Operation Alexandra

In October 2016, Russian scientists discovered a secret Nazi base in Alexandra Land, an island belonging to the archipelago Franz Josef Land, within the Arctic Circle.

The existence of this military base was known thanks to the documentation seized from the Nazi regime at the end of World War II, but not its exact location.

When Russian scientists arrived at this base in 2016 they found a kind of time capsule. Weapons of the time, ammunition, supplies, food cans... Even personal effects of all kinds and half-written journals. Everything intact! Only the fatigue of the passing of the years is appreciated.

Again, thanks to the documentation of the time, there is evidence of the official version about what happened on that base: A sudden and unfortunate infection by eating polar bear meat in poor condition made all members of the base sick with trichinosis. The severity of this disease forced them to request desperate help from their superiors, who in just two days sent a submarine and evacuated all residents at the base.

The situation was limited when the rescue team arrived, so the evacuation was instantaneous. This was how the time was stopped in that base, until it was discovered in 2016. This finding had a remarkable impact, so that most of the media echoed:

1. Live Science
2. Science Alert
3. Very History

But behind this version, there is a fascinating story that claims to come to light, and suggests that this base was built with a very different objective than serving as a simple meteorological station.

The name of the base, Treasure Hunter, is linked to its primary objective: to look for relics that allow them to achieve a great advantage in World War II. It is well known that Hitler had a great obsession with this subject, and there are documented many campaigns of the German army in search of this kind of relics. Indeed, we are facing one of these exciting stories...

The Game

Today, Alexandra Land is officially recognized territory as part of the Russian Federation, but it was not always so. In the mid-70s, the Soviet Union occupied the archipelago of Franz Josef Land as a measure of pressure against the international dispute over those territories and sent two important contingents to the most relevant islands: Prince George Land and Alexandra Land.

We embody the protagonist of this story, Mihail Mashkov, a Russian army officer who is a member of this mission.

During one of our usual patrols by Alexandra Land, the base informs us of some strange radio signals near our position, and asks us for visual confirmation that everything is in order there. Upon reaching our goal, we discover that these mysterious radio signals come from an old abandoned Nazi base. An unexpected snowstorm complicates our return to our camp and makes all radio communication impossible, so we chose to take refuge in the mysterious building and wait for the storm to subside.

We soon realize that we are not alone...

How To Play

Your goal is to unravel the riddle that resides inside this ancient military base. Go as far as you can and discover why the Nazis built the base in this location and who are the mysterious beings that inhabit it. You must avoid that the dangers that the base contains... go out in a definitive way!

To deal with so much adversity you have your "old but reliable" AK-47 and, of course, your intelligence. You can also find certain objects that will give you an immediate advantage, such as the medikit, which will reset your points of life, or a genuine "Tommy Gun", with which you will achieve a greater range in your shots.

Keeping you alive will require skill and the invaluable help of your AK-47, but in order to advance, your brain will be your best weapon. During the game you will find certain objects that must be collected to be used in other parts of the game and so unlock access to new areas in the base.

In the HUD you will always have information about the points of life that you have left or what object you are currently carrying. You can also see the score you have in the current play, or what is the best score of the session.

Playing Tips

1. If you find a screen especially complicated, take a few moments to analyze and study it. All screens are designed so that they can be overcome safely and without losing any points of life.
2. There are several routes that can allow you to go from one place in the base to another, but not all are equally suitable depending on the moment. Try to choose the most optimal path in each case.
3. The attack of the enemies can be predictable, either because before firing they make a characteristic gesture, or because their firings are made with a specific cadence. The best way to defeat enemies is to learn how they behave.
4. Maybe it's not a good idea to pick up a medkit as soon as you find it, and it's better to reserve it for later. Plan your way well and when to pick up a medikit.

Game Controls

1. Basic movements
This game has several preconfigured control systems:
O - Left, P - Right, Q - Up, A - Down, SPACE - Fire

Alternatively, you may use the cursor keys (Z to fire) or a joystick (or joypad).

Special Actions:
Jump control: During the jump you can control the direction of displacement using the left and right arrow keys.

Shooting during the jump : During the jump you can shoot by pressing the key associated with the fire.

Control of the direction of the shot : Keeping the trigger key pressed you can control the direction of the shot by pressing at the same time a direction key:

1. Vertical shot: SHOOT + UP.
2. Up-left shot: SHOOT + UP + LEFT.
3. Up-right shot: SHOOT + UP + RIGHT.

Start game:
To start a game all you have to do is press any key associated with FIRE on the home screen.

Abort game:
To abort a game and return to the home screen, press the key ESC to pause the game and select EXIT from the context menu. If you select CONTINUE, you will exit from the pause state and continue the game.

Loading

Tape:
|TAPE (ENTER)
RUN" (ENTER)

Disc:
If you have an external DDI-1 disc drive, be sure to turn on this unit first and then the Amstrad CPC. Insert the disk into the disk drive, type |DISC and then press ENTER. Then type RUN"disc and press ENTER again.

Game Credits

Gfx & Game Design: RAFA CASTILLO
Music & Fx: JOHN MCKLAIN
Testing: Blackmores, Metr81, JGonza, Pomez666

About 4MHz.es

4MHz.es is a homebrew videogame development group for retro systems, specialized in productions for Amstrad CPC. Its name comes from the speed of one of the most famous 8-bit processors of all time, the Z80.

Website: 4mhz.es - Twitter: @4mhz_es - Instagram: @4mhz.es - Facebook: ASMisnotDEAD

Dedicated to all those who in their childhood were lucky enough to play video games on 8-bit machines, and could daydream with those prodigious pixelated graphics and hum those wonderful chiptune melodies.

Our sincere thanks...

1. To our families, for the time we take them off while we doing these crazy things.
2. To our esteemed teammates at 4MHz, Juan Esteban and Daniel Celemín, for their unconditional support during all the months of development.
3. To our fabulous team of beta-testers, for their great work of testing and advice.
4. To Fran Gallego, for his advices and great contribution to the Amstrad CPC scene.
5. To Juan Carlos González Amestoy for the betas that allowed us to try this game in his impressive emulator Retro Virtual Machine 2.
6. To all our followers in Socials Networks and developers with whom we share channels in Telegram, with whom we joke and discuss about the retro world, and who have supported us so much in the good and the bad times.
7. A great disseminators of the retro world in general and of Amstrad CPC in particular, such as Atila Merino, Jose Maria Velo, Javi Ortiz, Xyphoe, Juanje, Juanjo, and media such as Retromaniac, Return Magazin, Indie Retro News, RetroGamer and VintageIsTheNewOld.
8. Retro Alba for their important work in spreading everything related to the world of retro videogames and current homebrew for retro systems.
9. To the organization, jury and all the participants in the CPCRetroDev 2018, because their effort and their creations make this competition great.

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