Frankie Goes to Hollywood (video game)

Last updated
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood video game cover.jpg
Developer(s) Denton Designs
Publisher(s) Ocean Software
Platform(s) Amstrad CPC, C64, ZX Spectrum
Release
Genre(s) Arcade adventure,minigame
Mode(s) Single-player

Frankie Goes to Hollywood is a computer game that was developed by Denton Designs and published by Ocean Software Ltd in 1985 for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum home computers. The game is based on the music of UK band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. [1]

Contents

Objective

Frankie Goes To Hollywood Screenshot.png

The game puts the player in Liverpool in search of the Pleasuredome. The player has to find and use various objects and play minigames to reach the goal. The player starts the game as a simple character, to reach the Pleasuredome one has to become a full person. To become a full person, the four attributes (sex, war, love and faith) must be filled to 99%. The attributes are boosted by completing tasks in the game. Additional pleasure points can be scored by playing the minigames. The four attributes are part of the symbols used on the covers of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's albums.

During the game, a murder takes place. All the rooms the player can visit contain clues in order to find the murderer. The clues are in pairs, helping eliminate suspects. For example, the player may be told "The killer is an atheist" and "Mr Somebody is a regular church-goer" - so Mr Somebody would be innocent. In theory, the game cannot be completed without making the correct accusation (by returning to the room with the body) - there is a large bonus of Pleasure Points for naming the killer.

List of minigames

Development

The game was developed by Denton Designs and the game was based on the engine for Gift from the Gods. [2]

Music

Certain versions of the game feature chiptune versions of the band's songs such as "Relax" and "Welcome to the Pleasuredome". The ZX Spectrum version features an adaptation of "Two Tribes" as the title music. The game package also included a live version of "Relax" on tape cassette.

Reception

Roy Wagner reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World , and stated that "The graphics and game play are well done. I think you will find it an interesting game." [4]

In 1991, Your Sinclair included the game at number 71 in their list of the Top 100 Best Spectrum Games of All Time. [5] In 1993, Commodore Force ranked the game at number one on its list of the top 100 Commodore 64 games. [6]

Sex/Pleasure/Lust

The first icon, represented by two sperm in a yin yang image, is variously described as either Sex, Lust or Pleasure. The game inlay refers to the icon as Pleasure, the music press usually referred to it as Sex, and some computer magazines occasionally used the term Lust instead. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Goes to Hollywood</span> British pop band

Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English pop band that formed in Liverpool in 1980. They comprise Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford, Mark O'Toole (bass), Brian Nash (guitar) and Peter Gill (drums). They were among the first openly gay pop acts and made gay rights and sexuality a theme of their music and performances.

<i>The Way of the Exploding Fist</i> 1985 video game

The Way of the Exploding Fist is a 1985 fighting game based on Japanese martial arts developed by Beam Software, by a team consisting of Gregg Barnett, Bruce Bayley, Neil Brennan and David Johnston. Originally developed on the Commodore 64 and published in May 1985 by Melbourne House, ports were made for Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron and Commodore 16.

<i>Jet Set Willy</i> 1984 platform video game

Jet Set Willy is a platform video game originally written by Matthew Smith for the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published in 1984 by Software Projects and ported to most home computers of the time.

<i>Jetpac</i> 1983 arcade-style shooter video game

Jetpac is a shooter video game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game and released for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20 in 1983 and the BBC Micro in 1984. It is the first game to be released by Ultimate Play the Game, the company which later became Rare. The game follows Jetman as he must rebuild his rocket in order to explore different planets, while simultaneously defending against hostile aliens. It was written by Ultimate co-founder Chris Stamper with graphics designed by his brother, Tim Stamper. Reviewers praised Jetpac's presentation and gameplay, and it won "Game of the Year" at the Golden Joystick Awards in 1983.

<i>Underwurlde</i> 1984 video game

Underwurlde is a 1984 action-adventure platform video game in the Sabreman series by Ultimate Play the Game for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. The player controls the adventurer Sabreman as he jumps between platforms in a castle and its caverns to find an escape past the exit guardians. Underwurlde features about 600 flip screen areas. Unlike other games of its time, Sabreman is not injured when touched by enemies and is instead knocked backwards. Underwurlde is the second game in the series, between Sabre Wulf and Knight Lore, and released shortly before the latter for the ZX Spectrum in late 1984. Another developer, Firebird, ported the game to the Commodore 64 the next year.

<i>Dalek Attack</i> 1992 video game

Dalek Attack is a 1992 computer game based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which the player controls the Doctor and fights recurring adversaries, the Daleks and other enemies. In most versions of the game, the player can choose between playing as the Fourth, Fifth or Seventh Doctor; in the MS-DOS and Amiga versions, the player can play as the Second, Fourth or Seventh Doctor, and in the ZX Spectrum version only the Seventh Doctor was available. A second player may play as the Doctor's companion. K-9 also makes appearances later in the game as does Davros, creator of the Daleks in the TV series, as the final end of level boss. The game is set in London, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Skaro.

