Koronis Rift

Last updated
Koronis Rift
Koronis Rift cover.jpg
Cover art by Terry Hoff
Developer(s) Lucasfilm Games
Publisher(s)
Designer(s) Noah Falstein
Programmer(s) Charlie Kellner
Aric Wilmunder
Ron Gilbert
Ken Rogoway (CoCo) [2]
Artist(s) Gary Winnick
James St. Louis
Composer(s) Douglas Crockford
Platform(s) Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, MSX2, ZX Spectrum, Color Computer 3
Release1985: Atari 8-bit, C64
1987: CoCo [2]
Genre(s) Strategy
Mode(s) Single-player

Koronis Rift is a video game from Lucasfilm Games, produced and designed by Noah Falstein. [3] Originally developed for the Atari 8-bit computers and the Commodore 64, Koronis Rift was published in 1984. It was ported to the Amstrad CPC, Apple II, MSX2, Tandy Color Computer 3, [2] and ZX Spectrum.

Contents

The Atari and C64 version shipped on a flippy disk, with one version of the game on each side. A cassette version was also released for the Commodore 64. [3] The Atari version requires computers with the GTIA chip installed in order to display properly.

Koronis Rift was one of two games in Lucasfilm Games' second wave (December 1985). The other was The Eidolon . Both enhanced the fractal technology developed for Rescue on Fractalus! . In Koronis Rift, the Atari 8-bit computer's additional colors (over those of the Commodore 64) allowed the programmers to gradually fade in the background rather than it suddenly popping in as in Rescue, an early example of depth cueing in a computer game.

Gameplay

An enemy saucer and a hulk (Atari 8-bit). Koronis Rift A800 ingame.png
An enemy saucer and a hulk (Atari 8-bit).

The player controls a surface rover vehicle to enter several "rifts" on an alien planet which are effectively fractal mazes. A lost civilisation known as the Ancients [4] has left strange machinery, so-called "hulks", [5] within these rifts which are guarded by armed flying saucers of different design and color. Depending on their respective color, shields and gunshots of both the rover and the saucers are of varying effectiveness against each other; part of the game is figuring out which shield and weapon modules work best where.

By means of a drone robot, the rover can retrieve modules with various functions (which are not immediately obvious) from nearby hulks. It can only be deployed when all attacking Guardian Saucers have been destroyed. [4] The modules can then be installed in the rover, analyzed aboard the player's space ship, or sold; the rover can carry up to six different modules at a time which can be activated and de-activated as the player sees fit. [4] A large variety of modules is available: different weapon and shield modules with varying power levels and color codes, modules that increase the rover's power output, a mapper (activating an extra screen on the rover), and even one module that turns the retrieval probe into a bomb, destroying any hulks the probe is sent to investigate instead of retrieving modules.

Conversely, different types of hulks exist including one that simply "swallows" the probe without yielding a module, requiring the player to purchase a new probe (and possibly sell useful modules to raise the required funds).

The goal of the game is to find and destroy the saucer control base hulk which is located in the 20th rift. [3] To this end, the player must explore the rifts, find hulks, retrieve and analyze modules and understand the color-coding of weapons and shields to overcome the increasingly aggressive and dangerous saucers. The game can be solved in several ways; the quickest is to acquire the bomb module and send the probe into the saucer base with the bomb module activated.

Reception

Info rated Koronis Rift four stars out of five, stating that it was the best of Epyx's four Lucasfilm games. [6] Computer Gaming World stated that "if KR is a game, it is also a puzzle ... arcade skill alone isn't enough". The reviewer did not enjoy the game because it was so difficult that he spent too much time savescumming, but praised the graphics and sound. [7] Zzap!64 thought that the game was an improvement on its predecessor, Rescue on Fractalus , with superior graphics and gameplay. It was given an overall rating of 96%. [8] Ahoy! recommended Koronis Rift to fans of Rescue on Fractalus. [9]

Reviews

Related Research Articles

<i>Rescue on Fractalus!</i> 1985 computer game

Rescue On Fractalus! is a space combat simulator video game created by Lucasfilm Games. It was originally released in 1985 for the Atari 8-bit computers and Atari 5200 console, then ported to the Apple II, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Tandy Color Computer 3, and Commodore 64. The player flies a space fighter near the surface of a planet, with the goal of rescuing downed pilots. The terrain is generated via fractals, from which the eponymous planet and game title are taken.

