THE HAKKISACKS by Paul Collins

 

THE HAKKISACKS by Paul Collins for ZX Spectrum 128K

   I am delighted to receive another game unearthed from the archives of time in the form of a cassette tape. Paul Collins has generously shared two creations from his 12- to 14-year-old self, which is wonderful. I say "two creations" because they are two versions of the same programme. The first is unfinished and more rudimentary. The second is more evolved and almost finished. Let's fire up the time machine and travel back to 1993–94.

   First of all, I must admit that I was not familiar with the toy called hacky sack (or footbag).

   "A footbag is a small, round bag usually filled with plastic pellets or sand, which is kicked into the air as part of a competitive game or as a display of dexterity. "Hacky Sack" is the name of a brand of footbag popular in the 1970s." - Wikipedia

   However, the author tells us in his email: "I used to collect them as a child because I liked the variety of colours and faces." I did a search and found these, which I suppose are the ones he is referring to:

   And, apparently, they gather in tribes.

   I've jumped ahead a bit, but these are the instructions selected from the wonderful start screen of the game:

   If you move left or right, the hakkisack moves first, and when it arrives, the selection lights up. I love it. Well centered, organised, perfect use of colours. At 14 years old, I'm amazed.

   There are even three control options available.

   Seeing this done at only 14 years of age, I understand that the author is very humble and does not confess to us that he now heads the European Space Agency or something similar.

   Let's save the tribe!

Each level load is accompanied by a cheerful little tune.

   Poor, sad Bread Sauce is waiting to be rescued at the bottom right. Although it looks easy, the path is littered with traps. The red and yellow blocks suddenly change position and kill on contact. The turtle-like creature fires deadly rays

   and the ACME magnet pulls us in if we enter its radius, killing us.

   Wow, there must be a lot of hatred towards the innocent Hakkisacks to organise this whole system to keep them captive. I can hear them sing:

"Rescue me

Oh take me in your arms

Rescue me

I want your tender charms

'Coz I'm lonely and I'm blue

I need you and your love too"

- Fontella Bass

   The game is written in BASIC and there are many checks in each cycle, so it is slow, as is the keyboard response, making it difficult to play.

   Now is when the magic comes into play.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

- Arthur C. Clarke

   We speed up the emulator.

   This level is different; the young author didn't just change the mazes. There is teleportation here, and you need skill to dodge the laser shots.

   You'd better hurry up, in this level, poor Bitty is being tortured. Personally, I'm horrified.

   Some music and next level comes in:

   This screen is terrible. First, there are four changing blocks in a row that you have to avoid. Then, there are three lightning throwers. Finally, there's another evil character that... I'll let you discover who it is for yourselves, so that you can hate the author as much as I do!

   We must rescue Fred! Could he be related to the famous Fred? The one with the greatest ghost sprites ever?

   Get ready to face the terrifying pursuers, who, with their pulsating colour, are very frightening and impossible to dodge.

   It's time to travel back in time and explain a few things about playability to young Paul.

   One last level in which, once again, I am amazed by the programmer's imagination:

   The seemingly inert, two-coloured block transforms into Berserk, destroying parts of the wall that confine Bounce. We must exploit its erratic destruction to reach him.

   And if you complete your mission...

   The original idea was to load more levels. This is incredible. My compliments to young Collins.

   Once we have all the Hakkisacs in the sac: This game showcases skill, imagination and entertainment. It confirms the idea that adolescence is the pinnacle of creativity. It has simple yet effective graphics and good music. Its only flaw is that it is too ambitious for the speed of BASIC. I found that an acceleration of 3.5x was optimal for enjoyment. All I can say is: we want more!

P.S.: Images from both versions of the game have been used in this review.

Scrambled Smile: 7/10

Broccoli and Squid Yoghourt: 3/10

Deep Fried Ice Cream: 7/10

Strawberry Monosodium Glutamate: 8/10

Affable Hot Chocolate Sauce: 2/10