Eight Bit Magazine


Sky Diving

Author: Merman
Publisher: Hokuto Force
Machine: Commodore 64/128

 
Published in 8 Bit Annual 2019

Sky Diving

Spanish coder Darro99 (David Asenjo) released his first game in 2017, the fun Rowman. Now he returns with a new game based on falling out of a plane.

Plot And Gameplay

The aim of the game is to successfully complete ten jumps. For each jump, the player gets five lives and a timer that counts down. The player must press Space to open their parachute before the timer reaches zero, or it is game over. Birds, planes and other debris are falling from the sky and must be avoided.

Any contact will cost energy (shown by the meter) and cause the player to flash for a short period, meaning they cannot collect anything. When the energy runs out, a life is lost and the jump must be attempted again. The player can steer in any direction and press the fire button to fall faster. The objects to be collected are the coloured balloons that float upwards, awarding extra accumulated time. Too much accumulated time will prevent the player from taking their last two jumps.

What I Like

After a nice loading screen and well-presented title sequence, the game itself is nicely drawn. The main sprite is fine, and the clouds flying past are good. The game itself is challenging, with plenty to avoid. There is good music to back up the action.

What I Didn't Like

The score panel on the right of the screen does take up a lot of space, restricting the playing area. At times the enemy objects are hard to avoid, with the movement patterns becoming increasingly complex. Needing to use Fire and Space is a little awkward.

Verdict

Although it was released outside of the Forum64/Protovision sports competition, I have a feeling it would have achieved a high result. Darro is making good progress as a coder and this is worth picking up and playing.

Merman

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