I love finding YouTube channels with great Atari ST content and The New Retro Show is one such place to get my fix. It's run by a fella with a beard, called Mike! He's been addicted to the ST since he first got to play Dungeon Master (there's a shocker) and currently owns two machines: a Mega STe and a 1040 ST.
After watching his video I came up with the idea for a challenge and suggested a few games that have appeared on AtariCrypt: Chubby Gristle, Cybernoid, Zynaps, along with others. Shockingly, he actually agreed to the challenge (Muwhahaha!!) and released the first Ironman Challenge which you can watch here.
My thanks to Mike for taking on my silly challenge but I am now looking forward to the second part!!
Whitewater Madness was under development in 1989 by Scott Williamson and Ed Schneider for Atari. With great faith, it was specifically designed for the new Atari STe (possibly one of the first games to utilise the enhanced hardware). The game was finished but never released which is disappointing, to say the least.
This is a shoot 'em up taking place on a river; imagine what would happen if you took Toobin' and then slapped in a dollop of river-raid's violence. You will have Whitewater Madness, a vertically scrolling shooter that has us sailing down a bizarre stretch of water through space and time like Dr Who.
In Atari's wisdom, they decided not to bother releasing it. It was left gathering dust in the halls of the forgotten. I love Atari for giving us the ST/STe computers but their marketing skills tested our patience! Well, cheer up because I have a treat for you - the full and finished version of Whitewater Madness to download and play for yourself. That's right... the disks have been found, and I've been given precious copies - by the developer!!
Note, for many years there has been a demo version available to download. Do not bother with that. It's a lame and very old beta which plays nothing like this final release you will find here.
Are you excited? I know I am, so let's see a screenshot and find out more about this game...
The controls are superb but you can also use the rapids for additional effect.
A Toobin' River Raid?
We sail a magical river in our little Pod to search for green energy cells. Why I don't but, but collect them to raise your Warp Energy levels to maximum capacity - so we can travel further through time. If successful, we are presented with an information screen telling us how good (or bad) we did. However, if you failed to collect the required amount then you're sent back to the start again to do it all over again. (I saw that a lot)
Our dinghy is equipped with a rapid-firing mounted gun! This is a good job because we are under a constant onslaught of hazards and weird creatures. Avoid dangers such as rocky rapids, mines, artillery and other crazy stuff like kamikaze dinosaurs - who love to leap from the shores. It's absolutely insane!! There are lots causing mayhem; cavemen, something that resembles a pterodactyl, a giant turtle, and centaurs.
The controls are dead easy to get to grips with - and superbly responsive. I love the directional method that works for fast and efficient guidance down our insane river raid. Picking up green "L" pills will recharge the Pod and stop it from going BOOM but these are few, so collect as many as possible - quickly.
Let's take a break to check out another screenshot from this crazy Toobin...
Those rapids are ace but you better watch out for the nasties - like kamikaze dinosaurs!
An Atari STe game that never was!
Old gamers (me!) will love the graphics that are kinda 8-bit in style. It feels like something you'd expect of a console because of its traditional palette and dinky sprites. They are small, with little animation, but nicely detailed. With one exception, a hostile kamikaze dinosaur that loves to leap from the shores!!
Scott informed me the Blitter co-processor was used to handle the visuals. And it shows with brisk movements that keeps up perfectly with the player and the hectic action without any trouble.
The sound effects are pretty nice with lots of shooting, explosions, and more. The DMA coprocessor is used and is super-duper. However, I must admit to being disappointed with the title music because it sounds like it's using low-frequency samples and is "STFM" in quality. A bit odd considering what the STe is capable of.
Fancy another screenshot? Of course, you do so here you go...
Watch out for dinosaurs, mines, birds, riverside cavemen and lots more!
The CryptO'pinion?
Whitewater Madness has the hallmarks of a fantastic arcade game and is something I'd expect to see on an Atari console. I love the frantic Toobin-style action which is perfectly balanced yet challenging without feeling impossible. There's much going on and I think this is an excellent action/shoot 'em up.
Why Atari didn't release this is unbelievable! It's a great game, so sails into the seas of retro gaming gold!! It's simple, it's fun and it's now available to download after being 'lost' for three decades. That alone makes it extra special so enjoy what would have been one of the first Atari STe games. A delightful arcade game!!
The ST world constantly amazes me. Just when you think you've seen it all, a "new" version of Street Fighter pops up and slaps you in the face!! Yep, I had oddly never heard of this before! Where have I been all these years?
