Hydra (video game)

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Hydra
Hydra arcade flyer.jpg
North American arcade flyer
Developer(s)
Atari Games
  • ICE Software
    (Amiga/Atari ST/C64)
    Moonstone Computing
    (CPC/ZX Spectrum)
    NuFX (Lynx)
Publisher(s) Atari Games
Domark, Tengen
(Amiga/Atari ST/C64/CPC/ZX Spectrum)
Atari Corporation (Lynx)
Producer(s) Milt Loper
Programmer(s) Dennis Harper
Andrew Burgess
Artist(s) Chuck Eyler
Deborah Short
Nick Stern
Composer(s) Brad Fuller
Don Diekneite
Platform(s)
Release
June 1990
  • Arcade
    • WW: June 1990 [1]
    Amstrad CPC
    Amiga
    Atari ST
    Commodore 64
    ZX Spectrum
    Lynx
Genre(s) Vehicular combat
Mode(s) Single-player
Arcade system Atari G1 [1]

Hydra is a 1990 arcade vehicular combat video game developed and published by Atari Games. The player pilots a hovercraft, trying to deliver top secret items while avoiding mines, other hovercraft, and logs. The player can collect money and fuel and the game uses X-Y yoke control.

Contents

Gameplay

Arcade screenshot ARC Hydra (Baja California).png
Arcade screenshot

In Hydra, thieves are trying to steal the treasures from a museum which contain secrets to a weapon, and it is up to the player to stop them. The player is issued an experimental speedboat to navigate the rivers and retrieve the treasures from checkpoints. [2] There are nine levels of rivers and oceans. While playing the game, the player can collect money bags for extra cash and crystals for extra fuel. [3] The obstacles are gun embankments, enemy crafts and other nuisances that will slow the player down and may cause the cargo to be dropped and float downstream which will need to be retrieved. [4] [3] At the end of each level, the player drops off the cargo and can buy upgrades from a shop to improve the Hydra speedboat. [5]

Development and release

Developed by ICE Software and published together by Domark and Tengen, Hydra was ported to the Amstrad CPC in Europe the same year as the arcade original. The following year, it was also ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. The Atari Lynx version was developed by NuFX and published by Atari Corporation in 1992.

Reception

Robert Jung reviewed the Atari Lynx version of the game which has been published on IGN. He went on to say the game borrowed "heavily from RoadBlasters ", but he found it fun and gave a score of 8 out of 10. [3] Game Zero Magazine reviewed the game and gave a score of 82 out of 100. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Hydra". arcade-history.com. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  2. ↑ Hydra Instruction Manual. Atari. p. 1.
  3. 1 2 3 Robert A. Jung (6 July 1999). "Another excellent arcade adaptation from Atari. Read the full review below". IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  4. ↑ Hydra Instruction Manual. Atari. p. 3.
  5. ↑ Hydra Instruction Manual. Atari. p. 4.
  6. ↑ "Hydra review". Game Zero Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 3. September 1992.
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