Silkworm (video game)

Last updated

Silkworm
Silkworm Cover.jpg
Cover art (NES)
Developer(s) Tecmo
Publisher(s) Tecmo
The Sales Curve
Sammy
Virgin Mastertronic
Composer(s) Barry Leitch (Amiga)
Platform(s) Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System, ZX Spectrum
Release1988
Genre(s) Scrolling shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, Two-player

Silkworm is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Tecmo and first released for arcades in 1988. In 1989 it was ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and NES (1990) systems by The Sales Curve and released by Virgin Mastertronic.

Contents

Silkworm inspired the game SWIV , while not a direct sequel, it followed the same core gameplay design of a helicopter/jeep team, albeit as a vertically scrolling shooter instead of a horizontally scrolling one and was described as "inspired by" and a spiritual successor by several reviews, both of the time and contemporary, respectively.

Release

Silkworm was released at a time where side-scrolling shooting games were among the most popular genres - it was released at the same time as Forgotten Worlds , [1] Sanxion , [2] Mr. Heli [3] and DNA Warrior. [4]

The Spectrum version took three months to develop and was converted from the Amiga version which was almost identical to the original. [5] The game reached number three in the UK Spectrum sales charts, behind RoboCop and Dragon Ninja. [6]

In November 1990, Virgin re-released Silkworm as part of the Edition 1 compilation, which also included Double Dragon , and the shoot'em ups Gemini Wing, and Xenon . [7]

Gameplay

Silkworm on the Amiga Silkworm1.png
Silkworm on the Amiga

The player can take control of a jeep mounted with a machine gun or a helicopter mounted with forward and downward firing guns. Two players can work simultaneously and cooperatively against enemies, with one playing as the jeep and one as the helicopter.

Silkworm featured a variety of enemies, some of which had specific weaknesses, such as the armoured AA guns that could only be harmed when their shields were down to fire. Enemies included the "Goose" helicopter - a giant, heavily armoured "mini-boss" helicopter that was composed of several smaller vehicles connected together.

The players collect shields (which could alternatively be shot by the player in order to destroy all enemies on the screen), power cells which increase firepower and an additional bonus can be added to the score achieved. The game gets harder on the completion of each level, which feature destructible environmental elements, such as buildings and ancient ruins.

The speed was one of the defining parts of the gameplay, which the programmers who worked on the home conversions were keen to preserve, using a variety of programming techniques. [5] Silkworm featured a background music theme composed by Barry Leitch, which went on to be included on a Sinclair User covermounted cassette, along with Shinobi and Continental Circus . [8]

Ending

As an arcade game Silkworm has no ending, but the home conversions were altered to have either a victory screen, or a more involved final sequence. [9] [10] The end text reads:

AND HISTORY RECORDS THAT DURING THESE 11 DAYS MANY LIVES WERE LOST. PEACE RETURNED TO THE NOW DECIMATED COUNTRYSIDE. THE PEOPLE RETURNED TO FIND CROPS RUINED, CHURCHES DEFILED AND THE VILLAGE POND DRIED UP. A MEETING OF THE ELDER'S PLEASANT PEASANTS IN THE LOCAL PUB DISCOVERED THAT THE PEOPLE SAW THE FUNNY SIDE OF IT.

[11]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Silkworm on their April 1, 1988 issue as being the fifth most popular table arcade unit at the time. [17]

The game was well received. Your Sinclair praised the 2-player mode and the sound effects.

Legacy

The game SWIV was considered a spiritual successor to Silkworm, which The Sales Curve had previously converted to home computer formats in 1989. The game's heritage is evident from the game design whereby one player pilots a helicopter, and the other an armoured Jeep. SWIV is not an official sequel, as noted by ex-Sales Curve producer Dan Marchant: "SWIV wasn't really a sequel to Silkworm, but it was certainly inspired by it and several other shoot-'em-ups that we had played and loved." [18] [19] [20]

SWIV was described in the game's manual as meaning both "Special Weapons Intercept Vehicles" and "Silkworm IV". [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>The NewZealand Story</i> 1988 video game

The NewZealand Story is a platform game developed and released in arcades by Taito in 1988. The concept and setting were inspired by a holiday trip in New Zealand by one of the Taito programmers. The player controls Tiki (ティキ), a kiwi who must save his girlfriend Phee Phee (ピューピュー) and several of his other kiwi chick friends who have been kidnapped by a large blue leopard seal. While avoiding enemies, the player has to navigate a scrolling maze-like level, at the end of which they release one of Tiki's kiwi chick friends trapped in a cage. In 2007, the arcade game received a remake for the Nintendo DS under the title New Zealand Story Revolution.

