Alessandro Grussu


La Reliquia

Author: Alessandro Grussu
Publisher: Roolandoo
Machine: Spectrum 48K/128K/+2/+3

 
Published in Al's Spectrum Annual 2021

La Reliquia

In 1533, a monk returns to the monastery of St. Camillus after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Unfortunately, he has the unpleasant surprise of finding the place haunted by hostile presences, while his brothers have disappeared.

Acting as the cleric, you have to collect a series of objects - rosaries, crucifixes etc. - in order to open the way to the relic kept in the monastery, the only weapon able of defeating the forces of evil. However, it won't be an easy task: the only defence against monsters are the player's reflexes, since you can only avoid them.

La Reliquia (The Relic in the English translation) is a rather large platform/collect-'em-up title (it includes about 40 full-screen locations). The difficulty level is not very hard at the beginning, but becomes more taxing as you proceed. There are also adventure elements, some of which are pretty unusual, for example the "leap of faith" recalling a well-known scene from Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (but be careful, it's a trap!). Carrying objects to certain locations will allow you to unlock other sections of the game world, up to the final confrontation. Throughout the game, the main problem will be to avoid the countless hazards that will make you lose a life when touched.

Angel Colaso's debut is interesting: while following the typical stylistic features of the genre, the game shows some original and curious features. Graphics are functional, although the screens look rather schematic, while on the 128K some AY music can be heard during the game, including two compositions by Aleksandr Lihoded. If these are the beginnings, let's look forward to try other productions from Angel.

Alessandro Grussu

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