Lunar Jetman

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Lunar Jetman
Lunar Jetman cover.jpg
Developer(s) Tim and Chris Stamper
Publisher(s) Ultimate Play the Game
Platform(s) ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro
ReleaseZX Spectrum
BBC Micro
1985
Genre(s) Scrolling shooter
Mode(s) Single-player

Lunar Jetman is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game. It was released for the ZX Spectrum in 1983 [1] [2] and later on the BBC Micro. [2] In this sequel to Jetpac , the second instalment of the Jetman series, Jetman has to destroy alien bases whilst simultaneously defending himself, along with Earth, from a hostile alien race.

Contents

It was met with critical acclaim upon release for its addictive gameplay and range of colours. The game was followed by a third episode, Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship , released for the NES in 1990. It was later included in Rare's 2015 Xbox One retrospective compilation, Rare Replay .

Gameplay

Jetman must collect bombs and destroy alien bases to advance to the next level. Lunar Jetman gameplay.png
Jetman must collect bombs and destroy alien bases to advance to the next level.

Once again taking on the role of Jetman, players find themselves on the surface of a small purple planet. [3] Similarly to its predecessor, the player can move around slowly on foot, or use a jetpack to leave the ground and navigate the planet faster. However, unlike Jetpac, Jetman's jetpack has limited fuel and must be topped up regularly. In addition to the jetpack, the player has a lunar rover for ground travel, inside of which they are invulnerable to damage. However, the rover can only negotiate smooth terrain, and Jetman may need to use bridging kits obtained from the rover to fill in craters on the planet's surface. The rover doubles as a refuelling point for Jetman's jetpack. [4]

Aside from the rover and its bridging kits, Jetman has access to three other pieces of equipment, all of which can be carried on the rear of the rover, albeit one at a time. Bombs must be used to destroy alien bases when they are encountered, which can only be accomplished when Jetman is flying above them. [4] Another piece of equipment is a cannon that may be mounted onto the rear side of the moon rover. The final piece of equipment is a pair of teleporters which can be used to instantaneously transport the player to the teleporter's twin, thus allowing rapid transport around the planet. [5]

Gameplay itself requires Jetman to locate and destroy a series of alien bases on the surface of the planet. Each new base appears with the destruction of the previous one. To accomplish this task, Jetman must take the bomb to the alien base—either in his space suit or using the rover—and then fly over the base and drop the bomb. [4] After several bases have been destroyed in succession, new and increasingly hazardous varieties of flying aliens assault the player. Each base must be destroyed within a strict time limit. If this limit expires before the base is destroyed, two missiles are launched from the base—one for Earth, the other for Jetman's rover. The player will be given a limited time to intercept and destroy the missile aimed at the rover, thus preventing a game over. [5]

Background and release

If the theme of Jetpac was to construct, then the theme for the sequel was to destroy.

Brendan Gunn in a retrospective interview with Retro Gamer [6]

Ultimate Play the Game was founded by brothers Tim and Chris Stamper, along with Tim's wife, Carol, from their headquarters in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1982. They began producing video games for the ZX Spectrum throughout the early 1980s. [7] The company were known for their reluctance to reveal details about their operations and then-upcoming projects. Little was known about their development process except that they used to work in "separate teams": one team would work on development whilst the other would concentrate on other aspects such as sound or graphics. [7]

Lunar Jetman was released for the ZX Spectrum in 1983 [1] [2] and later on the BBC Micro. [2] It was re-released in August 2015 as part of the Xbox One compilation of 30 Rare titles, Rare Replay . [8]

Reception

Similar to its predecessor, the game was critically acclaimed upon release. Crash praised the graphics and wide spectrum of colours, noting that whilst the presentation did not differ much from its predecessor, the graphics were "every bit as good" as superior arcade machines. [4] Home Computing Weekly also praised the presentation, stating that the colour and animation were "superb", whilst expressing the gameplay as "disgustingly addictive". [1]

When Crash revisited the game in their "Crashback" section of a 1984 issue, the game was still praised, with one reviewer stating that he would not change any of the original scores. [9] Brian Buckley of ZX Computing praised the game's advanced graphics and effects, stating that extraordinary attention had been paid to detail and that every usage of sound and colour was "excellent". Buckley also asserted that Lunar Jetman was "the best computer game of all time". [5]

The game entered the video game charts at number one in November 1983, replacing Ocean Software's Kong. [10] The game was also voted number 31 in the Your Sinclair Official Top 100 Games of All Time. [11] Home Computing Weekly placed Lunar Jetman third in their "Top 10 programs for the ZX Spectrum" in a later 1983 issue. [12]

Related Research Articles

Ashby Computers and Graphics Limited, trading as Ultimate Play the Game, was a British video game developer and publisher, founded in 1982, by ex-arcade video game developers Tim and Chris Stamper. Ultimate released a series of successful games for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, MSX and Commodore 64 computers from 1983 until 1987. Ultimate are perhaps best remembered for the big-selling titles Jetpac and Sabre Wulf, each of which sold over 300,000 copies in 1983 and 1984 respectively, and their groundbreaking series of isometric arcade adventures using a technique termed Filmation. Knight Lore, the first of the Filmation games, has been retrospectively described in the press as "seminal ... revolutionary" (GamesTM), "one of the most successful and influential games of all time" (X360), and "probably ... the greatest single advance in the history of computer games" (Edge).

