Why? - Kempston

 This game starts with green text on a black background, with the single word 'WHY?', instantly this brings back the words of the infamous Agent Smith.

“Why, Mr. Anderson?, Why, why?.Why do you do it? Why, why get up?. Why keep fighting?.Do you believe you're fighting...for something?. For more than your survival?.Can you tell me what it is?.Do you even know?; Is it freedom?, Or truth?.Perhaps peace?. Could it be for love?"

The intro to the games throws out even more why questions.

WHY is there a grid falling from the skies onto the city of  St Scar Taspringyassyar Lakebar?

WHY are there strange monsters running down the grid and killing everyone?

WHY has someone completely unqualified as a heavy gunner like yourself been chosen to defend the place?

WHY are you even reading what an ascii chicken is saying?




The question about why has someone completely unqualified been chosen was particularly apt as I started the game without paying attention to the keyboard layout (O, P and E to fire). As a result, I died swiftly, nevermind I thought 'I'll pay attention when I start again', but the restart throws you straight back into the action. 

After 5 goes of being told I had saved 0 lives and this task was not for me 




I eventually found the fire key and gave the aliens a little payback.


The game itself plays a little like Space Invaders in as much as you are a conical shape at the bottom of the screen constrained to left and right movements only. The aliens however move down the screen zig zagging fairly randomly. They tend to appear in pairs the smaller of the two moving much faster than the larger one. Once one is hit the screen clears and they start again. Going for the larger one became my default strategy.

The screen has a very pleasing layout, dark silhouettes of town blocks flank the central playing grid. The sky is lit with stars. Four coloured squares indicate the number of turns you have left.



The layout of the screen plays well with the Spectrum's legendary colour clash. Being compiled basic the game runs fast (a little too fast?), the biggest issue I came across was the inability to move and fire at the same time. You have to move to a location and then press fire. If you are lucky a laser will strike one of the alien craft and it will burst into ASCII characters with a beep, miss and it will reach the bottom destroying you. After 4 four losses, you are treated to a short beep tune, a screen telling you how many lives you saved, and a ranking.

This task is not for you
You can do better
Not bad for an amateur gunner
People will now believe in you
Now aliens fear your name

Get a maximum score and THE CITY COUNCIL OF St ScarTaspringyassyar Lakebar will bestow great accolades upon you.

Technical Ability - 75%

Being compiled BASIC pushes this one up the scale considerably. Even without being compiled, this would be a pretty slick game, it is difficult, but not impossibly so. Colour is used to a pleasing effect and sound although minimal is used well. Though there is no loading screen, the game doesn't really need one.

Achievement - 5%

This game isn't all that crap, the difficulty level is fairly high due to the keyboard limitations, but it is not impossible and there is a temptation to play again to beat your last score.

Fun - 70%

I enjoyed playing it which can't be said of many of the entries.

Crap Factor - 10%

A failure in the crap department for me. A twist on the Space Invaders theme and is nicely put together.

Roundup

Pros -
  • Good use of UDGs and colour
  • Contains actual gameplay
  • Is completable
Cons -
  • Inability to move and shoot at the same time
  • Intro plays a little too quickly
Remember I play these games so you don't have to. Should you play this game I bear no responsibility for your mental health afterwards. Should the warnings not be enough you can download and play it here.






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