Alessandro Grussu


Black And White
By Matra
Spectrum 128K/+2

 
Published in Al's Spectrum Annual 2021

Black And White

Black And White is a game that gives a nod to the coin-op platform/collect-'em-up coin-ops of the 1980s. You play not only as one but as two characters, the twin magician girls Candel and Alice, one in white and the other in black.

The king of Kalela entrusted them with the task of guarding the kingdom's treasure, but after a clumsy spell cast for fun, the two girls "merged" with each other and a magical storm made the treasure diamonds scatter far and wide. To be forgiven, Candel and Alice must recover all the diamonds.

On each screen, you control one of the two protagonists at a time. With their magic they must break blocks corresponding to their own colour and stun the numerous enemies - blobs, crabs, skeletons, bats etc. - which populate the six sections the game world is divided into. When the magic charge runs out, Candel and Alice must touch a magical crystal to restore it, but this will cause the characters to switch between them, so if you are white, you will become black, and vice versa.

Made with care, from the graphics of both sprites and backdrops, to the sound, with tunes reminiscent of games of several decades ago, Black And White is a nice and fun variation on the platform/collect-em-up theme: the fact that you must necessarily change from a girl the other to be able to pass the levels and be careful not to run out of magic while facing the enemies, gives the game an edge. It is also varied and deep; the levels have been conceived so as not to give an impression of deja-vu and the six game worlds, with a total of 64 screens, will keep the player busy for a long time.

Alessandro Grussu

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