Uridium

Last updated
Uridium
Uridium cover.jpg
Developer(s) Graftgold [1]
Publisher(s) Hewson Consultants
Designer(s) Andrew Braybrook
Programmer(s) Andrew Braybrook (C64) [1]
Dominic Robinson (Spectrum)
Nick Eastridge (NES)
Composer(s) Steve Turner (C64)
Rich Shemaria (NES)
Platform(s) C64 (original)
Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, BBC Micro, DOS, NES, Virtual Console, ZX Spectrum
Release28 February 1986 [2]
Genre(s) Scrolling shooter
Mode(s) Single-player

Uridium (released on the NES as The Last Starfighter) [3] is a science fiction side-scrolling shoot 'em up originally designed by Andrew Braybrook for the Commodore 64, and later ported to other 8-bit machines. It consists of fifteen levels, [4] each named after a metal element, with the last level being called Uridium (a fictional metallic element, not to be confused with the real metallic element iridium). The manual quotes Robert Orchard, who invented the name as saying "I really thought it existed". [5]

Contents

Uridium was later released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. Mindscape purchased a license to release a game based on the film The Last Starfighter . [3] Rather than program a new game, however, Mindscape decided to take an easier route by recycling an older, relatively obscure game. The title screen, sprites, and soundtrack were modified, but the levels and gameplay were identical. In 2003, it was re-released on the C64 Direct-to-TV.

In 2008, the C64 version was a title on the Wii Virtual Console, [6] released on 28 March for the Virtual Console in Europe, costing 500 Wii Points. [4]

Plot

The plot of Uridium is described as follows:

The solar system is under attack! Enemy Super-Dreadnoughts have been placed in orbit around each of the fifteen planets in this galactic sector. They are draining mineral resources from the planetary cores for use in their interstellar power units. Each Super-Dreadnought seeks out a different metal for its metal converter.
Your Manta class Space Fighter will be transported to each planet in turn and it is your task to destroy each Dreadnought. First you must attack the defensive screen of enemy fighters, then you must neutralise the majority of surface defences before you land on the Super-Dreadnought's master runway. Once on board you must pull as many fuel rods as possible from the metal converters before you take off for a final strafing run as the Dreadnought vaporises into the ether.

Gameplay

In-game screenshot from the first level of the Amstrad CPC version of Uridium Uridium.png
In-game screenshot from the first level of the Amstrad CPC version of Uridium
In-game screenshot from the first level of the Commodore 64 version Uridium Screenshot.png
In-game screenshot from the first level of the Commodore 64 version

In practice, each level takes place at a fixed altitude just above the surface of the Dreadnoughts. The screen scrolls horizontally in both directions as the Manta flies over the Dreadnoughts. Each Dreadnought has a different configuration of walls and other structures which must be negotiated in order to reach the landing zone. This task is hampered by squadrons of enemy fighters that attack the Manta in waves. Lastly, flashing ports on the Dreadnought's surface release homing mines that cannot be destroyed. It takes a skillful Manta pilot to outfly the mines until they self-detonate.

Only when enough of the Dreadnought's defenses have been destroyed is the "Land Now!" signal activated, allowing the player to slow the Manta's speed to a minimum and land on the sternward landing zone. After this, the pilot presumably enters the interior of the mothership and sets its nuclear reactor to self-destruct. Finally, the Manta takes off again as the Dreadnought below crumbles to atoms. As the Manta flies over the Dreadnought again the player has the opportunity to shoot any remaining defences. [7]

Later Dreadnoughts have tricky wall configurations where the gap between the walls is so narrow that the Manta must turn sideways in order to pass through it. [7] This required skillful use of the joystick. More skill could be exhibited (and more points awarded) by ignoring the "Land Now!" signal and destroying the elite fighters that attacked in waves of one.

The final Dreadnought, Uridium, actually contains only a few screens of gameplay; the bulk of this Dreadnought consists of the "congratulations" message for completing the game (i.e., "GOOD ZAPPING... TURKEY."). This is initially made inaccessible by an impassable wall, but visible in the final overflight when the Dreadnought is destroyed.

Technical details

When Uridium was originally released, reviewers were impressed by the way the Dreadnoughts were presented. In a simulation of parallax scrolling, the surface of the Dreadnoughts scrolls horizontally, whereas the stars in the background stay still.

Since the Commodore 64's graphics do not support parallax scrolling, particular trickery was required to achieve this. The way it was done is that the Dreadnoughts' surface is actually the background, and the black empty space and the stars are character glyphs on the foreground. As the Commodore 64's graphics chip scrolls the screen to the left or right, the character glyphs representing the stars change shape by shifting their single lit pixels to the right or left, countering the scroll of the screen and giving the impression they were stationary. [8]

Sequels

Uridium was followed by Uridium+ (a modified version containing new levels), and Uridium 2 on the Amiga platform.

