Eight Bit Magazine


Galactic Tomb
By Artaburu
Amstrad CPC464/664

 
Published in 8 Bit Annual 2019

Galactic Tomb

In the era of the first millennium, three kings ruled in the Ururben Galaxy. Three kings for three kingdoms, their civilizations not based on technology but on magic. The galactic triumvirate lived with peace and respect until the arrival of Shakar who, through dark arts, managed to overthrow and annihilate the three kings. Later he would impose technology as the standard of his empire, hiding the mystical real bodies of the three Kings in three hidden tombs somewhere in the galaxy. Now the last days of Emperor Shakar are arriving. Having artificially prolonging his life to unsuspected limits, his medical team finds no way to prolong his reign and Shakar is not willing to see the end of his days.

As the most elite, outstanding commander of the imperial army, you are appointed to carry out a mission that will Keep Shakar alive. In this run 'n jump platformer you need to travel through three different worlds, looking for the mystical tombs containing magical objects to prolong the life of Emperor Shakar. Each of the tombs are guarded by three unique guardians of different times of the past, present and future. World one, Pherenos is a planet with volcanic zones, rivers of lava and other dangers. World two, Robota, is more of a technology age. Along with your standard equipment, you have the use of a backpack to lift you off the ground. Find four memory cards of the four main computers in the base but beware of the droids and the main computers being protected by energy fields that you will have to avoid and turn off.

World three, Microbia, is your final mission. This time you are not running and jumping instead you are underwater in command of a second generation A21 mini-sub. Your minisub is armed with two short-range lasers that will allow you to get rid of your enemies, as well as a helmet energizer, which will allow you to electrify the deck and get rid of enemies attached to the ship. Find the silver and gold keys to open the door lock that hides the last tomb and defeat the last guardian.

What I Like

Galactic Tomb

The graphics and tunes are undeniably fabulous. These two factors make playing the game more enjoyable than me having to wake up and go to work every day. Glorious colourful graphics with smooth scrolling and fantastic sprites that fit the theme of each level beautifully is where the game excels. The presentation is first class all the way, gorgeous pits of lava to jump over with balls of lava to avoid while you are jumping is a classic old school platformer component and so is dodging those laser bars that appear on level two. If run and jump is your 8-Bit gaming thing then your in for a wild time as the genre is so magnificently portrayed in its delivery here. While levels one and two are pure run and jump, the change up on level three "Microbia", to underwater gameplay via a submarine vessel is more than appreciated, the subtle change gives some unexpectedness and excitement to a game which is short in supply of it.

What I Didn't Like

It feels way too short. Only one weapon to use, I found myself craving some bombs or a rocket launcher to blow up stuff. Enemies are in short supply too, in particular on level two - Robota. At times it feels like you are wandering around in a maze, going nowhere. Another irritation is that some items you can't see and probably won't find if you have not watched a walk-through video on YouTube to learn how to discover them.

Verdict

If you ever wanted to be whisked back in time playing those gorgeous CPC Spanish games from 1986-1992, then this is it. While gobsmackingly gorgeous in terms of graphics and presentation, the gameplay and fun factor seem disconnected at times from the rest of the game. It's crying out to me "Where is the challenge?", "Where are the tough boss battles?" and "Where's that 'crikey I didn't expect that to happen'!" feeling? Sure, you will love this shoot-'em-up, but I feel it is lacking the elements of fun and challenging battles that would take it from a fab game to an absolutely epic one.

CPC4EVA

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