Alessandro Grussu


White Jaguar

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

 
Published in Al's Spectrum Annual 2021

White Jaguar

Personally I am pleased to see a game set in the Wild West arrive on the Spectrum - my favourite remains the legendary Gunfright by Ultimate -, especially if you play as a Native American, or "Indian" as they commonly (and improperly) known. As the valiant warrior Wahken you must free your territory from the presence of the Buffalo Kings, a dangerous species of hybrids with the head of a buffalo and a human body. Other hostile creatures hindering the main character are carnivorous plants, birds of prey and a sort of huge porcupines. Wahken can throw axes against his enemies, but they are not infinite; by collecting certain icons, he will gain three axes more. Besides, hitting enemies is made less easy by the fact that the axes do not follow a straight path and tend to fall downwards, as they would do in reality.

White Jaguar is a platform game that is as unusual in its setting as it is traditional in its substance. Gameplay is not very varied, since all you have to do is eliminate the Buffalo Kings in the about twenty screens of the game world.

Screen design makes your task arduous - apart from the enemies, you must be careful of platforms that appear and disappear, wells, sharp points, stalactites suddenly falling from above. With only three lives at your disposal, one gets the impression that the particularly high difficulty level is a way to make the game seem larger and deeper than it is.

It is true that White Jaguar stands out for its noticeable technical qualities: backgrounds are colourful and detailed - perhaps too much, since sometimes the sprites tend to become hard to spot - and Wahken moves convincingly enough. On the 128K, an "Indian" melody can be heard in the background. All of this helps make the game more interesting than average and worthy of mention amidst the flood of similar titles.

Alessandro Grussu

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