<i>Thrust</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Thrust is a 1986 video game programmed by Jeremy C. Smith for the BBC Micro and published by Superior Software. The player's aim is to manoeuvre a spaceship by rotating and thrusting, as it flies over a two-dimensional landscape and through caverns. The gameplay of Thrust was heavily inspired by Atari's Gravitar.

<i>Ballblazer</i> 1985 video game

Ballblazer is a futuristic sports game created by Lucasfilm Games and published in 1985 by Epyx. Along with Rescue on Fractalus!, it was one of the initial pair of releases from Lucasfilm Games, Ballblazer was developed and first published for the Atari 8-bit computers. The principal creator and programmer was David Levine. The game was called Ballblaster during development; some pirated versions bear this name.

<i>The Eidolon</i> 1985 video game

The Eidolon is one of two games that were part of Lucasfilm Games' second wave in December 1985. The other was Koronis Rift. Both took advantage of the fractal technology developed for Rescue on Fractalus!, further enhancing it. In The Eidolon, Rescue's fractal mountains were turned upside down and became the inside of a cave.

<i>Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back</i> (1985 video game) 1985 video game

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to the vector graphics Star Wars arcade video game released by Atari, Inc. in 1983. It was made available by Atari Games in 1985 as a conversion kit for the original game. As in Star Wars, the player takes on the role of Luke Skywalker in a set of battle sequences from a first-person perspective. The game features the Battle of Hoth and the subsequent escape of the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field. It is the third Star Wars arcade title from Atari; the raster game Return of the Jedi came out the previous year.

<i>The Dallas Quest</i> 1984 video game

The Dallas Quest is a graphic adventure game based on the television soap opera Dallas. The game was programmed by James Garon for the TRS-80 Color Computer and published by Tandy Corporation in 1984. It was the second game in the "Animated Adventure" series, following The Sands of Egypt, and uses the same split-screen display. Datasoft published versions for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, and Commodore 64 in the same year.

<i>Zombi</i> (1986 video game) 1986 video game

Zombi is an icon-driven action-adventure video game. It was Ubisoft's first publication, released in 1986. It was programmed by Yannick Cadin and S. L. Coemelck, with graphics by Patrick Daher and music by Philippe Marchiset.

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

Aliens: The Computer Game is a 1986 video game developed by Software Studios and published by Electric Dreams Software initially for Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. It is based on the film of the same title. Ports for the Commodore 16 and MSX were developed by Mr. Micro and published in 1987.

<i>Murder on the Zinderneuf</i> 1983 video game

Murder on the Zinderneuf is a video game designed by Jon Freeman and Paul Reiche III and one of the first six games published by Electronic Arts in 1983. It was developed for the Apple II, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit computers, and IBM PC.

<i>Moebius: The Orb of Celestial Harmony</i> 1985 video game

Moebius: The Orb of Celestial Harmony is a video game produced by Origin Systems and designed by Greg Malone. It was originally released in 1985 for the Apple II. Versions were also released for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Macintosh, and MS-DOS. The game is primarily a top-down view tile-based role-playing video game, but it has action-based combat sequences which use a side view, roughly similar to games such as Karateka.

<i>Star Fleet I: The War Begins</i> 1984 video game

Star Fleet I: The War Begins is a 1984 strategy video game designed by Trevor Sorensen and developed by Interstel. It was released for Apple II, MS-DOS, and Commodore 64. Versions for the Commodore 128, Atari ST, and Atari 8-bit computers were released in 1986 and versions for the Amiga and Mac were released in 1987. The game was successful enough to spawn sequels which are collectively known as the Star Fleet series.

