Thoughts by Wandrell (05 Oct 2008) – PC (DOS)
With a gun and no memory you end doing what anybody in your situation would do: living an action filled sci-fi adventure through alien worlds. Sounds typical, yet it is quite a different platform game.
Mostly because for being mainly an action game this one is quite diverse. It won’t give you just levels for walking around, those with some enemies around and a puzzle thrown in, or at least something that tries to be one. You have a bit of plot which evolves, and with it the levels and your objectives also keep changing. There is even a part where you should get jobs for raising money.
The plot by itself is not very original (It advances to the evil shape shifting aliens infiltrate the human society variety), but it at least gives you a few dystopian future scenes that always are fun: the artificial jungle, the death-game where you can become a millionaire if you are able to survive or the weird living alien world.
I promised something different, yet I would like to say you can’t find anything on it. As I would like to tell it is now one of the pillars of platforms games. Yet sadly I must say that just a few games can compare to this even today.
Not because it is unsurpassable, what really marks it from the others is having its own style, for trying something different. It is not an adventure game yet it is not a shooter, and the platforms spread around really have to do with the game.
I said it creates its own style. But, what did I exactly mean? Having an inventory and using objects to make your way around, helping yourself with tools like a two-seconds energy shield, stones for distracting enemies or a teleporter you must throw around. And they are not just small items that give you a bonus for killing more or simple gimmicks.
Along with a pretty seamlessly blend of action and story. Not just an introduction and an ending that means nothing for the game. And don’t forget the animations, sometimes they look a bit ugly yet they are the nice kind of eye candy.
