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PASTFINDER
Activision,
£9.99 cass, £19.99 disk, joystick only
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O 3D shoot-em-up with unusual graphics
O Large map to cover with leaping, rotating craft |
It’s
the year 8878 and exploration has become a thing of
the past, apart from the select
few known as the pastfinders.
Exploring
and mapping hostile territory is the aim of the game.
Armed with scant supplies
and five ‘Leepers’ you have to scuttle and bound your
way across a vertically scrolling 3D landscape.
The
playing area itself is very large and the scenery crisp
and varied with clouds, walls,
towers and abstract designs to be negotiated. Basically
this is a very addictive shoot-’em-up/strategy game
in the Xevious/River Raid style.
When
you begin the game you are presented with a small portion
of a map with coloured areas:
green which are low in radiation and red areas which
are high. The idea is to explore as much of the map
as possible. You can choose the direction you want to
go in by moving an arrow.
Partially
revealed map of the terrain - the areas so far covered
have been blacked out. Note the two bases situated in
the red (high radiation) area. Go to these to deliver
the seven artifacts currently held.
Then
you are presented with a list of four supplies for you
to choose from: heavy metal,
which acts as a radiation barrier, a deradiator which
removes all the radiation absorbed, a beam shield which
gives the Leeper
protection from enemy fire and a scrambler which stops
the enemy from tracking you.
All
the supplies should
be used only in extreme emergencies - although there
are other supplies littered over the landscape, these
are all few and far between. There is also an opportunity
to pick up extra lives, but these too are extremely
scarce.
Throughout
the land
you will see plate-like objects, artefacts, lying discarded
- pick these up and deposit them at either a base or
station, marked on the map. You will be rewarded with
bonus points plus a period of invulnerability or immunity
from radiation. You should also keep an eye out for
small boxes which each contain five artifacts.
The
aliens themselves
present little challenge to the player - the real skill
is negotiating the landscape safely and quickly. Occasionally
a drone ship will come towards you and track you mercilessly.
The baddies are all extremely detailed and well animated.
The
landscape, too, is
detailed, crisp and colourful with clear shadows to
make it easier to gauge the height of an obstacle. On
later screens the going get tough with moving spikes,
expanding walls and rising towers to thwart your exploration
attempts.
Sound
is very disappointing
for a game of this quality - reduced to a Space Invaders
type heartbeat and few zaps and beeps.
As
well as a score, the program also awards a playing status.
This starts as ‘raw recruit’ and rises according to
how many artefacts you can deliver.
JR
Another
sample of the extremely varied terrain. The
leeper, coloured yellow, moves right to pick up an
artifact (centre front).
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