Anyhow, this beat'em up was developed for the Atari STe by Patrice Mandin, a guy whom I'm grateful for Doom and more. However, it's incomplete without the full game's content or even colours (although it is running in ST low). As is, it's fast and responsive by making use of the Blitter, hardware scrolling and DMA stereo sounds. It's actually very playable!
Sadly, Patrice stopped development so it's left this project in limbo - waiting for another techie to pick up the gauntlet. Great progress has already been achieved, and the source code is available, so it's sad that nobody has attempted to finish this incredible "beta". I think the potential is huge so download Street Fighter and prepare thy jaw to drop!!
I have just listened to this amazing tune called Wowy, by Tomchi (played using JAM) and simply had to record it. Absolutely superb!!! So, kick off your weekend in style and download this gorgeous chiptune for your Atari STe!! 🎧
Infogrames has done it again and released what I think is something rather quirky and special. In Mystical, we get to play with magic and spells to battle against the strangest creatures. We are a novice magician of the Grand Wizard, eager to learn the ropes but quick to make silly mistakes! Like losing his precious scrolls and phials! So now we must travel to parallel worlds to retrieve them. Should be easy, right? Get ready for the oddest journey you ever expected!
Our quest will take us into strange places to battle against all sorts of whacky characters: Buzzards, shepherds, faithless Monks, reptiles, sea creatures, farmers, little girls, Vikings, walking trees, funny faces, and more. Most will throw something at you or will chase. Sounds mad, right? It certainly is and I'm sure everyone will love its silliness.
I cannot continue without showing screenshots of just how unique this game is...
I must say that the palettes used are pastel-perfect and with lovely artistic tones too.
The characters you meet are... different! What a weird game this is.
Magically weird!
The big man has granted permission to use his magic to help us. This means the ability to cast spells that provide a variety of unique ways to dispose of our foe. For example, the ring of fire scorches anyone who dares to get too close whereas the blue ring deflects enemy attacks. Another will open up the ground and swallow our victims whilst we can summon cages to trap those nearby. Possibly the best of all is shouting "Boo" to shoo off anything nasty. Seriously!!
As you collect then, a spell activates immediately but, if you are quick, slap that Spacebar to stockpile it for later use - in combination with the Return key. Yes, it's quite a cumbersome design but it works well for those moments you're struggling. Each level ends when you reach the pentagram and must-do battle with an end-of-level boss - the first throw babies at you! Once defeated, a very large sphere appears and whisks you off to the next level.
Yes, I'm sure you're thinking this is weird? And you're right, it is!! But it's brilliantly weird!!
Collect the funky power-ups and use all magic spells to the best of your ability!
I'm tripping out here but three blue dudes appear and cause me trouble.
Aesthetics!
The visuals are gorgeous with smooth scrolling across beautifully-detailed landscapes. All use a very impressive and pleasing palette I might add. However, it's the tremendous quantity and quality of all the characters that steal the limelight. Never have I seen such gorgeous sprites with humour and animation that are always fantastic.
I must take off my hat and commend Olivier Roge and Jocelyn Valais for such amazing work. Take a look at these screenshots and tell me you're not impressed by the gorgeous sprites and even the artwork as a whole? Possibly one of the best examples of 16-bit pixel art I've seen in any game.
Sadly, the audio is a mixed bag. The sound effects are ace using samples for each character and other things like the spells. It's great and I adore the "Bla Bla Bla", which reminded me of the speech in Donkey Island. However, the title music is not good and I cannot see the point of low-quality sampled music over the option of a crisp chiptune...
Hey, what's that? I've got a doppelganger to help me out so let's cage the beasts!
The CryptO'pinion?
As much as it might try to hide behind the storyline, Mystical is a generic shoot 'em up albeit with cool power-ups and silly humour. (I never knew the French had a sense of humour? heh). I'll stop that now because it is obvious a lot of time and effort went into the production of this lovely game. It's magical and oozes so much lush artistic quality.
Sadly, it is repetitive and the end-of-level bosses are frustrating, to say the least!! But these are my only quibbles as I have genuinely enjoyed playing Mystical. I'm sure most gamers will love its unique style & personality.