<i>Boulder Dash</i> (video game) 1984 video game

Boulder Dash is a 2D maze-puzzle video game released in 1984 by First Star Software for Atari 8-bit computers. It was created by Canadian developers Peter Liepa and Chris Gray. The player controls Rockford, who collects treasures while evading hazards.

<i>Gauntlet II</i> 1986 arcade video game

Gauntlet II is a 1986 arcade game produced by Atari Games that serves as the immediate sequel to the original Gauntlet, which was released the previous year. Like its predecessor, Gauntlet II is a fantasy-themed top down dungeon crawler game and was released as a dedicated cabinet, as well as a conversion kit, both available in 2-player and 4-player versions.

<i>Chase H.Q.</i> 1987 video game

Chase H.Q. is a vehicular combat racing game, originally released as an arcade video game by Taito in 1988. It is sometimes seen as a spiritual successor to Taito's earlier Full Throttle. The player assumes the role of a police officer named Tony Gibson, member of the "Chase Special Investigation Department". Along with his partner, Raymond Broady, he must stop fleeing criminals in high-speed pursuits in a black Porsche 928.

<i>Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja</i> 1988 video game

Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja, also known simply as either Bad Dudes or DragonNinja, is a side-scrolling cooperative beat 'em up game developed and released by Data East for arcades in 1988. It was also ported to many computer and game console home systems.

<i>Ikari Warriors</i> 1986 video game

Ikari Warriors, known as Ikari in Japan, is a vertically scrolling run and gun video game released for arcades by SNK in 1986. It was published in North America by Tradewest. At the time there were many Commando clones on the market. What distinguished Ikari Warriors were rotary joysticks and a two-player cooperative mode. The rotary joystick controls were in turn based on SNK's earlier TNK III (1985). Ikari was originally intended to be an official licensed adaptation of the film Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), but SNK were initially unable to acquire the rights to the film.

<i>Golden Axe</i> (video game) 1989 arcade game

Golden Axe is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash video game released by Sega for arcades in 1989, running on the Sega System 16B arcade hardware. Makoto Uchida was the lead designer of the game, and was also responsible for the creation of the previous year's Altered Beast. The game casts players as one of three warriors who must free the fantastical land of Yuria from the tyrannical rule of Death Adder, who wields the titular Golden Axe.

<i>Continental Circus</i> 1987 video game

Continental Circus is a racing simulation arcade game, created and manufactured by Taito in 1987. In 1989, ports for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX and ZX Spectrum were published by Virgin Games.

<i>Shadow Dancer</i> (1989 video game) 1989 video game

Shadow Dancer is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash action game produced by Sega and originally released as an arcade game in 1989. It is the second and the final arcade game in the Shinobi series, following the original Shinobi itself. The player controls a ninja aided by an attack dog, who is fighting to save the city from a terrorist organization.

<i>Forgotten Worlds</i> 1988 video game

Forgotten Worlds, titled Lost Worlds in Japan, is a side-scrolling shooter video game by Capcom, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1988. It is notable for being the first title released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware.

<i>Cybernoid</i> 1988 video game

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine is a shoot 'em up developed and published in 1988 by Hewson Consultants for the ZX Spectrum. It was ported to the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amiga, and Nintendo Entertainment System. It was programmed by Raffaele Cecco. The ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, and Atari ST versions have a main theme by Dave Rogers, while the Commodore C64 version has a different theme by Jeroen Tel.

