If you love retro gaming, especially using the world's best 16-bit computer, then check this out. These guys are Atari 8-bit masters who also prove their knowledge of ST. Into The Vertical Blank has recently released two new compilation videos that feature a ton of Atari ST games - Photon Storm, Rainbow Islands, Stunt Car Racer, Sideways, Scooby-Doo, Fire & Ice, Oids, James Pond, Bubble Bobble, and others.
Hold your horses, there's also a hefty wedge for the overlooked Atari STe!! Stuff like Rock 'n' Roll Clams, Asteroidia, Uridium, Prince of Persia, No Buddies Land, and other (Atari STe) upgraded titles.
Both videos feature fast & fluent presentation; ie, they don't drag on with overly long clips. This means you get to watch many games within a short time. I also enjoyed the varied range of games, along with the fact that the Atari STe was used whenever possible. I hope there are more in the pipeline! Both videos are on YouTube, but don't forget to check out their excellent website with ST games, Podcasts, and much more.
My greetings to Fultonbot and 8bitrocket. Keep up the fantaSTic work, lads.
I'm often a little sceptical of so-called horror games because they're never really gonna be that scary. In fact, the only game that has ever made me jump was the Jaguar's Alien vs Predator - it was late at night and I jumped out of my skin when an alien shrieked. Terrifying at 3am!! Anyhow, enough of my scooby-doo adventures.
I actually bought this game years ago, so figured it was about time I dusted it off and booted it up. This is an adventure developed by H. J. Braendle and Guido Henkel of Dragonware Games back in 1988. My box is quite battered with floppy disks that no longer work! But at least I have the manual, which is, for a number of reasons, most helpful.
Helpful because I'm not a massive fan of text adventures if I'm brutally honest. Though I have enjoyed a few over the years on both my ZX Spectrum and Atari ST. And, more recently, I bought a couple of crackers - Hibernated 1 and The Curse of Rabenstein, so I felt confident with Ooze to see what kind of horrific journey might be on offer.
Okay, let's begin with a screenshot from the beginning of our adventure, at Carfax Abbey...
We begin standing outside and looking at our inheritance. Oh, how I wish this were real life!!
I love cheeseburgers!
We play a character called Ham Burger and have inherited Carfax Abbey from our late uncle, Cheez Burger (these names are killing me). Yep, this sounds like a horrifying comedy? Anyhow, it appears he died under mysterious circumstances. So, rather than enjoying our wealthy new lifestyle, we instead investigate what's happened. Typical...!
From the start, the game dictates the expected creepy atmosphere. Upon arriving, we cautiously check out our new home. Thunder is rumbling, and an old signpost details the address, 666 Rue Morgue. Nervously walking up, we see the porch and an old rocking chair, but this ain't an ordinary chair because it's haunted. That's right! In fact, almost every room is haunted by something, so it's a good idea to take it slow and ponder the environment carefully. Very carefully.
Ooze has a good sense of humour. Wait too long, and a panicky message appears asking if you're still there. Don't leave me here alone, it whimpers lol. Just try sitting on the porch chair for an eye-opening experience that I did not expect. The characters are excellent, and I laughed when rescuing Marie: "Marie EnToilet"!! However, Murx is an oddity which made me chuckle and scratch my head. Oh, and when you die, the game pranks you - by banning you from the RAM!!
Oh yes, there are lots of silly pranks and fun places to explore, so let's see some more screenshots...
I cannot spoil what happened, but you can still get a glimpse of the humour!
You might not see it, but the text can be very vivid to portray the scene nicely.
More humour after a wrong decision. But look at those weird trophies. Nice graphics!
I'm rich and also haunted!
The world of Carfax Abbey is small but feels bigger because of the time spent at each location. It's tempting to rush off and explore, but that means you will miss everything important (as expected) and probably die. So be warned! Getting around is done using the expected compass directions (N/S/E/W) plus U/D for up/down. It's possible to 'sit down' or 'run south' to hastily exit. A handy command called 'exits' will inform you of all possible routes from your location.
Each area has a vivid description that is extremely long-winded, so it's possible to overlook something blatant, like the lance, which was totally infuriating. I know, I know, all adventures require that you read the room's description, but it's apparent that Ooze takes this to the extreme thanks to the amount of detail mixed with subtle hints. Thankfully, that feature can be changed by using the 'brief' command, which I did from the moment I entered the Abbey!
