hadrons, transforming them into quarks, which we blast into tiny neutrinos. Collecting these eventually offers a selection of power-ups ranging from ship repairs to awesome weapons. The end-of-level boss is perfect for the physicists lurking within and needs to be shot several times until it spins into oblivion. Lives are limited, but you're offered the chance to continue on - if you're willing to give up a weapon, which is a strange idea but one that forces you to play better rather than whining for extra lives!

I'm gobsmacked by how brilliant this is with its frantic action, rich graphics and chirpy audio, not to mention its beautiful parallax scrolling. My 8-year-old daughter gave this a playtest, and she found the controls daunting but soon got the hang of it and said it was crazy but lots of fun. I think that sums up Quartz nicely!!

Grab it for floppy or hard disks right now!

DBA Magazine #06

A new era

Synergy's famous DBA Magazine intro helped to create one of those moments in time when everything changed. I've watched it hundreds(!) of times over the years, and it never gets dull. It's magnificent with lovely visuals and groundbreaking SIDtastic audio by Joris Maarten de Man. One of my favourite intros ever made.

This jaw-dropping experience can be downloaded from Demozoo, but come on, use a real Atari ST!

Credits

BAT - Code, Other (FX Design)

Rapido - Code

Scavenger - Music, Other (FX Design)

Zanac - Graphics

Switchblade

Ricky D. has a new bandana

Switchblade was released in 1989 by Gremlin Graphics and programmed by Simon Phipps. Yes, he of the Atari ST classic Rick Dangerous. Okay, we are a little dude called Hiro, who wears a bandana and can kick hard. He must explore the UnderCity to locate sixteen broken fragments of the Fireblade to reap revenge on today's evil entity - Havoc! This beast has been on a savage rampage after being dormant for 10,000 years.

So it's time for us to save the day... again! What a shocker :)

I'm usually worried when a big name makes something that is along similar lines to what they're famous for. After all, it's another platformer, so will we get a carbon copy of Rick Dangerous, or will it be different?

I worry too much, right? Well, let's begin with a couple of cool screenshots...

Wow, that is in-your-face aggression, alright!

Hmm, looks easy. Just gotta drop down a couple of levels. Hang on, what's that?

Get ready for a great adventure

We begin on the planet's surface before taking the leap (fall) into the orientally-inspired UnderCity. This labyrinth comprises numerous individual rooms, and exploring each one is fascinating. Tread with caution because you never know what baddies might materialise from out of thin air. Your route is completely "free-roaming", which is excellent (rather than moving from room to room in a specific order i.e. Manic Miner).

Look out for dodgy blocks that crack with a single kick: these can unveil health and weapon power-ups or may even lead you on into hidden rooms with more goodies. Boss characters appear regularly; the first is easy to kill, whereas later ones can be tough and beaten only with patience and lots of well-timed jumping.

The controls are superb, with the usual movements like running, jumping, and climbing ladders, but there are also three types of attacks. Tapping firing allows you to punch like a weak Arnold Schwarzenegger, but you should notice a white combat meter along the bottom/right. This helps with two kicks: holding the fire button for a mere second (so the meter isn't at full strength) will perform a high kick Jean Claude Van Damme would be proud of. Holding it down indefinitely performs a powerful Chuck Norris sweeping kick.

Master these moves before you begin exploring. Okay, let's view more screenshots...

Wake up, there's something creeping up on you, mister!



Tighten that bandana, Rambo. Now, go and kick his monster ass!

NESthetics!

I doubt the visuals will blow your socks off, but they're well-designed, Nintendo-style. Beneath these unassuming graphics lies a functional design featuring mysterious rooms. The characters are excellent with nice details that I adored. Also, the game self-maps in a similar fashion to Ranarama or even Rogue.

Switchblade has killer audio from none other than Ben Daglish. Or you could decide to hear sampled sound effects? I love both and couldn't decide which I preferred in the end (a good predicament)

In most respects, Switchblade looks and sounds different, yet superb. Love it. Screenshot time...

Yes, there's a Ricky D. vibe plus a dollop of Saboteur and NES thrown in for good measure.

The level guardians are either daft or just plain awkward to hit - I wish they would keep still!!

CryptO'pinion?

Switchblade is amazing. In fact, I could end this gripping review right there, because it is just that.

Okay, this game has a superb blend of adventure and action. Plus, the lack of a linear structure is perfect for an explorer like me, eager to see what's around the next corner. Thus, it keeps you enthralled throughout. The controls are incredible, and I've thoroughly enjoyed every second playing this platformer.

This is one of the few games I've completed, and I will come back to it again (and again). As with Rick Dangerous, this is one of the best platformers available for the Atari ST. Don't miss it!!

Grab the floppy or hard disk installable games.

Tip: You might find these maps useful.