INFECTO by ZXKerl
INFECTO for ZX Spectrum 48K by ZXKerl
So let's see what kind of adventure ZXKerl has in store for us. No loading screen, the intro explains it all:
A noble task indeed.
As you may have noticed, no instructions on how to play... Is it OPQA, QAOP, Kempston, Mouse, Mind Control...? Luckily, you have me to wrestle with the controls and figure out how to use it, which took me a while and some frustration. The affable hot chocolate sauce went cold...
The game is very frenetic, and if you don't know what to do, it's crazy at first. I've even started to scratch...
Our nanobot (the yellow object) moves on its own and a green ball (Eddie's cousin), which leaves a blue trail, bounces across the screen at full speed. Of course, any contact will result in death. I try every combination of keys, but NANOx refuses to be controlled, apparently it's a stubborn little bugger that only wants to turn to the right and there's no key that will make it change its mind.
After some more trial and error (error equals death) I started to understand the game. NANOx is the anti-particle of a NASCAR driver. NASCAR drivers only turn left:
And our itch-killer will only spin to the right. Plus, every time it spins, it fires a laser beam in the direction it was moving before it turned right, disintegrating everything in its path, which is very satisfying, very satisfying. Now that I know my weapons, get ready, you filthy vermin.
The aim is to eliminate the green head that moves around the screen. As well as shooting like a madman, you have to be aware of when to turn and not do so when you might collide with the blue trail. Strategy and action, very well done.
When we eliminate one source of infection, we move on to two infections, then three. And so on up to ten, and if we defeat them, we finish the game. We're talking about 10 enemies moving at the same time, without any loss of playability. The program is written in BASIC and compiled with Mcoder3, with the result that you will be able to check if you try it, fast and very entertaining. As a curiosity, this game is based on colour attributes, so when we kill an infecting enemy, it just turns black. Then, when the laser beam illuminates the area where the cell used to be, its ghostly footprint lights up for a moment. I love it, even if it's an unintended side effect.
Not as easy as it sounds. Magnanimously the author avoids the classic frustration of an arcade that just wants your money and doesn't send us back to the beginning of the game when we die. In the author's own words: "The game is won when you reach the screen with 10 bugs and eliminate them all. There are infinite continues. If you get killed, you don't lose any progress. If you win, the number of kills and shots is displayed." - No excuse not to kill them all.
It won't be painless. It's hard. Even if you stay at the same level, it will make you angry if you fail. Remember Bezerk? A similar feeling of too many bad guys chasing the hero, oppressive.
It is going to be crowded.
When you respawn, you'll respawn in a random place and sometimes you'll be killed instantly because there was an enemy cell infecting at that very location. Continue. Nothing to worry about.
ZXKerl tells me that he reaches the end after (only) 25 deaths, well...
(Ashamed)
In the end I say that: After the initial frustration of not understanding what was going on, the game is actually quite enjoyable. Its crap level is perhaps due to its simplicity and also its difficulty. Personally, I love games where the mind has to fill in the blanks, and here I clearly see NANOx fighting infections at a cellular level. However, I recommend slowing down the speed of the emulator until an acceptable level of character control is achieved.
Scrambled Smile: 8/10
Broccoli and Squid Yoghourt: 3/10
Deep Fried Ice Cream: 8/10
Strawberry Monosodium Glutamate: 7/10
Affable Hot Chocolate Sauce: 4/10
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