GO FOR MONEY 2 by ZXKerl

  

GO FOR MONEY 2 by ZXKerl for ZX Spectrum 48K

   Tireless like a marathon runner, productive like a Tuesday(*), generous like a Franciscan monk and creative like a spider, ZXKerl presents us with a new creation that is also the second part of a game whose first part we are unfamiliar with. Things are off to a good start!

   According to the author, the game is based on the 1987 film “The Running Man” (retro approved), which in turn is based on the eponymous book, which in turn increasingly resembles our reality...

   "The Running Man is a dystopian thriller novel by American writer Stephen King, first published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982 as a paperback original. It was collected in 1985 in the omnibus The Bachman Books. The novel is set in a dystopian United States during the year 2025, in which the nation's economy is in ruins and world violence is rising. The story follows protagonist Ben Richards as he participates in the reality show The Running Man, in which contestants win money by evading a team of hitmen sent to kill them." - King Wiki

   In summary: We are going to be part of a cruel television show in which everyone wants to see the protagonist die. Great.

   Hey! There's a restart button. That way, the cheering audience can enjoy our death over and over again.

   ZXKerl explains the objective of the game: "Contestants skate on a rink covered in barbed wire and must pick up dollar bills from the floor. If they survive until the end of the contest, each bill is exchanged for ten thousand dollars. Use the space bar to drop a bill, which is designed to collect money in difficult places surrounded by obstacles. Use any key to switch between horizontal and vertical movement. The goal is to collect all the bills without dying or running out of money. If you fail, the same map is repeated until you succeed."

   Banknotes, money... I'm sure more than one of you can hear the same song playing in your head.

   "So I must leave, I'll have to go

To Las Vegas or Monaco

And win a fortune in a game

My life will never be the same

Money, money, money

Must be funny

In the rich man's world

Money, money, money

Always sunny

In the rich man's world

Aha-aha

All the things I could do

If I had a little money

It's a rich man's world" 

- Björn Ulvaeus / Benny Andersson

   Unfortunately, our snail-shaped protagonist will not be travelling to a luxurious city to place bets. Instead, he will be entering a dangerous arena to earn money — or die trying.

   The high level of our participants and friends makes us think deeply about the important social idea that ZXKerl shows in his game.

The Spectacle of Death in a Decadent Society

   Imagine a society where the ultimate form of entertainment is the orchestrated death of its citizens, where bloodshed is not a tragedy, but a triumph, and where the roar of the crowd drowns out the final breaths of those who have fallen. In this world, televised death games represent the pinnacle of cultural obsession, combining sport, drama and execution to create one grotesque spectacle. The participants, who are often coerced or desperate, become pawns in a system that exploits suffering for ratings and revenue.

   How did it come to this?

- Desensitisation through the media: Over the decades, entertainment has evolved from storytelling to shock value. Each generation demanded greater intensity, realism and visceral thrills until the distinction between fiction and reality became blurred.

 -Economic disparity and exploitation: As wealth became concentrated in the hands of a select few, those who were disenfranchised were offered 'opportunities' to risk their lives in pursuit of fame or financial salvation. These games became a twisted form of social mobility.

 - Loss of empathy through digital detachment: As lives are increasingly lived through screens, the pain of others becomes abstract. People are no longer seen as individuals, but as characters, avatars or expendable figures in a narrative designed for our entertainment.

- Government complicity and control: Authoritarian regimes found these games to be useful tools for distraction, population control and propaganda. The spectacle masked systemic decay and redirected public anger into voyeuristic indulgence.

   This society didn’t collapse overnight; it eroded slowly as people traded values for thrills and sacrificed humanity at the altar of entertainment. These games are not just a symptom of decadence; they are its anthem.

   A period of introspection has been undertaken.

   Let's go.

   We have the wires in the shape of an “X” in red, the bills in green, and the chubby, hopeless protagonist in bright pink. ZXKerl remains true to his style with an absence of UDGs and an abundance of brains imagining worlds.

   As soon as the stage is finished being built, the player moves in one of the four directions without the possibility of stopping. Your only option is to change direction by pressing any key. And this change of direction will always be upwards or to the right. This may seem like a limitation, but after a few games, it clearly helps in planning your strategy.

   But... Sometimes, at the start of the game, the skater heads straight for an 'X', leaving no time to react. It's instant death: fists on the table and insults fly.

   There's another catch: we can only change direction if we pay for it. I would say that ZXKerl was inspired by the modern trend of certain car brands charging for subscriptions to activate features. This can lead to us being able to travel down a corridor without obstacles forever.

   Yes, I saw on the intro screen that the R key takes us back to the beginning. But it doesn't work on my emulator. It's just like the old days: unplug and reload!

   It's time to be honest: I found the first few games insane. The second and third and... An impossible game. For the first time, I had to reduce the emulation speed.

   In the end, I left it at 35% and then I enjoyed myself. A lot.

   Almoooooooooooooooooooost !!!

   Connecting all the barbed wire: A simple but very playable game. Although I find it extremely difficult at normal speed, it can be thoroughly enjoyed by slowing down a few gears. ZXKerl manages to ensure that the absence of graphics is never a problem in his games. The day he taps into that part of his creativity, he'll get a call from the executives at Imagine or Ocean, for sure. I should point out that it's extremely similar to ‘TWJJJ’, my entry for CGC 2023. I don't know whether to feel flattered, infringed upon, or part of an 8-bit serendipity.

Scrambled Smile: 6/10

Broccoli and Squid Yoghourt: 6/10

Deep Fried Ice Cream: 5/10

Strawberry Monosodium Glutamate: 8/10

Affable Hot Chocolate Sauce: 7/10

(*) "It’s true—Tuesday reigns supreme as the most productive day of the workweek, according to several studies. On Tuesday, you’ve settled into the week but still have plenty of time to get important work done before the weekend. Your motivation is high after the weekend, and you’ve had Monday to ease into your routine." - Garfield ... ?