| Forbidden Forest | |
|---|---|
 C64 disk release | |
| Developer(s) | Cosmi |
| Publisher(s) | Cosmi |
| Designer(s) | Paul Norman [1] |
| Programmer(s) | Paul Norman (C64) Vance Kozik (Atari) [2] |
| Platform(s) | Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit |
| Release | 1983 |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Forbidden Forest is a game designed by Paul Norman, published by Cosmi Corporation in 1983 for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers.
In this game the player controls an archer, armed with a bow and a limit of four quivers of arrows per level. The aim is to move through a forest setting while eliminating various monsters, including giant spiders, bees, mutated frogs, dragons, [3] wizards and snakes, with the final enemy being the Demogorgon. [4] The monsters were inspired by the films Night of the Demon , Jason and the Argonauts , and Mysterious Island . [1] The game has four levels of difficulty [3] (Innocent, Trooper, Daredevil and Crazy) which determine the number and speed of the monsters.
This is one of the earliest video games to use animated blood.[ citation needed ] It also features parallax scrolling and a day/night cycle. [5]
Paul Norman began working for a small company named Synchro. It was a small software store creating Apple II, VIC-20 and Commodore 64 software. Paul rented a vehicle and drove the 30 miles to apply for an advertised position with a game he had created for the VIC-20. Paul landed the position and began working on Forbidden Forest as a way of learning 6502 programming. The company that he was working for was going out of business and representatives from the software company Cosmi arrived to purchase office furniture. They saw Paul working on Forbidden Forest and hired him on the spot. [6]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer and Video Games | 31/40 [7] |
The game was positively received by the reviewer of Your Commodore who gave it a score of 4/5, saying that it was "among my top five favourites". Although the graphics were not "totally first class" the game was said to be "amazing." [8]
In the first issue of Zzap!64 the game was placed 21st in a list of the top 64 games list. [1] Zzap!64 also favourably reviewed a budget re-release of Forbidden Forest. Although noting that the graphics were blocky they praised the game's atmosphere, soundtrack and gameplay. It was given an overall score of 82%. [9]
A sequel, Beyond the Forbidden Forest, was released in 1985. This was billed as "OmniDimension 4D", as the game is a third-person shooter [10] that allows the archer to move (and shoot) in and out of the foreground, with scenery changing from day to night in order to represent time passing. [11] Again, the object is to eliminate monsters (giant scorpions, worms and mosquitos etc.) while wandering the forest, earning a golden arrow for each kill; after earning four arrows, the archer may enter the underworld to face bats, a Hydra and finally the Demogorgon itself. [12]
A further sequel, Forbidden Forest (informally, Forbidden Forest 3), was released for Microsoft Windows in 2003, co-developed with Webfoot Technologies. [13] This is a 3D adventure in which the aim is to explore an environment while searching for coins, collecting power-ups and facing recreations of villains from the first game. The release included the original Commodore 64 games. [14]
In 1985 New Generation Software released the Commodore 64 game Amazon Warrior. Written by Geoff Sumner, the game is a Forbidden Forest clone set in the jungle. Instead of a bow, the main character - the titular amazon warrior - is armed with a blowgun. Gameplay and controls are almost identical to Forbidden Forest, even though the game quality is lower and the game did not achieve a similar level of praise from gaming magazines. [15]
Mail Order Monsters is an action-strategy computer game created by Paul Reiche III, Evan Robinson, and Nicky Robinson. It was published by Electronic Arts for the Commodore 64 in 1985, then released for Atari 8-bit computers in 1986. Players create monsters which they can use to battle multiplayer or against computer-controlled opponents.
Road Runner is a racing video game based on the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner shorts. It was released in arcades by Atari Games in 1985.
Badlands is a 1989 arcade video game published by Atari Games. It was ported by Domark under the Tengen label to the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. The game is a re-themed version of Atari's previous racing games Super Sprint and Championship Sprint with the addition of vehicular combat. Badlands is set in the aftermath of a nuclear war and races around abandoned wastelands with many hazards. Three gun-equipped cars race around a track to win prizes.
Aztec Challenge refers to either of two early action video games published by Cosmi, as well as two subsequent remakes. In all game versions the player takes control of a running Aztec warrior. The first was a side-scrolling platform-jumping game created by Robert Tegel Bonifacio and released in 1982 for Atari 8-bit computers. Subsequently, a different game with the same title and overall theme was created by Paul Norman and released for the Commodore 64. It includes a level in a modified-first-person 3D-style.
Dandy is a dungeon crawl maze video game for Atari 8-bit computers published by the Atari Program Exchange in 1983. It is one of the first video games with four-player, simultaneous cooperative play. Players equipped with bows and unlimited arrows fight through a maze containing monsters, monster spawners, keys, locked doors, food, and bombs in search of the exit leading to the next level. If a player dies, they can be revived by finding and shooting a heart. The game includes an editor for making new dungeons.
Black Lamp is a platform game, originally published by Firebird Software for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum computers in 1988, and later published by Atari Corporation for the Atari 8-bit computers in 1989.
Paul Norman is an American game designer, musician, composer, and computer programmer. He has been active in the music scene since 1970 and has been involved with the development of computer entertainment and information since 1982, including the production of Forbidden Forest in 1983.
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.
Richard Petty's Talladega is a racing game featuring Richard Petty and Talladega Superspeedway. It was published by Cosmi in 1984 for Atari 8-bit computers. A Commodore 64 port followed in 1985. It is the first home video game to feature NASCAR racers.
Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax is a video game first published in 1988 for various home computers. It was released as Axe of Rage in North America. The game is the sequel to Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior, which was published in 1987. In Barbarian II, the player controls a princess or barbarian character, exploring the game world to locate and defeat an evil wizard. The game's plot is an extension of its predecessor, although the gameplay is different. While the first game offers two players the opportunity for virtual head-to-head combat, the second is a single-player beat 'em up with fewer fighting moves. It uses a flip-screen style instead of scrolling.
Cops 'n' Robbers is a video game published by Atlantis Software in 1985 for the VIC-20 and in virtually identical form on the Commodore 64. It was ported to the Commodore 16 and Commodore Plus/4 (1986), Acorn Electron and BBC Micro (1987), and Atari 8-bit computers (1988). The game was controversial when released as the player takes the role of a robber and must shoot the police.
Warrior of Ras: Volume I - Dunzhin is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by Med Systems Software. It was released on the TRS-80 in 1982, then ported to the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, and Commodore 64. A self-booting IBM PC port added digitized speech.
Leader Board is a series of golf simulation video games that was developed by Bruce Carver and Roger Carver, and published by Access Software.
Cosmi Corporation (COSMI) is an American computer software company based in Carson, California.
Zorro is a puzzle-platform game written by James Garon and published by Datasoft in 1985. Versions were released for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC. A ZX Spectrum port was published in 1986 by U.S. Gold.
Ninja is a beat 'em up game developed by Sculptured Software and released by Mastertronic in 1986 for the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum, then in 1987 for the Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS. An arcade version of the game was released in 1987 for Mastertronic's Arcadia Systems which is based on Amiga hardware. The Amiga, Atari ST, and Arcade versions were released as Ninja Mission. As a Ninja, the player attacks a fortress made of individual fixed screens which can be explored non-linearly.
Who Dares Wins II is a run and gun video game developed and published by Alligata Software and released in late 1985 for the Commodore 64, as well as the Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit computers, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Plus/4, MSX, and ZX Spectrum.
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