Reception and legacy

Computer Gaming World praised Uridium for its graphics' ability to display depth, as well as the game's robust controls. [9] Zzap!64 were similarly enthusiastic, describing the game as "visually awesome, sonically sound, technically stunning and a brilliant shoot em up to boot". It was rated 94% overall. [10] Antic also liked the game, citing its "detailed and lifelike graphics". [11]

The game won the award for best shooting game of the year according to the readers of Crash magazine. [12] It was also voted Best Arcade-style Game of the Year at the 1986 Golden Joystick Awards. [13] It received a Your Sinclair Megagame award. [14]

Uridium reached number one in both the Commodore 64 and all-format charts in early 1986. [15] Later in the year, it reached number three in the ZX Spectrum charts. [16]

One of Andrew Braybrook's later releases, Morpheus , contained a homing mine enemy called an "Uridimine", as a tribute to the homing mines of Uridium. Some aficionados refer to the homing mines as "Uridimines" when talking about Uridium or Uridium 2, as well.

Related Research Articles

<i>R-Type</i> 1987 video game

R-Type is a horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and released by Irem in 1987 and the first game in the R-Type series. The player controls a star ship, the R-9 "Arrowhead", in its efforts to destroy the Bydo, a powerful alien race bent on wiping out all of mankind. The R-9 can acquire a glowing orbicular device called a "Force", protecting it from enemy fire and providing additional firepower. The arcade version was distributed by Nintendo in North America; it is the last arcade title Nintendo distributed.

<i>Ghouls n Ghosts</i> 1988 video game

Ghouls 'n Ghosts, known as Dai Makaimura in Japan, is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Capcom, released as an arcade video game in 1988 and ported to home platforms. It is the sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins and the second game in the Ghosts 'n Goblins series.

<i>Bombuzal</i> 1988 video game

Bombuzal is a puzzle video game designed by Antony Crowther and David Bishop for Image Works. The game was released in 1988 for the Amiga, Atari ST and Commodore 64. It was also released in 1989 for MS-DOS and Dec, 21 1990 in Japan for the Super Famicom, with the North American version released on August, 1992 renamed as Ka-Blooey.

<i>Balloon Fight</i> 1984 video game

Balloon Fight is an action video game developed by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. The original arcade version was released for the Nintendo VS. System internationally as Vs. Balloon Fight, while its Nintendo Entertainment System counterpart was released in Japan in 1985 and internationally in 1986.

<i>Paradroid</i> 1985 video game

Paradroid is a Commodore 64 computer game written by Andrew Braybrook and published by Hewson Consultants in 1985. It is a shoot 'em up with puzzle elements and was critically praised at release. The objective is to clear a fleet of spaceships of hostile robots by destroying them or taking them over via a mini-game. It was later remade as Paradroid 90 for the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST home computers and as Paradroid 2000 for the Acorn Archimedes. There exist several fan-made remakes for modern PCs. In 2004 the Commodore 64 version was re-released as a built-in game on the C64 Direct-to-TV, and in 2008 for the Wii Virtual Console in Europe.

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

Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, released as Renegade in the West, is a beat 'em up video game developed by Technōs Japan and distributed by Taito for the arcades in 1986. In the original Japanese version Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, the game revolves around a high-school delinquent named Kunio-kun who must stand up against a series of rival gangs frequently targeting his classmate Hiroshi. In the Western version Renegade, the player controls a street brawler who must face four different gangs in order to rescue his girlfriend being held captive by a mob boss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graftgold</span> Computer game developer

Graftgold was an independent computer game developer that came to prominence in the 1980s, producing numerous computer games on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.

<i>Nebulus</i> (video game) 1987 video game

Nebulus is a platform game created by John M. Phillips and published by Hewson Consultants in the late 1980s for home computer systems. International releases and ports were known by various other names: Castelian, Kyorochan Land, Subline, and Tower Toppler.

<i>Bomb Jack</i> 1984 video game

Bomb Jack is a platform game published by Tehkan for arcades and later ported to home systems. The game was a commercial success for arcades and home computers. It was followed by several sequels: the console and computer game Mighty Bomb Jack, the arcade game Bomb Jack Twin, and Bomb Jack II which was licensed for home computers only.