The parser is good, but I fear something was lost in translation (German roots). Simple commands are often confused by a pedantic requirement for correct input. Try unlocking a door, searching a trunk or switching on the lights. Well, light... Irritating!! Level 9 quality, this is not. Whatever you read in the description, examine that said object fully because nothing is obvious. Find the chalk if you can (agony that). Or suss out what you're supposed to do with the Parlour rope.
Surely you're interested in seeing more? I thought so, so let's view some more screenshots...
We're starting to get somewhere now, but then this happened... but then a "plopp". Hmm...
Some areas really do offer nothing valuable other than a lovely walk to the next room.
Oh my, things are hotting up in the bedroom!
An adventure with an atmosphere?
Visually, I loved how Ooze combined the two resolutions for great effect. Low is obviously used to display a range of gorgeous images, whilst the clarity of Medium is put to great use to read the text. This is superb and works well. Weirdly, not every room you visit appears to have its own separate image, which I found a little confusing at first.
Those with a crisp monochrome monitor will be happy to know Ooze works in high resolution. The text looks wonderful but the images... hmm... not so much. It's as if the low-res images have simply been converted on the fly, rather than drawn specifically for this particular display mode. Which is a shame.
The audio is superb with lots of samples for eerie creaks, footsteps, ghoulish screams and so on. However, the atmosphere is spoiled by the ST's keyboard clicks, which I didn't see any way to disable. It's no big deal, but I'd have preferred to disable them because they are a lot louder than the sampled sound effects. (and no, XControl did not work)
Looks great, sounds great. That can only mean one thing: more screenshots...
Sometimes the player can be too daft for his own good...
Think before you act, but whilst you're here, check out this artwork!
Sometimes the descriptions don't match the visuals, which is a tad annoying.
The CryptO'pinion?
Ooze is a great adventure and will undoubtedly appeal to those looking for something of a horror nature rather than a predictable fantasy theme. Sadly, I found the room descriptions overly long-winded and, at times, poorly translated into English. Also, basic exploration can sometimes be finicky - right from the moment you enter the Abbey (walking upstairs is quite the event). If ever there was an adventure that demanded you make a map, this is definitely it.
I found it impossible to explore upstairs otherwise. There ends my one and only hint!
This isn't something you can easily pick up, not without spending a lot of time. But, if you fancy a break from those fancy Magnetic Scrolls, then I am sure you will love this game, which is worth the effort. Ooze offers a sarcastic twist on the horror genre with neat puzzles. Plus, it has a fantastic sense of humour: give Marie a juicy kiss! Go on, do it... Brilliant!!
Recovery is a shooter by New Deal Productions that takes us on a *Fantastic Voyage* through the lower parts of some poor soul in need of medical assistance. I presume we're trying to help him recover from something nasty as we begin at the bottom, working our way up through the liver (I think), and then onto the heart before finally smashing through the old grey matter. Yeah, we get to rock through the human body!
This game is very similar to Menace or R-Type, but at a faster pace. The whizzing body parts make dodging almost impossible. Our ship is agile and armed with a laser, so don't think - shoot first and never ask dumb questions. I love finding something 'new' to play, and this is an exciting shooter.
Let's take a break and see some screenshots...
I got AGT vibes from this screenshot, which pleased and depressed me equally.
It's a shooter, so shoot!
Each body part represents a distinct stage and is incredibly long, almost making you think it will never end. Trust me, these levels are lonnnnnng. Despite this, they all feel similar, presenting a vast array of "aliens" to avoid or eliminate. These employ various attack patterns, but touching them depletes energy levels. Consequently, poorly skilled pilots ultimately lose yet another life. Interestingly, there’s no end-of-level boss. A monstrous tumour would have been a fitting final boss - now that’s a sentence I never thought I’d say!
The joystick controls are excellent - swift and responsive without any lag. Our main weapon is an effective laser beam - pressing and holding fire shoots this laser and kills anything in front of you. It's wicked!! Sadly, there are no other types of upgrades or special weapons, so all we have is one laser and nothing more.
Thankfully, our sleeping patient has popped many pills, which you'll see floating through his body just waiting to be collected. These can boost your weapon's rate of fire, energy and shields, which are all displayed in the status bar. I never figured out what "LIGH" is for - I tried hitting every key, but nothing, nada, zip.
