311:. Verswyvelen had designed a level editor which allowed them to create, test and refine the game's levels in an efficient manner. As Robaye recalls, "we had a lot of fun putting levels together for each other". In the end, "I made 26 and of course Peter being Peter needed one more and made 27". Regarding the game's physics, Verswyvelen explained that, "at the time, it seemed very complicated to me, but now it all looks trivial. I was able to figure out most of the physics myself, except some parts of the rotation where I had to ask Michael Peeters, a brilliant young engineer, for help". Peeters would later hold a leading position in
504:
European look". He noted that "the only real problem with the game is that learning to control your space ship is going to take some practice", explaining that "control requires a great deal of precision, so don't be discouraged if it takes a while to get the hang of it; your persistence will be amply rewarded". He awarded the game a score of 4 out of 5 describing
210:
261:
features 53 planets in total along with a password system allowing players to start the game from any level they want. The landscapes of the planets vary from over-vegetated jungle areas, through mechanized zones, to icy wastes. Certain planets have stronger gravitational pull while others have heavy
265:
Each planet has a reactor which provides power to its defenses. If the player shoots the reactor, the whole planet will flash and everything will be frozen until the damage can be repaired. The heavier the damage, the longer the repairs will take. If repeatedly shot, the reactor will become unstable
200:
The
Resistance's struggle against the Empire is gaining a certain amount of success. The rebels have captured several star-cruisers and are about to launch a major offensive against the Empire, but operating these formidable ships requires a lot of energy and the Resistance lacks the necessary power
243:
The Empire has various defence mechanisms on the surface of the planets. Some of them shoot at the player's spaceship or try to divert its course, whereas some merely block the spaceship's path. The player's craft is armed with a plasma bolt cannon which can be used to destroy some of these defence
503:
is classic
European arcade fare that will keep you hunched over your joystick for weeks on end". Editor Tom Malcolm felt that the presentation was "top-notch", praising the game's sound effects and graphics, especially the backgrounds which "are animated and have that beautifully drawn, hard-edged
455:
noting that "there has been a lot of work done on producing some nice colorful graphics and effects, but the same feel has been retained". On top of the enhanced presentation, "the extra enemies and weapons add a nice new twist", making it "a more involving blast". He gave the game a score of 71%,
303:
game and wanted to create a 16-bit version of it, with more levels, enhanced graphics and improved features. Robaye was very enthusiastic about the project and spent his nights after coming home from high school creating the game's graphics. Verswyvelen was convinced to start writing code for the
247:
If the player's spaceship is hit by enemy fire, or crashes into the terrain, it will explode. Players are given a force field to protect themselves from enemy bullets and collisions with the surrounding scenery. The force field is manually-operated and its activation requires fuel. There's also a
256:
During the course of the game, players will encounter three different types of
Klystron pods (Standard, Hydrogen and Basket), all found atop a tall plinth somewhere on the surface of the planet. Each type has its own characteristics and behaves differently as the player attempts to grab it and
420:
editor Jim
Douglas praised the game's difficulty curve noting that "the difficulty of the early levels is pitched quite low, allowing the player enough time to get the grips with the control method, rather than being blasted out of the air every five seconds". He also highlighted the game's
425:
is the sort of game that you can keep coming back to – in small doses – for quite a while. Once you get to the grips with the ship control, and learnt how to negotiate the passages, it's good fun". He gave it a score of 700 out of 1000 arguing that "despite the enhanced graphics,
244:
mechanisms. There's also a powerful laser scanning device which can be helpful against groups of enemies or obstacles. Rotating the ship while activating the laser will destroy any objects in the vicinity. The drawback is that using the laser consumes a lot of fuel.
481:
draws its inspiration from this golden oldie. Keeping your craft from touching the ground while trying to maneuver inside the caverns and avoiding the enemy lasers is very hard. You will spend a lot of the time as a ball of flame. Unless you are a fan of
252:
which can be used when hovering just above the object the player wishes to beam. The player can use the tractor beam to grab the
Klystron pods, but also to absorb energy from alien inhabitants and fuel tanks which are scattered around each planet.
456:
arguing that "one of the main points of the original was its budget price. Now five years have passed and charging a full rate for what is, in effect, a revamped budget game seems a little over the top".
322:
and designed the title screen with that name. However, they did not hold the rights to the original game, and when Hewson acquired the game's publishing rights, they requested that the name be changed to
240:. The player has to rotate the spaceship, fire its weapons and thrust its engines to carefully navigate the planet's cavernous landscapes, retrieve the Klystron pod and escape to the orbiting mothership.
315:'s research and development department, and Verswyvelen would teach math, physics and programming at the University of West Flanders in its game development / technical artist program.
39:
266:
and the player will have a limited time to escape from the planet's surface, with or without the
Klystron pod. A successful escape with the Klystron pod is rewarded with 10,000
201:
sources. Several pilots have been commissioned by the
Resistance to enter the Imperial bases and retrieve the "Klystron pods", an essential power source for the star-cruisers.
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was created by Peter
Verswyvelen and Erlend Robaye, who respectively programmed the game and created its graphics. In the December 1990 issue of
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will bring tears to the eyes of seasoned gamers as they remember the good old days long ago, when they stayed up all night playing
872:
270:, but if the player fails to escape within the allotted time, the walls will start exploding followed by total meltdown.
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155:. Written by Peter Verswyvelen and with graphics by Erlend Robaye, the game is inspired by the 1986 video game
451:, Maff Evans described the gameplay as "easy to pick up and compelling for a while". He compared the game to
318:
Regarding the game's unusual name, Verswyvelen and Robaye explained that they had originally named the game
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defense systems, there are also levels where the gravity is reversed pulling the player's ship upwards.
