Gods - Review
(Bitmap Brothers, Commodore Amiga Game, 1991)
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During my college years I used to enjoy computer games on the Commodore Vic 20. This in itself was no mean feat, as it packed slightly less memory than your average goldfish. However, because I am so exceptionally old and the alternative was to watch one of only three television channels, I played the Vic 20 a lot. Then I grew up, got a job and in 1993 I was able to afford an Amiga 1200, whereby a whole new and exciting world of gaming opened up to me. Looking back now it seemed like I owned the 'mig for ages, but since I sold it to fund a PlayStation purchase in what could have been no later than 1997, I must have owned one for only about four years, yet those gaming times always remained burned into my memory as being an incredible voyage of discovery.
I have since owned and played a PlayStation 1,2, 3 and 4, an Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, a Mini SNES, an N64, GameCube, Wii and a WiiU, a Megadrive, Saturn and Dreamcast, along with a healthy selection of handheld units. Oh, and I have gamed (cough) on a PC and tablet (cough), (I am never sure as to whether that is something one should admit to!) But nothing ever properly filled the void left by my ‘mig. Was it just nostalgia? Or were those games really that good? I needed to find out. I tried emulation but that just wasn’t the same, so I made the decision to buy one again. I found a reputable seller and treated myself to a refurbished A600, complete with memory expansion and hard drive stocked to the gills with the back catalogue of games. Out of the many hundred games included, the one game that I really missed playing; the one I wanted to play so much and indeed the first one I fired up upon receiving my second Amiga more than twenty years after selling the first, was Gods.
Gods was originally released in 1991 by the Bitmap Brothers, who have a back catalogue that reads like a definitive list of classic Amiga games, including: Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Magic Pockets, Xenon ll: Megablast and The Chaos Engine. Gods is a platform game, whereby you play as Hercules and attempt to navigate four levels, each comprising of three worlds, in the search for immortality. Most of the usual platform fare is there; there are tricky jumps to pull off, ladders to climb, switches to operate and keys and other items to collect which unlock bonus areas and ultimately the end of each level.
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You pick up a variety of weapons which you can throw to dispatch the waves of enemies that target you. Periodically at the end of a world you are visited by a shopkeeper (who bizarrely looks rather like a chap I play 5-a-side football with; maybe he is moonlighting?) allowing you to spend the gems you have collected on all manner of extras, including; extra lives and health, new and more powerful weapons such as spears or throwing stars, spells that freeze the enemy or reduce your damage for a limited time or weapon power up potions and smart bombs. You can also purchase power-ups which affect the strength and spread of the weapon you throw, allowing you to choose from either a wide or a narrow and more intense field of fire. Getting your shopping right is a particularly important element as some worlds are far easier to navigate with the right options chosen.
The thing that strikes you when playing Gods is the attention to detail. The graphics are superb, certainly for a 1991 game. The animation of the enemy creatures is excellent, especially that which accompanies the death of those that fly, which looks stunning. The levels are well designed, feel solid and ‘real’, and are great to look at. The sound is good, with a memorable introduction soundtrack (‘Into the Wonderful’), good in-game music samples at world ends, various grunts and groans as you jump around and a selection of shrieks from the bad guys as you dispatch them. If you approach something collectable such as a gem or a key it will often ‘clink’ against the ground to let you know it is there. Using the switches is key and often up/down combinations of a number of them will reap an extra reward. However some of the switch combinations required to open secret areas are perhaps unnecessarily complicated and it's completely possible that a player could play this game for years without unlocking some areas (this one certainly did!)
You are equipped with an inventory which allows you to carry a number of items; this becomes more important as you progress, as some levels require you to complete simple tasks, such as moving things to a desired location.
Mention must be given to the fantastic artificial intelligence that genuinely adapts to your play, by helping poor players and rewarding good ones. If you complete some areas within a certain (unknown) predetermined time you will earn a bonus or unlock a secret area. Conversely if you have taken a lot of hits and are struggling for health it is more likely that you will stumble upon a health power-up or an extra life. The enemies don’t all necessarily follow strict patterns either; some do, but others will target you. You will also encounter items that you may want in seemingly inaccessible areas. To retrieve them you must wait until they are picked up by a ‘thief’. Follow him, or tempt him out by dropping something he may want, kill him in the open and, hey presto, the item can be collected.
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In terms of things that could be better, firstly I should mention some minor graphical and movement issues. Hercules can overhang a ledge by an amount that defies physics (and indeed he needs to do this in order to make certain jumps), which can make the player very aware that the game is working and thinking in ‘blocks’. Also, when he stands on a moving block the block doesn't carry him along; he needs to shuffle along at the same speed, which just feels wrong. Your character's movement, though predictable and controllable, can also feel a little clunky and slow. I didn't mind this, preferring the type of platform game that you pick your way through with care as opposed to rushing through at breakneck speed. (If you prefer something more frantic, you may want to try it on a Megadrive, which runs about three times as fast. However, the effect of this is to make the game hard to the point of being unplayable, with massively reduced reaction times to deal with enemies as they appear). Finally, once you are past the halfway point the levels do get increasingly complicated and difficult, with a number of seemingly unavoidable deaths which can cause frustration.