Let's take a break from the boring reading and view another lovely screenshot...
A menacing screenshot with the colour scheme. This game is fast, so shoot and move quick!
Aesthetics?
Visually, this is a mixed-body bag that isn't as healthy as you would hope. Don't get me wrong, a scrolling shooter needs to scroll. And this game scrolls smoothly with parallax layers. Sadly, the backgrounds are sometimes bare-bones. Although there are tons of sprites zooming around at impressive rates!
Hitting F4 flips between 50/60Hz to speed things up even more - if you can handle it?
Sonically, this is outstanding and foot-tappingly awesome - makes you realise just how cool your Atari ST is. However, any insane people might wish to turn it off for the sound effects. No problem, just hit F2/F3, but why would you ever wanna do that? Wait, I think that I know the answer, it's because you're stupid.
Okay, you've guessed it - stop reading and enjoy another gorgeous screenshot...
Come on, you cannot deny the style of this game? It looks the business with a style I love.
The CryptO'pinion?
Recovery is technically impressive and a damn good shooter. It slaps the faces of those lazy programmers who said the ST cannot scroll. Sadly, the gameplay could be better, as each stage feels excessively long, and that static style lacks progression and becomes monotonous after a while. Furthermore, the inability to upgrade our weapons is a significant disappointment, but not as much as the absence of bosses to fight.
I've enjoyed blasting through some fella's intimate body parts all in the name of science fiction. Recovery is definitely worth booting up for a quick game or two - especially to see who can survive the longest!!
Check out my screenshots before deciding whether to download for hard disk or floppy...
I've had this gem on my hard drive for ages and finally got around to recording what is nothing less than a jaw-dropping collection of chiptunes converted by Gunnar Gaubatz, aka Big Alec. It was (eventually) released for Sommarhack 2019 by Grazey of Psycho Hacking Force. I've recorded snippets from each track, but it's advisable to download this to enjoy it properly. Remember, nothing beats real hardware. Certainly not YouTube!
But what about Amberstar?
Well, Thalion may not have released the ST game, but this got me thinking of its prequel, Amberstar. A game I've never actually played - not ever! I remember seeing it featured in magazines, and the graphics looked very nice. So, today, I downloaded the pre-configured HDD version by 8BitChip and had myself a playtest...
Atari Legend has the floppies but there's three of 'em. Good luck with that disk swapping!
We begin with an overhead view of a graveyard, which is a dead interesting place (sorry). This leads to the City of Twinlake, which flips our view from 2D to 3D, ala Dungeon Master. Now the adventure begins with plenty of places to explore and folk just waiting for a good natter. The aesthetics look and sound brilliant. However, I was unsure of the clunky user interface, which initially feels a little cumbersome and messy.
Amberstar is difficult to get into from the start, and I'm perplexed that I wasn't able to create my own characters, but I hear that's something to do with a dodgy installation? Anyhow, the world of Amberstar appears huge, so I'm wondering if I should add it to my ever-growing list of Atari ST games to play over a quiet weekend. Yeah, I often say this a lot... sigh... I think we all know how that plan will go. Hmm.
An early CryptO'pinion
I'm quite taken aback by what appears to be an in-depth RPG. There's so much to initially overcome from the interface and characteristics, as with any new game. Graphically, it's amazing, and the storyline is interesting with dread and captivation. Although I'm wondering if I need another life-sucking RPG, especially as I still play Temple of Apshai, Rogue, and the mighty Shadowlands. Not to mention the obvious ST classic!
Hey, have you played it? Are there any fans? What can you share about this Thalion RPG? I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys think because it looks intriguing. For now, it's something for me to ponder over.
Until then, take a gander at these screenshots and try not to drool at the gorgeous pixel art...
Well, that's me heading northward the moment he turns his back!
Who knows who you'll meet under the beautiful skies?
Look at that lovely artwork. Very Ultima and very sexy!
Come on, how can you not love reading stuff like that!
The inventory here will take ME some time to master as I'm fussy like that.
A map. A freaking map!! This isn't cheating, as it aids the quality of your adventure.
Kid Gloves II was developed by Dave Semmens (click that for his interview) and is nothing like its prequel. In fact, it's more like a Wonderboy, Giana, Mario and the ilk. I believe it was originally called Little Beau, but Digital Magic went bust, and Millennium stepped in with their own ideas, which is an interesting twist.
