I'm in a nostalgic mood, which is something of an odd thing to say considering the website you're looking at right now! Anyhow, this is one of the earlier cracktros. It might look lame but, it is legendary. Blade Runners used this intro several times and it takes me right back to my early ST days in the 80s. Ah, simpler times :-)
Grr, now I cannot get that chiptune out of my head...
Upgrading to the Atari ST was a monumental moment. I remember seeing
games like Dungeon Master, Xenon, The Pawn, and International Karate. I
couldn't believe the detail and range of colours - without colour clash! Of
course, that feeling happened again when I bought The Union Demo. The joy
my eyes and ears experienced with extra colours, glossy fonts, plasmas,
parallax scrolling, etc. What a moment that began a new era!!
So where is this yabber taking us? I was sitting here wondering
what my favourite ST/e image is. Over the years, I've seen great pictures from people using programs like NEOchrome,
Degas, Spectrum 512, and Photochrome. Not to mention the creations of the demoscene, embedded within intros, cracktro, demos, etc.
You can see my choice (at the top) taken from Drone, an Atari STe demo by DHS. It was originally created by Ultradialectics and is horrifically exquisite. Drone is a remarkable demo with an ominous style and
presentation yet it remains funky-fantastic! Yes,
that's my silly way of describing their hard work!
So what is your favourite pixel art and why? I'm not talking about the technical aspect as it can be anything - monochrome, 16-colour, or feature thousands of colours in
overscan! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, the caveat is that the Atari ST/STe must be able to display your
choice (not TT/Falcon).
You may remember I mapped a platformer by Daniel Walton called
Deluxe Nostram? That is the sequel to... wait for it... Nostram which
he released a year earlier and many got it on an ST Action cover disk.
Anyhow, this earlier version features fewer rooms but the visuals, lack of
sound effects, and puzzles remain very familiar. Sadly, there are quirks with the controls and I noticed several bugs. One
forces you off the screen to displace us stuck in a distant wall.
Another made it impossible to kill the boss if you got too close!
Thankfully, I have listened to my own nagging (for once) and made sure I saved
regularly.
I won't review this game because it's incredibly similar to the Deluxe edition so I would only come to the same conclusion. However, it is definitely worth playing and I loved the explorational element. Plus I completed it within a day (wow!!). Hmm, I might actually prefer this game because there are fewer empty rooms!!
Okay, the image below is a thumbnail of the complete map; to
download the hi-res version click here. I've not labelled any spoilers (although if you get stuck feel free to comment for help). But let's be
honest, the puzzles are easy - a lantern for the dark room and locked doors need a key. Yep, it is that tough.
Did you think you had seen the last of Cosmos Chronicles on AtariCrypt?
Ha, no way!! If you remember, on day eight I was close to the end. However, I
hit a brick wall because the distances were too great for my fuel supply
options. That was a cluster of embarrassment easily solved by something I
had overlooked (DOH!).
So I returned with a fresh mind and continued my voyage. As you may
recall, I was heading to a "mystery destination" at coordinates
470733-551942? What a ginormous journey through the heavens; fraught with
much danger. Eventually, I made it. The ending scenes and battles were
like nothing I expected.
If my play-through didn't convince you, maybe this final post has? Download Cosmos Chronicles on itch.io. It's free but, don't be a lamer and spend a few quid
to support Gamopat and the Atari ST scene.
I don't want to spoil the ending - so stop scrolling now if you are still
playing...
Reference pages of previous articles
Original Preview - New game released with the download. [
link
]
My Video Recording - I made a brief recording for newcomers. [
link
]
My Adventure Day 1 - Storyline and keyboard controls. [
link
]
My Adventure Day 2 - The quest begins, and we eat meat! [
link
]
My Adventure Day 3 - I created a map of the spaceship. [
link
]
My Adventure Day 4 - Learning how to fight! [
link
]
As a Doom fan, I was shocked and saddened that I had never previously seen this
slideshow. Perhaps because it was released in 1996 - ST's dark
age! Who knows, but I do know that this is a belting slideshow.
It begins with the Doom title screen, tracker
music, and a scroller that we must always read. I must admit, the olde ST sounds great, which is high praise from me - as I'm not a "MOD" fanboy. When you're done reading the scroller and listening, hit the spacebar to hear a fantastic Mad Max chiptune. The slideshow begins and is powered by one of my favourite programs, Deluxe
SlideShow v2.0 by the late John Brochu.
There are 30+ Doomy pictures which might only be of interest to fans. For me, it's never a dull moment seeing ID's legendary game displayed on an Atari monitor. Now I feel the need to play Dread/Grind!!
I shouldn't need to end without saying this, but I will anyhow... Nothing beats using real hardware.
Welcome to the eighth, and final, instalment of my adventure through
the virtual cosmos. Yep, this will be the last time you hear me
blabbering about this game. I am ending this run with my final thoughts.
Okay, Cosmos Chronicles may look like Ultima but it is a different game. It
may have a Sundog vibe but it is a different game. You may think you're
piloting an Eagle Long Range Fighter but it is a different game. A generous
slice of each classic is used for a fantastic result. Regardless, make no assumption, it isn't a ripoff.