Hard 'n' Heavy follows on from Giana Sisters in true sequel fashion to offer more Mario-esque levels to run and jump through. However, the official commercial release was very poor with awful flip-screen scrolling that ultimately ruined what might have been a great conversion. Sure, flip might work well with some platformers, for example, Jet Set Willy, which would have been horrendous with scrolling. Ugh, just imagine... but Hard 'n' Heavy requires scrolling!!
Thankfully, that's where the bad lesson ends and the good news begins because Peter Putnik has developed a version that features smooth-as-silk scrolling thanks to the use of the Blitter co-processor lurking inside every Atari STe. And also most other earlier models (incl. later STFM models which had a Blitter or at least a hungry socket).
Hard 'n' Heavy obviously looks and feels similar to Giana Sisters, so if you didn't like that game then you may as well start looking elsewhere right now. The physics exaggerate the Giana experience to feel more like we're floating and this took me a few goes to master. It's pretty weird! Okay, there are 25 levels of shooting the baddies and destroying blocks to search for those bonuses and even access to hidden levels. Also available is a two-player feature, with various game types.
Wow, this is superb and I'm sure any Giana Sisters fan will love what is basically more of the same with a few extra bells and whistles. Peter has done well to transform that pathetic commercial conversion into something it should have been all along. Just make sure you play it on a real computer to experience the silky-smooth movement.
Overall, I prefer Giana Sisters, but this Hard & Heavy upgrade is downright marvelous. Highly recommended!!
I finally rebought Magic Pockets by the great Bitmap Bros! Those guys sure knew how to program - never once settled for a lame Amiga port. Not ever, which is a prime historical example to shame many other developers. I'm proud to own what is nothing less than a belting piece of hiSTory by the Bitmaps!!
So the story? Ah, yes... the infamous storyline. Well, brace yourself for a cracker! Okay, the Bitmap Kid (BK to his burger friends) has been given a brand new pair of magical trousers from an old man he met in the park one evening. No, not really lol!! Anyhow, he loves these trousers but, finds out that his toys have somehow disappeared into a fantasy world: PocketLand. Of course, this cool Kid is determined to get his toys back. So, he enters via a black hole he conjured!! Boy, if there was ever a whackier storyline than this!
Anyhow, let's take a gander at a lovely bluey screenshot of the kid in his weird new world...
There are many crazy monsters to kill but... hang on... what's that TV doing there?
Short arms, deep pockets
PocketLand is split over four enormous levels - and they are HUGE. BK is armed with different powers depending on the world he's currently in. There are many strange enemies and also many bonuses to use - heck, he even has extra abilities like the whirlwind to jump great heights. Sometimes the route through can feel like a wild goose chase, but you're often led onto secret areas - that contain lots of goodies. I admire the design because most levels don't feel linear, even though they are which is a muddled thing to say, right?
The joystick controls are spritely with flexible action and movement. I have always liked their responsive mechanics because - it feels less like a computer platformer and more like something a console would knock out. Of course, neither is better than the other. It's just how Magic Pockets feels (to me) and a platformer like this demands decent controls. So I like this game today as much as I did in the 1990s.
Well, it's time for yet another screenshot. Wow, gripping stuff...
The first level nicely introduces various aspects of the game with its trippy mechanics.
Aesthetics
Visually, it has a Godly appearance that the Bitmaps sure enjoyed using. Hardly original but peppered with lovely colours splashed throughout each and every level. The scrolling is fast and fluent - so always manages to keep up the gameplay's pace. However, it's the sprites that are something else; so many incredibly cute critters all of which are nicely animated too. Why can't all games look this beautiful? Outstanding pixel artwork.
The sound effects are fantastic but I would prefer an option for a background tune. Famously, the title music is by Betty Boo but, I'm kinda meh about that. I guess it's nice to have and the quality is pretty good.
Get on your bike and get ready for another screenshot of crazy gameplay...
Hey, I've found a bike? Weeee, come on, there aren't many games like this!!
The CryptO'pinion?
I feel like Magic Pockets is brand new again so I'm well happy with my purchase. At the moment, I haven't gotten very far if I'm honest. But it's fun trying and what a gem this platformer is! It's wonderful to play it again after all these years. I feel it hasn't aged badly whatsoever. In fact, it's still just as much fun and as entertaining as it ever was. You could say that I'm feeling like a big kid on Christmas Day.
Magic Pockets is an outstanding platformer and easy to get into. This article might be a preview but, anything from the Bitmap Brothers is top-notch. I know I'll be enjoying this for many moons to come.
Highly recommended isn't a good enough phrase to use. PLAY THIS GAME!!
