D/Generation (AMI, 1991)
Graphics-7 Sound-7 Control-7.5 Challenge-8/8.5* Story-6.5
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-8/9* Fun-7.5 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7.5
*Saving everyone
+
Dialogue trees (sometimes with keywords for questions, can't make any important choices though - it mainly affects the order in which you'll question NPCs) and additional lore from computer terminals
Better control options on AMI (can use arrow keys to move diagonally instead of the numpad)
Some detours for optional items (grenades, )
Decent-good puzzles and timing puzzles (switch puzzles, reflecting/ricocheting shots also activate switches, enemies can press certain switches - they can also remove certain hazards by being lured into them, same room teleporters which also teleport shots and moving laser barriers - cool!, use enemy death blasts to take out some obstacles)
Partially destructible environment
Minimalist interface w/ HUD toggle (S - can only activate it though and it lasts for 5 secs)
Optional rescue mission (have to escort each NPC out of the room they're in by leading them to the exit marked with an arrow which can be challenging but is also pretty quick, risk/reward as you gain lives this way)
8-way movement and attacks (4-way in Landstalker for example)
Can kill NPCs
Decent art direction in-game (intro looks pretty cheesy though and the last scene doesn't align with what happens in-game), Some good death and NPC interaction animations
Restart floor/level command (ctrl+r, lose progress made on that floor)
Suicide command for if you get stuck (ctrl+a, restart where you entered the room)
Some shortcuts via paths that loop around
Turrets can hit each other
Enemy bestiary via the computer terminals
20 min time limit starts after a certain point on floor 8 (a bad ending is included if you don't make it in time)
Some interesting tools (Bomb - Blows up stuff, Clock - Slows down time for everything and everyone but you (rare)
Shield - Protects you from moving plasma barriers while destroying them (if a tracker (turret) hits you the shield is destroyed but you don`t die, fake NPCs can't hurt you while it lasts but also don't die from it)
Plasma Barrier - Form a plasma barrier trap that bounces off the walls)
Pretty good dialogue
+/-
Can save anywhere but loading takes you back to the beginning of the current level (one slot)
One hit deaths (same for NPCs) - single use shield power ups (these don't last very long)
Lives system (however when you lose your last life you just start over from the beginning of the level with the same number of lives you had when you began that level, checkpoints where you entered rooms, gain more by rescuing people, can't abuse it by rescuing two NPCs in the same room and then dying)
Killathon element (generally have to take out moving enemies (non-turrets) in a room before you can interact with the NPC in it, rooms are persistent in this regard so you don't have to keep clearing them)
Linear structure (maze-like levels after the first one, can't backtrack to a previous level meaning some of the (optional) items and NPCs are missable)
Enemy spawners/generators which can be deactivated (similar to Gauntlet)
No platforming (can't jump either)
No strafing or dodging, No blocking (can destroy turret shots by shooting them however)
No crouching or crawling
Laser shots ricocheting off of switches can bounce into a switch you didn't want to or into the same switch you wanted to press once (have to stand in the way of the shot to absorb it, ricocheting shots will bounce three times and then disappear)
Strict resource management
Minor stealth element (electric eyes/cameras that trigger turrets however they can't see very far - small pink dots)
Flip screen/non-scrolling (good overview of each puzzle)
NPCs and computers generally don't give gameplay-related clues
Cyberpunk theme
Some gore (final boss)
-
Some control/interface issues (sometimes if you stand right next to an enemy spawner your shots don't fire (it seems to treat it like you're standing right next to a wall) however you also don't get hit while the ball enemy is spawning, time limit on the HUD/status display (about 5 seconds), odd auto-fire - hold the button down and it starts after half a sec however it's also slightly glitchy so some shots disappear right after firing, some pathfinding problems for NPCs)
