Eight Bit Magazine


Tower Of Rubble

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Merman
Publisher: Tomxx
Machine: Commodore 64/128

 
Published in 8 Bit Annual 2019

Tower Of Rubble

The first C64 game by Tomasz is a conversion of Flatgub's PC game, entered into the CGA Jam.

Plot And Gameplay

On the title screen, the player can move the hero to learn the controls and pressing F1 for the instructions reveals an extra jumping technique. Pressing fire button starts the game. Our tiny hero is stranded on an island surrounded by water, when blocks of rubble start to fall from the sky. Dotted lines show where one or two blocks are going to fall. The hero must avoid being crushed and can climb one block vertically. Holding diagonally up will help the hero jump across a gap and grab a block as they fall. Pressing down makes the hero hang from the side of a block, and pushing across from this position means they can jump a two block "gap".

After a while a disintegrator beam will turn two columns of blocks into rubble, leaving behind the water underneath. New ground can be formed by a block falling there. Every so often a dangerous laser beam fires horizontally, wiping out an entire row of blocks and our hero if they are standing on that row. Any blocks above will fall down. The aim is to survive for as long as possible, with one point awarded for each blockfall. So, avoid being crushed, drowning and being wiped out for a laser as long as you can.

What I Like

Tower Of Rubble

The title screen with its mini-tutorial is great, backed with an excellent tune. In game music is linked to the gameplay. blocks fall on the beat, giving it a rhythm action feel. The in-game tune has plenty of pace and feels exciting. The tiny 8-pixel high character is smoothly animated and moves fluidly over the blocks. The PETSCII style animations for each death are good fun. It becomes addictive quickly, thanks to the desire to get a higher score.

What I Didn't Like

The random nature of the falling blocks can make the game very tricky, although it is only occasionally unfair to the player. The palette is quite restricted, thanks to the CGA style origins, so the game lacks a little colour. The question is whether chasing a higher score will keep the player gripped.

Verdict

An impressive debut game that is fun to pick up and play.

Merman

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