25th June 2009
Psytronik's big sure-fire summer hit is almost ready for release, as Shaun discovers.
Retro Mart: The Holy Grail
Psytronik's eagerly anticipated Commodore 64 game Knight 'N Grail is very close to completion, and should be ready by the time you read this. Programmed by Mikeal Tillander, the graphics and other artwork have been provided by Hakon Repstad, with Hans Alexsson providing music and sound effects for this neat platforming game. It's based around the task of overcoming a curse put upon your beloved maiden, who has unfortunately been turned into a serpent sub-creature.
As a noble knight of the realm, you must revert her back to her true and beautiful self, and you do this by seeking the Vessel of Restoration. The game plays a little bit like an explorer version of the 1985 hit Ghosts 'N Goblins by Capcom (which itself was skilfully ported from arcade to most 8-bit micro computers by Elite) with some puzzles to work out along the way.
The areas visited are mapped as you play, and there are rune stones to give you helpful hints, with the obligatory roaming nasties and haunted hallways and so on. The game is really polished, with some superb pixelated animations, and is likely to be one of the best C64 games this year. To find out more, point your web browser to Psytronik, or Wide Pixel Games.
Atari Round-Up
There's been a few interesting developments in the Atari scene lately. The first of note is regarding the XE/XL range; specifically a port of Jeff Minter's VIC-20 classic arcade-style shoot-'em up, Grid Runner. Taking the concept of Centipede and adding more speed to the proceedings, this is something of a blast-fest on the VIC and - as long as the play mechanic is transferred well - it'll be something worthwhile to see on the 8-bit Atari. This port is being handled by Heaven/TQA, though hopefully he'll avoid the mistakes he made with his last conversion (that is, announcing a release as the final version, when it actually wasn't). If he does, it should be a good one.
Have a look at the Atari Age forums, but note that you'll have to sign up to download any previews contained in the thread.
Moving on to the 2MB Atari STE for a moment, the game r0x is a collaboration between James Monkman of RGCD, and TomChi from the ST demo group NoExtra. It tells the story of one Commander Perez, whose whole platoon had but wiped out by evil renegades in an intense battle, capturing warship in the process. Being the only member left, it's a game of survival and can be played by two players. For more information, and to obtain the download, head over to www.rgcd.co.uk/r0x.
Finally, for the Atari Jaguar, Mad Bodies has been released by 3D Stooges Software. The game is basically in the same vein as Breakout - but with additional shoot-'em-up elements, and played by two people over ten stages. The bad news is that it currently costs a staggering $80 to buy, but is guaranteed to be collectible at the very least. www.madbodies.com is the place for more info on this.