<i>Pssst</i> 1983 video game

Pssst is an action video game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game that was released for the ZX Spectrum in June 1983. In the game, Robbie the Robot has to protect his plant as it is attacked by various insects, each of which needs a different repellent to neutralise it. Pssst was the second game to be released by Ultimate, after Jetpac.

<i>Sabre Wulf</i> 1984 video game

Sabre Wulf is an action-adventure game released by British video game developer Ultimate Play the Game for the ZX Spectrum home computer in 1984. The player navigates the pith-helmeted Sabreman through a 2D jungle maze while collecting amulet pieces to bypass the guardian at its exit. The player does not receive explicit guidance on how to play and is left to decipher the game's objectives through trial and error. Sabreman moves between the maze's 256 connected screens by touching the border where one screen ends and another begins. Each screen is filled with colourful flora, enemies that spawn at random, and occasional collectibles.

<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>Alien 8</i> 1985 video game

Alien 8 is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game. It was released for the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC and MSX in 1985. The game is a spiritual successor to the best-selling Knight Lore, which was lauded by critics for its isometric graphics. In the game, the player takes control of a robot, Alien 8, whose job is to ensure that all of the cryogenically frozen passengers on board a starship remain viable during the ship's voyage.

<i>Knight Lore</i> 1984 video game

Knight Lore is a 1984 action-adventure game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game, and written by company founders Chris and Tim Stamper. The game is known for its use of isometric graphics, which it further popularized in video games. In Knight Lore, the player character Sabreman has forty days to collect objects throughout a castle and brew a cure to his werewolf curse. Each castle room is depicted in monochrome on its own screen and consists of blocks to climb, obstacles to avoid, and puzzles to solve.

<i>Solar Jetman</i> 1990 NES game

Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship is a multi-directional shooter video game developed by Zippo Games and Rare and published by Tradewest in North America and by Nintendo in Europe. It was released in North America on 14 October 1990 and in Europe on 26 September 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game is the third installment of the Jetman series and was later re-released by Nintendo for their NES-based PlayChoice-10 arcade system in the United States in 1990.

<i>Rebelstar</i> 1984 video game

The Rebelstar games are a series of turn-based tactics video games designed by Julian Gollop. Rebelstar Raiders was published in 1984 by Red Shift for the ZX Spectrum. It was reworked in machine code as Rebelstar, published by Firebird in 1986. A sequel, Rebelstar II, was published in 1988 by Silverbird. Rebelstar, but not its sequel, was also adapted for the Amstrad CPC home computer.

<i>Atic Atac</i> 1983 video game

Atic Atac is an arcade-adventure video game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game, released for the ZX Spectrum in 1983 and the BBC Micro in 1985. The game takes place within a castle in which the player must seek out the "Golden Key of ACG" by unlocking doors and avoiding enemies. It was Ultimate's second game to require 48K of RAM; most of their previous games for the Spectrum ran on unexpanded 16K models.

<i>Cyberun</i> 1986 video game

Cyberun is a ZX Spectrum video game by Ultimate Play the Game and published by U.S. Gold in 1986. Although not part of the Jetman series, it has similarities to Jetpac in that the player must construct their spaceship from parts, then seek out resources and power-ups.

<i>Gunfright</i> 1985 action-adventure game video game

Gunfright is an action-adventure game developed by Ultimate Play the Game and published by U.S. Gold. It was first released for the ZX Spectrum in December 1985, then released for Amstrad CPC and the MSX the following year. The player takes the role of a sheriff in the town of Black Rock and is tasked with eliminating outlaws who are scattered throughout the settlement.

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

Nightshade is an action video game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game. It was first released for the ZX Spectrum in 1985, and was then ported to the Amstrad CPC and BBC Micro later that year. It was also ported to the MSX exclusively in Japan in 1986. In the game, the player assumes the role of a knight who sets out to destroy four demons in a plague-infested village.

<i>Cobra Triangle</i> 1989 NES game

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<i>Jetpac Refuelled</i> 2007 video game

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<i>Beach Head II: The Dictator Strikes Back</i> 1985 video game

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<i>Digger T. Rock</i> 1990 video game

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<i>Agent Orange</i> (video game) 1987 video game

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<i>Cosmic Guerilla</i> 1979 video game

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

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Software Reviews - Lunar Jetman", Home Computing Weekly (38): 18, 22 November 1983
  2. 1 2 3 4 Fox, Matt (2013). The Video Games Guide: 1,000+ Arcade, Console and Computer Games, 1962-2012 (2 ed.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 177. ISBN   978-1-4766-0067-3. OCLC   820723007.
  3. ↑ "Lunar Jetman Cassette Inlay". Spectrum Computing. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Crash review of Lunar Jetman", CRASH (1), Newsfield Publications: 88, February 1984
  5. 1 2 3 "Readers' Reviews", Home Computing Weekly (38): 64–65, August 1984
  6. ↑ "1983: A Spaceman's Odyssey - The History of Jetman" (PDF). Retro Gamer (96). Imagine: 50. November 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  7. 1 2 "The Best of British - Ultimate". Crash. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  8. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (June 15, 2015). "Rare Replay for Xbox One includes 30 Rare games for $30 (update)". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Crashback - Lunar jetman", CRASH (7), Newsfield Publications: 100, August 1984
  10. ↑ "PCN Charts". Personal Computer News. VNU. 17 November 1983. p. 10. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "Alt URL". Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2015-01-20.
  12. ↑ "Top 10 Programs for the ZX Spectrum - Crash". Home Computing Weekly: 45. 23 November 1983. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
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