<i>Horace</i> (video game series) Video game series

The Horace video game series was created in the 1980s by William Tang for Beam Software. The series comprised Hungry Horace, Horace Goes Skiing and Horace and the Spiders.

<i>Hungry Horace</i> 1982 video game

Hungry Horace is a video game developed by Psion Software Ltd. and published by Sinclair Research in 1982 for Commodore 64, Dragon 32/64, Timex Sinclair 2068, ZX Spectrum, and later for Microsoft Windows and Android. It is the first game in the Horace series. The gameplay is noted to be very similar to Pac-Man, involving the collection of food pellets in a maze while avoiding enemies. Despite this, critical reception of the game was generally positive upon release.

<i>Cauldron</i> (video game) 1985 video game

Cauldron is a video game developed and published by British developer Palace Software in 1985 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC home computers. It contains both platform game and horizontally scrolling shooter sections. Players control a witch who aims to become the "Witch Queen" by defeating an enemy called the "Pumpking".

<i>Action Biker</i> 1985 video game

Action Biker is a 1985 game for Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum released by Mastertronic. The game was a tie-in with snack food KP Skips, whose mascot was "Clumsy Colin" who featured in television adverts for Skips at around the time the game was published. The music was composed by Rob Hubbard.

<i>Aliens: The Computer Game</i> (US Version) 1986 video game

Aliens: The Computer Game is a 1986 video game developed and published by Activision for the Commodore 64, Apple II based on the film of the same title. As Activision's UK subsidiary Electric Dreams Software had independently released their own version of the game with the same title, the game was renamed for European release. Initially planned to be released as Aliens: The Second Part., it was finally published under the title Aliens: US Version with ports for the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum produced by Mr Micro.

<i>Deactivators</i> 1986 action-puzzle video game

Deactivators is a 1986 puzzle video game designed by David Bishop and Chris Palmer, developed by Tigress Marketing and System Software, and published by Ariolasoft's action game imprint Reaktor. The player controls bomb disposal robots known as deactivators and must use them to deactivate bombs planted by terrorists in five research complexes. The concept for the game came from a brainstorming session between Bishop and Palmer; its design and development took five to six months to complete. It was released for the Amstrad CPC 464, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum platforms in October 1986.

<i>Waxworks</i> (1983 video game) 1983 video game

Waxworks is an interactive fiction game by Brian Howarth and Cliff J. Ogden. It was published by Digital Fantasia in 1983 for the Commodore 64, Plus/4, ZX Spectrum, and BBC Micro. It was the 11th game in the Mysterious Adventures series.

Alligata Software Ltd. was a computer games developer and publisher based in Sheffield in the UK in the 1980s.

<i>Enduro Racer</i> 1986 video game

Enduro Racer (エンデューロレーサー) is an arcade racing game from Sega. It was released in 1986 with two arcade cabinet versions, a stand-up cabinet with handlebars and a full-sized dirt bike cabinet. It is often seen as a dirt racing version of Hang-On, as it uses a similar engine and PCB. The game was later released for the Master System in 1987, the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 in 1988, and the Amstrad CPC and Atari ST in 1989.

<i>Splat!</i> (video game) 1983 video game

Splat! is a maze video game published for the ZX Spectrum in 1983 by Incentive Software of Reading, England. It was subsequently released for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and SAM Coupé.

<i>Zub</i> 1986 video game

Zub is a 1986 platform video game designed by Ste and John Pickford, developed by Binary Design, and published by Mastertronic for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. The game has the player control Zub, who has to travel to different planets to retrieve the Green Eyeball of Zub. A parody of the game Light Force, called Lightfarce, was added in as an easter egg. The music on all computers was composed by David Whittaker.

<i>Light Force</i> 1986 shooter game

Light Force is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter designed by Greg Follis and Roy Carter, developed by their company Gargoyle Games, and published under their Faster Than Light imprint. It was released for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum platforms.

<i>Hercules</i> (1984 video game) 1984 video game

Hercules is a platform video game written by Steve Bak for the Commodore 64 and published by Interdisc in 1984. It was reissued in 1986 by Alpha Omega and ported to the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Plus/4, and ZX Spectrum. Alpha Omega changed its name to The Power House shortly after publishing the game.

<i>Judge Dredd</i> (1986 video game) 1986 video game

Judge Dredd is a platform shoot 'em up video game based on the character of the same name. It was developed by Beam Software and published by Melbourne House. It was released in Europe in 1986, for Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.

References

  1. MacFarlane, Kit (11 January 2011). "Frankie Goes to Hollywood & Gets There Behind the 'Wheel' of a Classic Commodore 64". PopMatters .
  2. Mason, Graeme (13 December 2020). "The making of Frankie Goes To Hollywood". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  3. "Zzap!64 100th Issue Pull-Out Special Page 5". Zzap64.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  4. Wagner, Roy (November 1986). "Commodore Key". Computer Gaming World. Vol. 1, no. 32. p. 12.
  5. "The YS Official Top 100 Part 2". Ysrnry.co.uk. November 1991. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  6. "Top Ton!". Commodore Force. Autumn 1993. p. 33. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  7. Your Sinclair issue 19