The Virtual Console is a defunct line of downloadable video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

<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>World Games</i> (video game) 1986 video game

World Games is a sports video game developed by Epyx for the Commodore 64 in 1986. Versions for the Apple IIGS, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Master System and other contemporary systems were also released. The NES version was released by Milton Bradley, and ported by Software Creations on behalf of producer Rare.

<i>Ninja Gaiden</i> (arcade game) 1988 video game

Ninja Gaiden, released in Japan as Ninja Ryūkenden and in Europe as Shadow Warriors, is a 1988 side-scrolling beat-'em-up game, originally released by Tecmo as a coin-operated arcade video game. It was first released in North America and Europe in late 1988, and then in Japan in February 1989. It was the first game released in the Ninja Gaiden franchise. The arcade game was a major commercial success in North America, becoming the highest-grossing arcade conversion kit of 1989 in the United States.

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

Warhawk is a vertically scrolling shooter published in 1986 by Firebird software. It was released for the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit family, Amstrad CPC, and Atari ST.

<i>MUSHA</i> 1990 video game

MUSHA is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Compile and released for the Sega Genesis in 1990. An entry in Compile's shooter series, Aleste, MUSHA places the player in the role of a flying mecha pilot who must destroy a large super intelligent computer threatening planet Earth. The game had a working title of Aleste 2 and originally featured a style similar to the first game, but this was changed to a more original Japanese aesthetic and speed metal soundtrack.

<i>Burai Fighter</i> 1990 video game

Burai Fighter is a shoot 'em up video game developed by KID for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in North America by Taxan in March 1990, Europe by Nintendo and Australia by Mattel in 1990, and Japan by Taito on July 20, 1990. The game was also ported to the Game Boy and retitled as Burai Fighter Deluxe, and was released in Japan on June 27, 1990, in North America in January 1991 and in Europe in 1991; this port eventually wound up on the Game Boy Color as Space Marauder, originally released in Japan as Burai Fighter Color, as the original Game Boy version is not compatible with the later models.

<i>Super Contra</i> 1988 video game

Super Contra, known as Super Contra: The Alien Strikes Back in Japan, is a run and gun video game by Konami, originally released as a coin-operated arcade video game in January 1988. It is the sequel to the original Contra and part of the Contra series. The game stars Bill Rizer and Lance Bean as they are sent to thwart another alien invasion from the vicious Red Falcon.

Uridium 2 is a science fiction themed, horizontally scrolling shooter designed and programmed by Andrew Braybrook for the Amiga. It was published by Renegade Software in 1993. Uridium 2 is the sequel to Braybrook's Commodore 64 game Uridium. Braybrook kept a diary of the game's development in late 1992, which was published in the British computer magazine The One.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Making of Uridium". Retro Gamer. No. 106. Imagine. 16 August 2012. pp. 34–39.
  2. ↑ Hewson, Andrew (2016). Hints and Tips for Videogame Pioneers. Lulu. p. 103. ISBN   9781844991365.
  3. 1 2 "The Making Of Uridium | Retro Gamer". www.retrogamer.net. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  4. 1 2 "Review: Uridium (Virtual Console / Commodore 64)". Nintendo Life. March 29, 2008. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Uridium". TEMPE. Archived from the original on 2001-08-17. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  6. ↑ "Commodore 64 coming to Virtual Console". Nintendo Life. February 21, 2008. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Reed, Kristan (October 26, 2007). "Uridium". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  8. ↑ Hytönen, Pasi: Uridiumin ja Parallaxin grafiikka. C-lehti 1/1987, pp. 50–51. Available online at Archived 2015-06-10 at the Wayback Machine .
  9. ↑ Wilson, David (March 1988). "The Best Starfighter: A Comparison of Space Arcade Games". Computer Gaming World . No. 45. pp. 24–25. Archived from the original on 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
  10. ↑ "Uridium Review", Zzap!64 (11): 100–101, March 1986
  11. ↑ Tevervaugh, Rick (May 1988). "New ST Entertainments / From dungeons to outer space". Antic. Vol. 7, no. 1. Archived from the original on 2016-12-22. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
  12. ↑ "The 1986 CRASH Readers' Awards", CRASH (38), Newsfield Publications: 34–35, March 1987
  13. ↑ "Golden Joystick Awards". Computer and Video Games (66). EMAP: 101. April 1987.
  14. ↑ Your Sinclair magazine, Reviews section, issue 12, page 92
  15. ↑ "Charts". Popular Computing Weekly. Vol. 5, no. 12. Sunshine Publications. 20 March 1986. p. 43. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Hit List". Your Sinclair. No. 14. Sportscene Specialist Press. February 1987. p. 23. Retrieved 26 January 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.