Crash


Survivors

Author: Ben Stone
Publisher: Atlantis
Machine: Spectrum 48K/128K/+2

 
Published in Crash #37

Survivors

The setting is a damaged anti-radiation bunker, crowded with survivors of a future nuclear war. Unfortunately these survivors are now trapped by fallen debris and rubble. Aided by three specialist rescue droids, your mission is to get them out, tunnelling through rockfalls by shifting boulders Boulderdashstyle.

Droid Number One is used for tunnelling, Number Two automatically teleports survivors to safety, and Number Three can be used to clear obstructions. Control can be changed from one droid to another at by pressing the corresponding number key.

Owing to the high radiation levels, the once harmless MK1 bunker maintenance droids have become vicious killers. They have to be avoided at all costs, as contact results in a massive energy loss for your droids - he mutant droids must be crushed or trapped if your mission is to continue.

Survivors

There could be up to a thousand survivors trapped in the seven level bunker and time is at a premium. All the survivors on a level have to be rescued before you can continue, and the status area shows how many humans have been rescued and how many remain to be found on the current level.

Comments

Control keys: Q up, A down, O left, P right, 1, 2, or 3 to access droids, 4 and 5 to quit current game, ENTER to pause game
Joystick: n/a
Use of colour: plentiful
Graphics: undetailed with jerky movement
Sound: spot effects
Skill levels: seven
Screens: large scrolling play area

Ben

'Remember Thunderbirds? Then imagine it mixed with a fair splash of Boulderdash and you've got Survivors. Graphically this is about average: the backgrounds are drab and the characters lack detail. The sound is also a bit on the lame.'

Paul

'I just can't believe how good this game is! At first I thought it was just an average copy of Boulderdash with a magnify routine - but Survivors is more in the style of Thunderbirds - requiring a lot of thought and planning. The lack of a joystick option makes little difference, as the keyboard control is very responsive. The graphics are a decent size, and the comparatively small play area continually springs surprises on you. It's excellent value for money. I just hope that ATLANTIS can keep it up.'

Mike

'What's this? Is it a playable game? Yes! There is a very predominant sense of Rockford's Riot and Boulderdash in this, with all the jerky scrolling, poor characters, falling rocks and tunnelling, and oh, I could go on and on ... It has also inherited the playability of RR, and therefore has a lot of potential at this price level. This is the type of game that could keep you going for a long time. In itself, Survivors isn't a bad game, but the graphics and the 'return to the start' bit knocks it down a bit.'

Ben StonePaul SumnerMike Dunn

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