But, in summary, it’s a big thumbs up from me. Perhaps most importantly, Gods is fun. It ticks all those boxes that so many platformers seem to miss. It looks and sounds brilliant. It is challenging but predominantly fair. You don’t spend ages wandering about lost, wondering what you should be doing (certainly in the earlier stages of the game although things can get more confusing later on). Every time you play you get a little further and, crucially, this progress ensures that you will want to replay, again and again.
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It is well designed, with tight gameplay and a myriad of secrets to discover, certainly in the top bracket of platform games produced for the Amiga and well worth waiting twenty-two years of my life to play again. It might not quite have the slickness and speed of movement of the likes of Superfrog (Team 17), but it more than makes up for that with character, atmosphere, design and downright cleverness. And let's be honest, being produced by the Bitmap Brothers, you really wouldn’t expect anything less.
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Graphics - 85%
The game looks brilliant; the animation of some of the monsters dying is fabulous, the only negative is the slightly clunky movement of Hercules.
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Sounds - 93%
A fabulous introduction and in game sounds are perfect.
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Grab-Factor - 85%
Easy to pick up and play, some of the bonuses from switch combinations can be difficult, bordering on impossible to find though.
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Playability - 92%
Close to platforming perfection on the 'mig, enough puzzles to tax the old grey matter but nothing to hold you up too long, has that classic: "I'll have one more go" x-factor.
Verdict - 88%
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As a postscript, if you are a fan of the game, the high-definition remake by Robot Riot Games (available for Steam, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One) is well worth checking out. It is pretty much exactly the same game; to the extent that a press of R3 (on a modern controller, obviously) will switch the game instantly between the new sparkly high definition mode and the original sound and graphics (the speed of switch is, in itself, highly impressive!)
The only differences that I could find were that your inventory allows you to carry four rather than three items (this was a welcome change) and you can use the left and right trigger controls to fire, which made life much easier. Oh, and it has terrific in-game music and a new (but very similar) theme: 'Heaven to Hades', because of copyright issues with 'Into the Wonderful' I believe. If you liked the original you will love the remake. Don't expect new levels, different layouts or new puzzles, they haven't messed with it at all, it is Gods just as you know it, it has just been polished beautifully.
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As a final footnote, I have completed the game (and can play round several times with the difficulty ramping up each time) and currently hold the seventh highest score worldwide for the remastered version. I wouldn't say that I have unlocked every single secret, but I have certainly worked out most of them. If you are stuck, message me using the contact tab. Alternatively you can view my YouTube walkthough videos below:
Level 1, The City - World 3 and final Boss
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Level 2, The Temple - World 3 and final Boss
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Level 3, The Labyrinth - World 1
Level 3, The Labyrinth - World 2
Level 3, The Labyrinth - World 3 and final Boss
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Level 4, The Underworld - World 1
Level 4, The Underworld - World 2
Level 4, The Underworld - World 3 and final Boss
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AG 26/07/2018
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Featured in Amiga Addict magazine, issue 13.
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© Words and pictures copyright grapeswriting.com
Sink or Swim - Review
(Zeppelin Games, Commodore Amiga Game, 1993)
A water based puzzler in the mould of Lemmings. Will it float or need a lifebelt?
Déjà-Vu
I recently reviewed OnEscapee, which bore more than a passing resemblance to the Amiga classics: Another World and Flashback. In that review I suggested that it was a mistake to try and emulate greatness if you are inevitably going to fail to match it. So I had a distinct feeling of déjà-vu when Jonah asked me to check out Sink or Swim, adding, “if you like Lemmings you will love it”.
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Now this concerned me, because I do like Lemmings. I like Lemmings rather a lot as it happens, being (in my opinion) the greatest mouse controlled puzzler ever created. On the other hand, because I had never heard of Sink or Swim there was a natural assumption that it was surely going to fall some way short of the rather high bar set by our little blue and green suicidal friends. So with that negative preconception sitting squarely (and perhaps rather unfairly) at the front of my mind, I set about playing it to find out...
Drown Drown, Deeper on Drown
Sink or Swim is a joystick controlled puzzler developed by Zeppelin Games and released in 1993 for MS-DOS. Subsequent versions were released for the Amiga and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and it also appeared on the Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis for our American friends) and Game Gear (on those systems it was renamed “S.S. Lucifer: Man Overboard!”).
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The premise is that the SS Lucifer has hit trouble and lies, helpless, on the sea bed; full of witless passengers running around aimlessly and awaiting a hero to save the day. You play as Kevin Codner (Ed - “Groan”) (Grapes - “Yep, I’m afraid so...”) who is tasked with rescuing those trapped on board. This is achieved by working through a series of levels and guiding the passengers in each room (or cabin?) to the exit. A display shows the number of passengers that need to escape each level and meeting this quota allows progression to the next stage. Each level has a password and there are 60 to negotiate. So we are firmly in the ballpark of: solve some puzzles, get a number of little guys to the exit, move on and repeat. Quite like Lemmings then. But there’s a key difference; here you don’t control or affect the passengers in any direct way - you are only in charge of your own character. Your task is to jump and climb around each area and, by manipulating the landscape, clear the way so as to allow a sufficient number of the trapped passengers to find a safe route to the exit.