Some trial & error (the fake NPCs - they turn into enemies when you're almost right in front of them and can't be killed by the laser (on floor 7 one even stays hidden if you move near it until you've opened a path to the exit and think you're safe), boxes with blue outlines sometimes hold items and sometimes don't, no visual or text clue to the various hidden switches that open pink doors to optional detours - basically have to search all the walls if there's a room with a door you can't open, sometimes you'll miss minor dialogue depending on what dialogue choice you picked, the small flashing squares are mines - not power ups (the way the first one is placed makes it look like one), the computers that ask for a password froze the game for me in WinUAE - piracy checks? not required to progress)
No in-game maps
Some cheap enemy placements (turret at the beginning of level 3 and enemy spawners at beginning of level 6, have to save your grenades/shields for later or you'll run into rooms with fake NPCs that'll kill you several times (they can at least despawn if you're lucky) and rooms with moving laser barriers that you can't get rid of)
A bit repetitive
Can't give orders to or control NPCs (could've been used for more advanced puzzles or to make them stay in place to wait for hazards)
Can't use the jetpack from the intro in-game
Kinda short (around 3-4 hours across 10 floors/levels with a very short last floor - less than 1.5 hours if you know the game well)
Sometimes limited environment interaction (can't examine papers and maps) and not all NPCs can be talked to
Few weapon types (a laser gun, an ammo-based grenade sub weapon which is kinda rare, a bomb for certain doors and a few placeable moving laser barriers that aren't that useful)
Grenade blasts have overly small hit boxes
Only one in-game music track and it's just a simple ambient drone (nice intro track though and the ending track is decent if a bit out of place (upbeat jazz))
NPCs sometimes act like idiots when you move near them and just move into traps
Story kind of shoehorns in a "AI takeover" scenario towards the end
The clock item is underused
Grenades look and move like enemy missiles rather than being thrown at an arc
Easy final boss (you just run a couple of screens away and then trigger a trap to deal with it)
Notes:
-Save states tend to get corrupted in WinUAE (emuparadise AGA rom)
-For better controls on Amiga make sure to set the keyboard to "cursor keys" in WinUAE or you won't be able to move diagonally using the arrows (doesn't seem to be an option on PC DOS)
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-8/9* Fun-7.5 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7.5
*Saving everyone
+
Dialogue trees (sometimes with keywords for questions, can't make any important choices though - it mainly affects the order in which you'll question NPCs) and additional lore from computer terminals
Better control options on AMI (can use arrow keys to move diagonally instead of the numpad)
Some detours for optional items (grenades, )
Decent-good puzzles and timing puzzles (switch puzzles, reflecting/ricocheting shots also activate switches, enemies can press certain switches - they can also remove certain hazards by being lured into them, same room teleporters which also teleport shots and moving laser barriers - cool!, use enemy death blasts to take out some obstacles)
Partially destructible environment
Minimalist interface w/ HUD toggle (S - can only activate it though and it lasts for 5 secs)
Optional rescue mission (have to escort each NPC out of the room they're in by leading them to the exit marked with an arrow which can be challenging but is also pretty quick, risk/reward as you gain lives this way)
8-way movement and attacks (4-way in Landstalker for example)
Can kill NPCs
Decent art direction in-game (intro looks pretty cheesy though and the last scene doesn't align with what happens in-game), Some good death and NPC interaction animations
Restart floor/level command (ctrl+r, lose progress made on that floor)
Suicide command for if you get stuck (ctrl+a, restart where you entered the room)
Some shortcuts via paths that loop around
Turrets can hit each other
Enemy bestiary via the computer terminals
20 min time limit starts after a certain point on floor 8 (a bad ending is included if you don't make it in time)
Some interesting tools (Bomb - Blows up stuff, Clock - Slows down time for everything and everyone but you (rare)
Shield - Protects you from moving plasma barriers while destroying them (if a tracker (turret) hits you the shield is destroyed but you don`t die, fake NPCs can't hurt you while it lasts but also don't die from it)
Plasma Barrier - Form a plasma barrier trap that bounces off the walls)
Pretty good dialogue
+/-
Can save anywhere but loading takes you back to the beginning of the current level (one slot)
