| Genre: | Arcade; Horizontally-Scrolling Shoot-'Em-Up |
| Series: | Number 0 in Psytronik Tape Collection (Commodore 64) |
| Publisher: | Psytronik |
| Cover Art Language: | English |
| Machine Compatibility: | Commodore 64, Commodore 128 |
| Release: | Professionally released on Cassette |
| Available For: | Commodore 64/128 |
| Compatible Emulators: | WinVICE 2.4 x64 (PC (Windows)) Commodore Emulator (PC (MS-DOS)) |
| Original Release Date: | 5th July 2015 |
| Original Release Price: | £4.99 |
| Market Valuation: | £3.00 (How Is This Calculated?) |
| Item Weight: | 64g |
| Box Type: | Cassette Single Plastic Clear |
| Author(s): | Richard Bayliss & Saul Cross |
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Cassette
Psytronik Tape Collection (Commodore 64)
Full Instructions
Introduction
It has been discovered the planet Darx is rich in minerals that Earth needs to use to construct a shield to protect our planet from a possible alien invasion. You are sent on a mission to the planet Darx to extract the minerals we desperately need for our planetary defence shield.
Darx was not an uninhabited planet however. Your ship is detected on approach and an alien mothership dispatches forces that capture your vessel. Your must use your wits, cunning and reflexes to avoid the aliens and escape from the 16 underground sectors of the planet Darx. You must avoid laser gates on the way and grab any floating pods that can enhance your fire-power.
Good luck, Commander - the fate of the Earth is in your hands!!
The Story
It is the year 3064. Long range probes sent from Earth have discovered the planet Darx, a seemingly lifeless planet rich in mineral deposits. These minerals are desperately needed in order to constrct a shield to defend our planet from a possible future alien invasion. An X-Force ship is dispatched to the planet Darx, with you, its Commander, put into hypersleep for the long journey. Your mission: To mine the minerals we need and bring them back to Earth...
It turns out however that the planet Darx is not as lifeless as was initially thought. Your X-Force ship is intercepted by an alien mothership on approach to the planet. You are taken prisoner and your craft is held deep inside the alien stronghold.
Fortunately, you manage to blast your way from captivity using a concealed laser and locate your captured craft. As luck would have it, your ship is being held in the alien mines! You fill the hold of your craft with the minerals that are needed before attempting your escape. Firing up your thrusters you take off in a bid for freedom, away from Darx and back to Mother Earth.
The Game
The aim of the game is to escape the 16 underground sectors of the planet Darx. Each sector consists of obstacles that block your path, and vicious alien horders that patrol each sector. The aliens will not fire at you, but they will move in their own set formations that you must avoid. Each sector has also been armed with laser gates. Should you hit an alien, a laser gate or any other part of the scenery, your ship will be destroyed and you will lose a life. Shoot the aliens for bonus points and to clear them from your path.
At the end of each sector you will face an alien battlecruiser. These are armed with powerful lasers that can destroy your ship with just one hit so avoid them at all costs! The battle-cruisers move slowly in a set formation and can take a lot of hits before they are destroyed. Each battlecruiser has its own special firing pattern that you must learn in order to both avoid its lasers, and to judge when the best time to attack is. If you let the battlecruiser pass without destroying it you will still complete the level but you won't receive any bonus points. If you manage to destroy the battlecruiser you will earn an extra life!
Power-Ups
As you progress through each level you will encounter pods that you can pick up during your mission. These will help or hinder your progress:
| Pink pods | Upgrade/Downgrade single bullet |
| Green pods | Upgrade/Downgrade double bullets |
| Blue pods | Temporary shield |
| Yellow pods | Temporary speed boost |
| Grey pods | Avoid at all costs, these are alien bombs that will destroy your ship! |
Can you escape all 16 sectors and return safely to Earth, or will aliens of Darx be too strong for you? The fate of Earth is in your hands!
Loading
Press SHIFT and RUN/STOP then press PLAY on tape. You will need to reset your C64 in order to load each of the three different versions of the game featured on the tape.
Game Credits
Programming, Music and SFX: Richard Bayliss
Additional Music: FeekZoid
Graphics: Saul Cross
Loading Bitmaps: Carl Mason and Vinny Mainolfi
Crazy Hacks: Vinny Mainolfi
NTSC Bug Fixing: Dirk Schmitt
Packaging: Jason Mackenzie
Cover Art: Oliver Frey
Disk/Tape Turbo Loader System: Martin Piper
Screen Designers
The following utilities are also available to allow you to edit the supplied screens of this game:
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