Amstrad Action


Blood Brothers
By Gremlin
Amstrad CPC464

 
Published in Amstrad Action #34

Blood Brothers

Hark and Kren are brothers that have just passed their examinations in laser technology and hi-tech control. Their parents bought them jetbikes for the high grades they got While the boys are out. some space pirates have attacked their village, stolen all the gems and killed everyone. Hark and Kren want revenge.

One or two people can play simultaneous-ly, and it does work much better as a two play-er game. In the solo game you can switch between which of the brothers you control. There are two mam stages to the game and three different blocks of code that can loaded in. One stage is a side view of the mines of Scorpia and the other is the planet surface with a brother in his jetbike. The mines are a flick screen game and the jetbike sequence is a 3D-perspective flying sequence.

The mines are made up of a labyrinth of tunnels, all filled with hostile beings that do their utmost to kill you As well as the aliens that shoot back at you there are deadly pools of water lying in some rooms. Extra fuel and weaponry can be found in the mines, as can the gems stolen from the villages. During the mine stage the two players can swap energy, fuel and firepower by touching each other. In the jetbike sequence, you have to fly around avoiding or shooting the blocks that get in the way, in an attempt to find other mine entrances. This stage is particularly difficult to control until you've practiced a lot.

Blood Brothers

The graphics are all very colourful and smoothly animated. A futuristic tune plays on the title screen, but there are none in the game. Sound effects are typical shoot-'em-up - loud and zappy.

As a two player game, it's great fun, but the single player option is a little tricky to handle and hence it's much more difficult to complete. The searching and blasting aspects have been mixed well to produce an enjoyable, if unoriginal game.

Second Opinion

A game that's just a little hit too tough for one person to handle. I daresay someone will manage it, but playing with a friend is so much easier, plotting and planning your next moves. The jetbike sequence is also on the tricky side. Graphically it moves smoothly enough, but personally I'd like a little more control.

First Day Target Score

Blood Brothers

1,000 points.

Green Screen View

Everything's easy to identify in green.

Verdict

Graphics 82%
P. Smoothly animated sprites.
P. Brightly coloured scenery.

Blood Brothers

Sonics 43%
P. Nice title tune.
N. Typical shoot-'em-up effects.

Grab Factor 67%
P. Two player game is more entertaining.
N. As a one player it's too difficult.

Staying Power 58%
P. Three different areas can be loaded in.
N. Repetitive gameplay.

Overall 62%
Definitely best as a game for two.

GBH

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