<i>The Untouchables</i> (video game) 1989 video game

The Untouchables is a video game released by Ocean Software in 1989 on ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, Atari ST, Amiga, DOS, NES, and SNES. It is based on the film The Untouchables.

<i>Hard Drivin</i> 1989 arcade game

Hard Drivin' is a sim racing arcade video game developed by Atari Games in 1989. Players test drive a sports car on courses that emphasize stunts and speed. It features one of the first 3D polygon driving environments via a simulator cabinet with a haptic vibrating steering wheel and a custom rendering architecture.

<i>Zynaps</i> 1987 video game

Zynaps is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game published by Hewson Consultants for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 in 1987 and for the Atari ST in 1988 and the Amiga.

<i>SWIV</i> 1991 video game

SWIV is a vertically scrolling shooter released in 1991 for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC computers. A Game Boy Color conversion was published in 2001.

<i>MicroProse Soccer</i> 1988 video game

MicroProse Soccer is an association football video game published by MicroProse in 1988. The original Commodore 64 version was developed by Sensible Software and ported to other systems. In the United States, the game was released as Keith Van Eron's Pro Soccer, named after Keith Van Eron.

<i>RoboCop</i> (1988 video game) 1988 video game

RoboCop is a beat 'em up / run and gun video game developed and published by Data East for arcades in 1988 based on the 1987 film of the same name. It was sub-licensed to Data East by Ocean Software, who obtained the rights from Orion Pictures at the script stage. Data East and Ocean Software subsequently adapted the arcade game for home computers.

<i>Bionic Commando</i> (1987 video game) 1987 video game

Bionic Commando, released in Japan as Top Secret is a run and gun platform game released by Capcom in arcades in 1987. It was designed by Tokuro Fujiwara as a successor to his earlier "wire action" platformer Roc'n Rope (1983), building on its grappling hook mechanic; he was also the designer of Commando (1985). The music was composed by Harumi Fujita for the Yamaha YM2151 sound chip.

<i>Saint Dragon</i> 1989 video game

Tenseiryuu: Saint Dragon is a horizontally scrolling shooter released as a coin-op by Jaleco in 1989. Ports to several home computer systems were published by Storm Entertainment in 1990. On February 6, 2020, Saint Dragon was released as part of Hamster's Arcade Archives lineup for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

<i>Batman</i> (1989 video game) 1989 video game

Batman is an action video game developed and published by Ocean Software based on the 1989 film of the same name. It was released on 11 September 1989 for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum with Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, MS-DOS and MSX versions following soon after.

References

  1. ↑ "The YS Rock'n'Roll Years - Issue 43". Ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "The YS Rock'n'Roll Years - Issue 42". Ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  3. ↑ "The YS Rock'n'Roll Years - Issue 44". Ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  4. ↑ "The YS Rock'n'Roll Years - Issue 41". Ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  5. 1 2 http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=SinclairUser/Issue087/Pages/SinclairUser08700060.jpg [ bare URL image file ]
  6. ↑ "The YS Rock'n'Roll Years - Issue 46". Ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "Edition 1". Ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "World of Spectrum - Sinclair User issue 92: 6 Amazing Coin-Op Tracks".
  9. ↑ Silkworm (Amiga 50Hz) - All Clear / No Miss (Heli) - 1,229,600 points. YouTube . Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
  10. ↑ ChinnyVision - Ep 297 - Silkworm - C64, Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Amiga, archived from the original on 13 December 2021, retrieved 30 August 2019
  11. ↑ South, Phil (November 1989). "YS Tipshop". Your Sinclair 47. Dennis Publishing . Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  12. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  13. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  14. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  15. ↑ "Silkworm". Ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  16. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  17. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 329. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 April 1988. p. 25.
  18. ↑ Bevan, Mike (2008). "The Making of SWIV", Retro Gamer (58): 40-43.
  19. ↑ Mason, Graeme (30 July 2023). "The story of SWIV". Eurogamer.net . Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  20. ↑ Caswell, Mark (April 1991). "SWIV review". Crash . Newsfield . Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  21. ↑ "ACE - Issue 40". ACE . Retrieved 9 September 2023.
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.