As in Frontier, this is a fantasy adventure living an alternative lifestyle in cyberspace. Virtual reality is constructed within 2MB RAM on an Atari ST/e (Blitter support). Facts like that never cease to impress me.
This game is ginormous with near-limitless possibilities. There are "open world" games with immense possibilities but this is better described as an "open universe". After considerable time, I
learned much but still feel I've only scratched the surface of this tremendous
adventure. I wonder what else is still awaiting me!
Fancy a recap? Well, here are all the other web pages from my playthrough...
Reference pages of previous articles...Original Preview - New game released with the download. [
link
]
My Adventure Day 1 - Storyline and keyboard controls. [
link
]
My Adventure Day 2 - The quest begins, and we eat meat! [
link
]
My Adventure Day 3 - I created a map of the spaceship. [
link
]
My Adventure Day 4 - Learning how to fight! [
link
]
My Adventure Day 7 - A diary of progress. [
link
]
My Video Recording - I made a brief recording for newcomers. [
link
]
The CryptO'pinion?
By now,
you must know how much I've positively enjoyed this game as it provides
countless opportunities to travel, trade, battle, and explore. If not, where
have you been all month?!! I'm eager to give my opinion but I won't go
over topics like controls, stats, trade, etc. These have already been covered
(above).
Cosmos Chronicles offers an unrestricted adventure like few can. Not only that
but I appreciate anything that grants the player freedom to do "his own thing"
alongside the primary objective - so the plot never gets in your way. By that,
I mean the storyline isn't something to blindly follow like a trail of breadcrumbs.
There are no restrictions so take a breather and make money, enjoy a beer, meet girls or do something even sillier like skimming by the edge of a black hole. You might learn how to freely replenish essential supplies using a planet? Why not go cave diving or roam the plains of a remote
planet looking for monsters - all whilst watching day turn into night in
real-time. Such immense opportunities constantly amaze me.
However, I have some quibbles
(oh, here he goes!!). Remembering this isn't an RPG, the stats are
overkill. The main stats for health, fatigue, hunger, etc work well but
there are extra layers for battles. Not only for bravery, strength, etc
but the weaponry held/not held. Far too much so I
ignored them!! Also, character communication needs to be fully implemented rather than meaningless one-line responses. I would prefer the ability to "talk" removed as it's pointless unless that character is part of the storyline's chain of events.
My other grumble (the weakest) is the sound. Sure, a game
like this doesn't require flashy effects or a chiptune. Nevertheless, I
would love to walk a planet and hear its weather. I've endured an alien planet's wind and rain many times hungering to hear anything
but silence. That DMA audio is gagging to be used :)
Cosmos Chronicles is remarkable; star-hopping
through the galaxy takes hours of dedication with near-unlimited
destinations to investigate. Each is unique with different planets,
people, wildlife, towns, and monsters. Make no mistake, this is a
roguelike stuffed to the brim with adventure. And what an adventure it is!!
Laurent must be proud of Cosmos Chronicles and I'm sure his heart and soul went into making a 16-bit universe. This game is instantly playable and never overly convoluted with a hideous difficulty. Considering the time and effort I've put into it, I could live another 50 years without fully exploiting every possibility. I hope he completes the remaining English translations and improves the audio (oops, there I go again).
Thoroughly enjoyable far beyond my meagre words, and my rating is an
exceptional 95%.
Many star systems were searched beyond The Runaways system. Eventually, I managed to find a church in a small town.
Inside that church, people are friendly with information. Pray using the floor tile near the altar.
Another church this time on Vaticum One (458096-563905). Lo and behold, it's Shaoth!! And he's a priest. :o
Unfortunately, he is only willing if we complete a side quest.
Mercenaries are approaching the village of Donbas...
...And you know what that means, don't you?
That's right, save the game before you go looking for a fight!
On returning, Shaoth tells us of a planet called Athanor (ohh, nice name lol)
Let's head out there and see what we can find?
Orbital views show nothing but something glints in the north. Father's ship!! But now I must find someone called Tot to decode the black box...
A fella called Tot has the skills to help but he is far away in the Canna system. After a long journey, we are finally here but............!!!
The ship malfunctions and crashlands on Amestradh! Wilson provides the coordinates of a signal but it's quite a dangerous walk.
The planet is full of nasty monsters but I finally found Tot's house. (He decodes the box and provides a boost for my ship)
The walk back to the ship is another exhilarating experience. Monsters chase, so use rocks or trees whenever possible and RUN!!
Having left Tot, I've returned to my ship with a new mystery task. How can I reach 470733-551942... I'm stuck & need to think about this!
La fin
Well, this month has been a blast and I'm about done with the writing - which takes me a long time! I now need to play and dedicate my time to completing this journey. I hope this month has been as much fun for you as it has been for me? Don't forget to vote using the link at the top of this web page (completely free).
My greetings to Laurent who I've enjoyed talking with. He has
exciting plans for the future!!
95% is a score worthy of the new AtariCrypt SMASH accolade. Play this game!