The Manual is Your Friend
First impressions aren’t bad. Graphics are bright and clear, though the passengers look a little odd, with large bulging eyes and bloated stomachs. Overall though the levels are crisp and colourful and everything is easy to see. The sound is adequate, although there’s a constant effect of gurgling water that does become a little tiresome.
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(Ed - “Warning - random sexist stereotype incoming...”). Now it could be said that I am a typical bloke, in that I rarely bother with instruction manuals. With most games I like to dive in (Ed - “I saw what you did there...”) and work things out by myself. But within two or three levels of Sink or Swim I found that I needed to consult the instructions to get to grips with the finer details of the game. And you will too, otherwise you will miss quite a lot; and this can make some levels appear to be impossible.
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There are switches to switch, life rafts and jet packs to deploy, travelators to operate, cranes to use and more. You can also drop bombs to destroy some obstructions; your bomb has a variable fuse timer adding a further strategic element to the gameplay.
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Credit must go to the designers for wringing the absolute maximum out of a one button controller. The use of the fire button is context-sensitive and very clever; dropping a bomb is achieved by pulling down and hitting the fire button, while a press will release a jetpack or operate a switch or crane if you are stood by one. The rest of the time it is used to jump when moving about a screen. This is a very welcome change from those platform games that use up to jump and, make no bones about it; this is also a platform game. While it was marketed as a puzzler, the levels are very much platform based, and you won’t get very far at all until you become adept at negotiating the various platforms and ladders.
Panic Room
Even with the generous password system you definitely won’t breeze through this game, I found things getting tricky within just a few levels. In true puzzle fashion, when you reach a new level your first half-a-dozen goes will see you wandering around and failing quickly, as you try to work out what you need to do to complete it. Then, once you have formulated a plan, you may well need many further attempts to actually manage it, as a lot of the stages require split second timing. You are often battling against the clock, with a rising water level in some rooms killing the passengers one-by-one to act as a timer and this adds an additional level of panic to the proceedings.
Some Flaws - Water Shame...
I do need to mention the controls though. Your character’s movement is certainly smooth but does not always feel completely connected. It isn’t easy to do things precisely at speed, which is a pity as the game depends on this quite a lot. The jump isn’t controllable in mid air, meaning that once you have taken off your landing spot is predetermined and cannot be corrected. It is also annoying and illogical that you can jump from some ladders but not others (I fell off one particular ladder to an instant fiery death far more times than should have been necessary).
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Then there are the passengers, who are particularly stupid (the game refers to them as Dim Passengers, presumably as more side-splitting word play, this time parodying the 80s actress Kim Bassinger). Even when their path to the exit is clear they can still obstinately wander off in the wrong direction, which irks.
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I also struggled to work out how to input a password. Eventually I returned to the manual, which helpfully informed me that I needed to press the spacebar on the title screen or once a game had finished. A simple front end menu with an Input Password and a Start Game option would have made life so much easier. I may be a bloke, and consequently be allergic to reading instructions, but some things could be more intuitive.
Sink or Swim?
In conclusion I find myself sitting firmly on the fence and would declare this to be an okay puzzle game. It doesn’t sit in the top division, but equally it isn’t so flawed to be particularly unpleasant or unplayable. It does grow on you too, I found it hard work when I started out, but after getting properly familiar with the controls I am quite enjoying it now. Working out the solution to each level is fun and there is a definite feeling of achievement each time you complete one. There are flaws, and some do impact the enjoyment of playing a little, but here’s the thing. After I review a game I will often put it away and never look at it again. But I have kept playing Sink or Swim and perhaps that is quite telling. It is enjoyable. It provides a good test for the old grey matter and the game mechanics are solid enough to make it a fun experience.
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Is it a Lemmings rival? No, of course not. But it was never going to be and the reality is that it doesn’t try. There are significant differences between the two games and this one will Sink or Swim on its own merits. And for me it swims. Not well, but it swims. In the giant pool of Amiga puzzle games it is bobbing about in the middle, holding on gamely and enthusiastically to its polystyrene float while the likes of Lemmings, Benefactor and Pushover sweep by impressively, splashing water in its face. It isn’t perfect by any means, but, crucially, it does have a certain charm and there is more than enough fun there for you to forgive its shortcomings.
Graphics - 80%
Bright, clean and colourful, though I am not sure why the passengers appear quite so deformed...
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Sounds - 60%
Competent enough but the constant gurgle effect does start to grate.
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​Grab-factor - 88%
For a couple of levels this was fun and very easy to get on with, but as the difficulty ramps up you will find return visits to the manual become essential.
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Playability - 84%
Despite its flaws (and there are a few!) it remains a solid and fun puzzler. Not in the premier division of its class but there is definitely enjoyment to be had.
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Verdict - 78%
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AG 03/10/2022
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Featured in Amiga Addict magazine, issue 16.
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© Words and pictures copyright grapeswriting.com
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