Blast Annual


The Lands Of Zador
By Stefan Mader
Commodore 16/Plus 4

 
Published in Blast Annual 2020 Volume 2

The Lands Of Zador

Kate is back in this sequel to 2015's Majesty of Sprites by Bauknecht. This time she has been chosen to bring back the last known spellstone of The Ancients of Zador to the world of Azur. Kate does nothing but think about Zador all day and night so she's well up for it.

Gameplay

At the beginning of the game you are given the option to enter a level code. You're then asked to select the game's skill level. Easy, medium or hard. So this sequel is a lot like the first game. In fact it's more like chapter two of the original.

The satisfying stomping on enemies' heads mechanic makes a welcome return but this time around everything in the world looks a lot more colourful and varied than before. You can also pull down on the joystick to do a sliding move in the direction you're facing.

The Lands Of Zador

Once you start moving you immediately notice the push scrolling that has been introduced. So none of the frustrating disadvantages of the flick screen mechanic from the first game rear their ugly heads.

This addition in itself makes the game much more enjoyable to play. There is a minimal amount of info shown on the screen in the status area, if it can be called that. Energy is shown as tiny rectangles in the bottom left hand corner and that's it. You start off with seven lives each with five energy bars but you wouldn't know it as lives are not shown anywhere unless you die and a message pops up.

Even when you're given three bullets near the beginning of the adventure this is not shown anywhere. You have to keep track yourself. All this really helps the player immerse themselves in the game.

The Lands Of Zador

The sequel now has the feel of a proper adventure game where you are given tasks to perform to progress through the game rather than just collecting hearts. Pulling down on the joystick enables you to read signs, receive messages and talk to people.

You can regain energy by collecting hearts. Small hearts add one energy bar if you don't have the full five. Large hearts can be picked up to fill the energy level to the maximum. The play areas are now massive.

Usually when a task is completed what once was blocked becomes open and you progress further through the area. There are no teleports into or out of the place like there are with the first game and its smaller areas. This seamless transition through different parts of the same huge area is much more appealing and again gives a sense of a proper adventure game.

The Lands Of Zador

There are various triggers, such as push buttons on the floor, which open up different parts of the game. Eventually you find a stone which tells you the level is complete. Then you get a bit more story and a level code. Graphics in this game are even better than the first. They're quite similar but seem to be a lot more colourful. The spot effects are fine and the in-game tune is quite a decent one but it can feel a bit bothersome after a while.

Likes

Push scrolling is a massive improvement over the flick screen mechanics of the first game. Colour improvements to the graphics and the huge play areas are a big plus. The lack of hardly any on screen status adds to the atmosphere of an already immersive game. A great soundtrack plays throughout reminiscent of some of the best platformer games ever made, I can't recall where I have heard it before but it's oh so familiar. You move at quite a bit of speed around the screens making the game high on playability.

Dislikes

After a while, the music can start to grate. And the less said about that loud 'blop' sound, the better. The screen movement at times seemed to be a little out of sync especially if you drop from a height and hit the ground the screen seemed a little bit behind at times. Other than that there's nothing else to dislike.

Verdict

A fantastic platformer sequel which improves on the original with better graphics and gameplay and completely eradicates the flaws that were apparent mainly due to the dodgy flick screen mechanics of the first game. Another class game from Stefan Mader and Bauknecht team.

John Davies

Other Commodore 16/Plus 4 Game Reviews By John Davies


  • Alpharay (Premium Plus Edition) Front Cover
    Alpharay (Premium Plus Edition)
  • Adventures In Time Front Cover
    Adventures In Time
  • Xplode Man Front Cover
    Xplode Man
  • Majesty Of Sprites Front Cover
    Majesty Of Sprites
  • Pets Rescue (Premium Plus Edition) Front Cover
    Pets Rescue (Premium Plus Edition)
  • Adventure Park Front Cover
    Adventure Park