<i>Panther</i> (1986 video game) 1986 video game

Panther is a Commodore 64 game designed and implemented by Peter Adams and published by Mastertronic in 1986. A version for Atari 8-bit computers followed in 1987, then a ZX Spectrum port in 1989. The player pilots a strange-looking aircraft, fighting off hordes of invading flying saucers and rescuing people by landing the craft and waiting for them to board. The game uses a diagonally scrolling isometric view, much like Zaxxon and Blue Max, using shadows to show the height of flying objects. Adams previously worked on ports of both of those games.

<i>Macadam Bumper</i> 1985 video game

Macadam Bumper is a video pinball simulation construction set developed by ERE Informatique in France. It was first released for 8-bit computers in 1985, the Atari ST in 1986 and MS-DOS in 1987. The Atari ST and MS-DOS versions were released in the US as Pinball Wizard in 1988 by Accolade.

<i>Transylvania</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Transylvania is an adventure video game published by Penguin Software. It was released for the Apple II in 1982 followed by ports to the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64. A Mac conversion was published in 1984, then versions for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS in 1985.

<i>Ogre</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Ogre is a 1986 video game based on the Ogre board wargame. It was released by Origin Systems for the Apple II, Amiga, Atari 8-bit computers, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, and Mac.

<i>Lode Runners Rescue</i> 1985 video game

Lode Runner's Rescue is a 1985 action game developed by Joshua Scholar for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers as a follow-up to Doug Smiths's Lode Runner. Lode Runner was published by Broderbund, but the sequel was published under the Synapse Software name, a company acquired by Broderbund in 1984. Lode Runner's Rescue uses isometric projection to give a 3D feel.

<i>Colonial Conquest</i> 1985 video game

Colonial Conquest is a turn-based strategy video game developed by Strategic Simulations and released in 1985 for the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64, followed by the Apple II in 1986. Ports by Andromeda Software were released for the Atari ST in 1987 and PC-98 in 1989.

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

Questron is a 1984 game from Strategic Simulations, the first fantasy title from a company known for computer wargames. It was written by Charles Dougherty and Gerald Wieczorek and released for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, and Commodore 64. A sequel, Questron II, was released in 1988.

<i>Protector II</i> 1982 video game

Protector II is a video game written by Mike Potter for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Synapse Software in 1982. It is a sequel to 1981's Protector; both games are horizontally scrolling shooters inspired by the arcade video game Defender. Protector II was ported to the Commodore 64, TI-99/4A, and TRS-80 Color Computer.

<i>Battle Group</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Battle Group is a 1986 computer wargame designed by Gary Grigsby and published by Strategic Simulations. It is a follow-up to Grigsby's earlier Kampfgruppe.

References

  1. ↑ "Koronis Rift [Activision UK release]". Atarimania. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Boyle, L. Curtis. "Koronis Rift". Tandy Color Computer Games.
  3. 1 2 3 "Lucasfilm Interviews - Part 1". Zzap64.co.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Koronis Rift". Atari Mania. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "Commodore User Magazine Issue 29". February 1986.
  6. ↑ Dunnington, Benn; Brown, Mark R. (December 1985 – January 1986). "C-64/128 Gallery". Info. pp. 4–5, 88–93. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  7. ↑ Williams, Gregg (March 1986). "Atari Playfield". Computer Gaming World . No. 26. p. 30. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "View a Scan". Zzap64.co.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  9. ↑ Kunkel, Bill; Katz, Arnie (April 1986). "Think Fast! Action-Strategy Games for the Commodore 64". Ahoy!. pp. 41–45. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  10. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie 41". October 1986.
  11. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie HS 3". 1986.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.