One hit deaths (same for NPCs) - single use shield power ups (these don't last very long)
Lives system (however when you lose your last life you just start over from the beginning of the level with the same number of lives you had when you began that level, checkpoints where you entered rooms, gain more by rescuing people, can't abuse it by rescuing two NPCs in the same room and then dying)
Killathon element (generally have to take out moving enemies (non-turrets) in a room before you can interact with the NPC in it, rooms are persistent in this regard so you don't have to keep clearing them)
Linear structure (maze-like levels after the first one, can't backtrack to a previous level meaning some of the (optional) items and NPCs are missable)
Enemy spawners/generators which can be deactivated (similar to Gauntlet)
No platforming (can't jump either)
No strafing or dodging, No blocking (can destroy turret shots by shooting them however)
No crouching or crawling
Laser shots ricocheting off of switches can bounce into a switch you didn't want to or into the same switch you wanted to press once (have to stand in the way of the shot to absorb it, ricocheting shots will bounce three times and then disappear)
Strict resource management
Minor stealth element (electric eyes/cameras that trigger turrets however they can't see very far - small pink dots)
Flip screen/non-scrolling (good overview of each puzzle)
NPCs and computers generally don't give gameplay-related clues
Cyberpunk theme
Some gore (final boss)
-
Some control/interface issues (sometimes if you stand right next to an enemy spawner your shots don't fire (it seems to treat it like you're standing right next to a wall) however you also don't get hit while the ball enemy is spawning, time limit on the HUD/status display (about 5 seconds), odd auto-fire - hold the button down and it starts after half a sec however it's also slightly glitchy so some shots disappear right after firing, some pathfinding problems for NPCs)
Some trial & error (the fake NPCs - they turn into enemies when you're almost right in front of them and can't be killed by the laser (on floor 7 one even stays hidden if you move near it until you've opened a path to the exit and think you're safe), boxes with blue outlines sometimes hold items and sometimes don't, no visual or text clue to the various hidden switches that open pink doors to optional detours - basically have to search all the walls if there's a room with a door you can't open, sometimes you'll miss minor dialogue depending on what dialogue choice you picked, the small flashing squares are mines - not power ups (the way the first one is placed makes it look like one), the computers that ask for a password froze the game for me in WinUAE - piracy checks? not required to progress)
No in-game maps
Some cheap enemy placements (turret at the beginning of level 3 and enemy spawners at beginning of level 6, have to save your grenades/shields for later or you'll run into rooms with fake NPCs that'll kill you several times (they can at least despawn if you're lucky) and rooms with moving laser barriers that you can't get rid of)
A bit repetitive
Can't give orders to or control NPCs (could've been used for more advanced puzzles or to make them stay in place to wait for hazards)
Can't use the jetpack from the intro in-game
Kinda short (around 3-4 hours across 10 floors/levels with a very short last floor - less than 1.5 hours if you know the game well)
Sometimes limited environment interaction (can't examine papers and maps) and not all NPCs can be talked to
Few weapon types (a laser gun, an ammo-based grenade sub weapon which is kinda rare, a bomb for certain doors and a few placeable moving laser barriers that aren't that useful)
Grenade blasts have overly small hit boxes
Only one in-game music track and it's just a simple ambient drone (nice intro track though and the ending track is decent if a bit out of place (upbeat jazz))
NPCs sometimes act like idiots when you move near them and just move into traps
Story kind of shoehorns in a "AI takeover" scenario towards the end
The clock item is underused
Grenades look and move like enemy missiles rather than being thrown at an arc
Easy final boss (you just run a couple of screens away and then trigger a trap to deal with it)
Notes:
-Save states tend to get corrupted in WinUAE (emuparadise AGA rom)
-For better controls on Amiga make sure to set the keyboard to "cursor keys" in WinUAE or you won't be able to move diagonally using the arrows (doesn't seem to be an option on PC DOS)