Retrogaming: test of BraveStarr (Probe, Amstrad CPC, 1987)
Still the year 1987, this time with a side-scrolling action game based on a cartoon series.
Reminder about the rules for testing
- I'll spend maximum one hour on the game
- I'll briefly present the game: story, what the goal is, who created it.
- I won't be rating it, as it's very subjective, but will rather list what I liked and didn't like.
The Game
Cover
Goal
BraveStarr (Wikipedia page) is an American space Western animated series from the late 80's (1987-1988), and is set in the 23rd century on a multi-cultural desert planet called New Texas.
The above is the games' instruction and sums up the situation: BraveStarr is called to save planet New Texas, from Tex Hex and the spirit Stampede.
Armed with a laser gun, you must destroy the enemies, enter in bars/shops to ask questions and gather information to find your friend Shamen.
Loading
A simple run "brave will load the game.
You are then presented with the cover, along with a music I still vividly remember, even 30+ years after! :)
Commands
- A = up
- Z = down
- < = left
- > = right
- Space = fire
Test
Start
You then see the game itself - to play, you need to hit "fire" (space).
You start near the jail, and need to shoot your enemies straight away, or you'll be killed.
Basics
BraveStarr can run and jump, and when enemies are killed, you can collect amulets which allows you to increase your firepower.
Playing
- At the top,
- on the left, you can see a map, which you'll use to navigate to other places whenever you use your blue "space horse" (see pica below),
- on the right, you see your score, as well as how many days are left, and sunrise/sunset when time passes.
- At the bottom is the action section.
You can enter building when in front of the door, which gives you the option to either talk (if there's someone inside), or examine the building:
Your space horse allows you to go to other places:
Which you still need to explore / ask questions:
You then need to travel to those places, still fighting your enemies.
If you fail to rescue in time, Stampede wins and rules New Texas, so you'll have to start over again:
Conclusion
What I liked
- Easy to use: once you've figured out the commands, you can play straight away
- Graphics: they were nice for the time being, and this music and cover! <3
- Relative difficulty: you need a bit of time to figure out where to travel and in which order
What I didn't like
- Lifespan: I finished it in barely 30 minutes - which is fun, as I don't rememer finishing it when I was a kid, so either I got a lot better, or I was a terrible player by then ;)
Tags: Amstrad, Geek, Emulation, Retrogaming