The background story, you say? The love of our life has been kidnapped by an evil wizard who has trapped her in his castle. We want her back, of course. So that means travelling through five islands before reaching his castle lair to rescue our beloved. Hardly original, I'm sure you'll agree, but I'll buy into it like the sucker I am.
Kid needs to travel through a number of islands on his way to that castle. Each is split into sections with its environment: ice, water, fire, sand, and wind. That means they're all slightly different with their own hazards, monsters and the usual types of platforms to leap across. It's classic and nothing new, which is fine.
Let's take a look at some screenshots to see what kinda game we have here...
Ice Island is excellent and nicely introduces you to the gameplay styles.
Water Island has been flooded, so bring your swimming costume!
Things are hotting up for the third level with... hmm... warmer visuals!
The fourth level has you walking like an Egyptian...
It's getting windy on the fifth level, but things are looking rather samey!
We made it to the castle, but only with extra lives and a timer freeze. Oh yeah!!
Looks nice, but how's it play?
As you can see, the levels look great. The first stage is ice, so it features snow, melting platforms, and more. Each island follows the same mechanics, so it's pretty much what you'd expect, albeit with the obvious aesthetic differences. However, I found the fifth island tiresome with irritating platforms that were hard and integrated with very long jumps, which meant losing lots of time backtracking!
Getting around most areas is exceptionally easy thanks to responsive controls and helpful arrows guiding you on your merry way. Kid walks using a two-fold method: shorter bursts, from a still, are of a slower pace for jumping across the ledges. Whereas a continuous run is faster and just perfect for leaping over those wider gaps.
The monsters are cute, but they need killing with your trusty dagger (upgradable!). When slain, they drop items like coins, energy fruits and others that can empower special abilities: super-high jumps, monster-squashing boots, balloons, critters and fireballs. Ultimately, we're searching each level for the baddie carrying the exit key. Once at the end, an end-of-level guardian is waiting for you - for an easy battle!
Kid Gloves II features a couple of "hidden" features which you find when exploring the levels. Stumbling upon something that looks like it should be in Vegas is a chance to earn yourself rewards, be it a fruit machine or an arcade game. Use your selection of coins in a slot machine or a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up.
Perhaps this is the perfect time to show you those extra bits of this wonderful game...
Hey, what's that I see? Perhaps I should stop and take a break from the girlfriend's rescue?
Woohoo, I'm back in Vegas, baby!! Well, there's a chance this machine might yield big rewards.
Ignore his freaky eyeballs because this shoot 'em up is a lot harder than you might first think.
Gimme juicy aesthetics!
Kid Gloves II is a cutie pie, thanks to the talents of Doug Townsley. I love its 8-bit personality, with each gorgeous stage. It's the sprites that stand out the most with awesome attention to detail. The backgrounds are also fantastic, but I was a little puzzled on Wind Island as everything looks samey - so some platforms are difficult to see. Which is a tad annoying, especially compared to the rest of the game.
Not many know this, but Kid Gloves 2 was the platformer I played when returning to the Atari ST a few years ago. I instantly fell in love with its cartoon visuals and how smoothly it played. My happy days had returned!! Oh, the floppy still works and remains one of my most cherished possessions.
Musically, this is fabulous with a selection of chiptunes by Andy Severn and Justin Scharvona. What's interesting is that they each suit the gameplay style perfectly. However, I didn't find a way to switch off the tunes in favour of sound effects. But, if I'm honest, I wouldn't have wanted to - chipmusic will last forever!
So it looks and sounds magical? Yes, so let's celebrate with a screenshot before the final conclusion...
Critters are ace because they're as deadly as they are cute!
The CryptO'pinion?
I've absolutely loved playing this game. However, nothing is perfect, so what didn't I like? Well, each level kinda feels the same, albeit with different visuals, and the bosses are far too easy. However, my biggest beef is the unnecessary timer that spoils my chances of beating the third island. Yes, I admit to cheating on those later levels, and I normally never cheat. Honest. Ahem, anyhow, no game should rush the player.
Kid Gloves 2 is a genuinely fantastic platformer packed with entertaining levels, lots of baddies to kill, great power-ups, and control mechanics that are fast and fluent. This game is timeless, and I think your kids will enjoy it as much as we did back in the day. What say you? Let me know in the comments below.
An enjoyable console-like platformer that I cannot recommend enough. A truly fantastic game.