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gameplay, with more levels, enhanced graphics and improved features. The game's name is a
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Development for the game lasted 18 months and its code was written entirely in 68000
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publisher, stated that the pair were inspired by Jeremy Smith's 1986 video game
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doesn't really denote much of a step forward" and "if you already possess
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Zarathrusta
Instruction Manual. The Whiz Kidz. Hewson 1991
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as "a very fine addition to your arcade collection".
19:
Not to be confused with the ancient
Iranian prophet
490:I recommend that you try this one before you buy".
885:. No. 40. Info Publications Ltd. p. 37.
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787:. No. 27. EMAP. December 1990. p. 22.
161:. Their goal was to create a 16-bit version of
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327:. The game was released in February 1991.
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37:
977:Video games developed in the Netherlands
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224:is similar to that in the original game
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257:transport it away from the planet.
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438:or a similar game, it's unlikely
972:Video games developed in Belgium
677:McCandless, David (March 1991).
421:replayable nature stating that "
304:game upon seeing Robaye's work.
837:
477:, from not too many moons ago,
147:The Whiz Kidz and published by
845:"Fast Forward: Double Trouble"
299:. Robaye was a big fan of the
232:that is constantly subject to
1:
827:"Peter Verswyvelen Interview"
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16:1991 video game for the Amiga
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7:
857:. February 1991. p. 8.
747:Douglas, Jim (March 1991).
711:White, Steve (April 1991).
511:
442:will hold many surprises".
204:
10:
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871:Malcolm, Tom (June 1991).
611:Evans, Maff (March 1991).
213:An example of gameplay in
176:Whereas the original game
18:
962:Single-player video games
957:Multidirectional shooters
804:"Erlend Robaye Interview"
347:
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122:
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90:
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58:
48:
36:
31:
952:Hewson Consultants games
141:multidirectional shooter
117:Multidirectional shooter
777:"Knocking The Rust Off
643:staff (December 1990).
274:Development and release
195:
915:at Amiga Hall of Light
693:Dennis Publishing Ltd.
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657:. No. Dec 1990.
212:
143:developed by Belgian
833:. November 15, 2012.
810:. November 15, 2012.
145:video game developer
341:
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289:Hewson Consultants
218:
149:Hewson Consultants
65:Hewson Consultants
967:Video game clones
763:Future Publishing
627:Future Publishing
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76:Peter Verswyvelen
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947:Amiga-only games
937:1991 video games
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236:and the craft's
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173:" and "Thrust".
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923:at Lemon Amiga
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894:External links
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853:. No. 4.
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106:February 1991
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86:Erlend Robaye
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72:Programmer(s)
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54:The Whiz Kidz
53:
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40:
35:
30:
22:
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873:"CyberPlay:
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771:
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722:Amiga Action
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661:. p. 9.
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622:Amiga Format
620:
614:
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561:Sub-Terrania
559:
554:Solar Jetman
552:
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538:
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517:
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494:
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462:Amiga Action
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448:Amiga Format
446:
445:Writing for
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415:
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389:
379:Amiga Format
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367:Amiga Action
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353:
324:
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317:
306:
301:Commodore 64
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268:bonus points
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250:tractor beam
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214:
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185:
177:
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60:Publisher(s)
50:Developer(s)
942:Amiga games
920:Zarathrusta
912:Zarathrusta
901:Zarathrusta
875:Zarathrusta
751:Zarathrusta
715:Zarathrusta
695:p. 62.
681:Zarathrusta
647:Zarathrusta
615:Zarathrusta
506:Zarathrusta
501:Zarathrusta
479:Zarathrusta
467:Zarathrusta
465:said that "
440:Zarathrusta
428:Zarathrusta
423:Zarathrusta
345:Publication
325:Zarathrusta
279:Zarathrusta
259:Zarathrusta
222:Zarathrusta
215:Zarathrusta
186:Zarathrusta
171:Zarathustra
167:portmanteau
136:Zarathrusta
92:Platform(s)
32:Zarathrusta
21:Zarathustra
931:Categories
831:Amiga Lore
808:Amiga Lore
645:"Preview:
575:References
519:Fly Harder
139:is a 1991
906:MobyGames
855:Newsfield
727:Europress
679:"Review:
568:TerraFire
336:Reception
331:Reception
230:spaceship
169:between "
82:Artist(s)
43:Cover art
654:CU Amiga
641:CU Amiga
526:Gravitar
512:See also
360:700/1000
309:assembly
205:Gameplay
163:Thrust's
151:for the
112:Genre(s)
785:The One
753:Review"
717:Review"
473:. Like
284:The One
238:inertia
234:gravity
123:Mode(s)
103:Release
779:Thrust
484:Thrust
471:Thrust
453:Thrust
436:Thrust
320:Thrust
297:Thrust
226:Thrust
178:Thrust
158:Thrust
882:.info
391:.info
348:Score
188:uses
180:used
153:Amiga
97:Amiga
850:Raze
688:Zero
659:EMAP
547:Oids
496:info
488:Oids
475:Oids
432:Oids
403:Zero
396:4/5%
196:Plot
904:at
758:ACE
499:, "
486:or
417:ACE
408:75%
384:71%
372:68%
355:ACE
933::
879:.
863:^
847:.
829:.
816:^
806:.
793:^
783:.
755:.
735:^
719:.
701:^
685:.
667:^
651:.
619:.
599:^
583:^
434:,
291:,
287:,
192:.
184:,
877:"
781:"
749:"
713:"
683:"
649:"
617:"
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
