Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony

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Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony
JamestownBoxArt.png
Developer(s) Final Form Games
Publisher(s) Final Form Games
Composer(s) Francisco Cerda
Platform(s) Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
ReleaseWindows
June 8, 2011 [1]
Mac
December 13, 2011
Linux
December 22, 2011
Gunpowder, Treason, & Plot
November 10, 2011
PS4 (as Jamestown+)
  • NA: March 17, 2015 [2]
  • PAL: March 18, 2015
Switch
  • WW: December 12, 2019
Genre(s) Scrolling shooter, bullet hell
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony, also known as simply Jamestown, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed and released by Final Form Games in 2011. The game takes place on Mars in an alternate history steampunk 17th century, where the planet is a British colony contested by the Spanish and the indigenous Martians.

Contents

Plot

Gameplay

Jamestown features mechanics similar to many other shooters. There are 4 types of ships available, each with a primary and secondary attack, and a "Vaunt Mode" which the player can trigger when enough gold from destroyed enemies has been collected. When this mode is engaged the ship gains a temporary shield, increased firepower and a score multiplier for a limited time, which can be prolonged and increased by collecting more gold.

The game is playable in both regular singleplayer mode and in a local multiplayer mode supporting up to 4 players.

Development

The game was developed in two years by the small indie developer Final Form Games, and financed by the three founders' own personal savings. [3] The developers present the Cave shooter Progear as being the closest thing to a direct influence, and say that the animated films of Hayao Miyazaki, in particular Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Castle in the Sky influenced the artstyle. [3] The story's alternate history references Roanoke Colony, and includes associated figures like Walter Raleigh, Virginia Dare, John Smith, and Joachim Gans as characters.

Reception

Jamestown and Jamestown+ received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [4] [5] IGN called the PC version "an accessible, punchy shooter with some clever mechanics at play and a surprising level of depth hiding beneath the 16-bit surface". [12] 1UP.com praised its approachable, escalating difficulty, the 16-bit style graphics and its soundtrack. [6]

Jamestown was selected as one of the "PAX 10" (a selection of the years best indie games) for the PAX Prime 2011 convention. [17] The game was added to the Humble Indie Bundle 4 on December 13, 2011.

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References

  1. ↑ "Jamestown". Steam Store . Valve . Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  2. ↑ Chen, Chieh (February 26, 2015). "Spring Fever 2015: 8 Weeks, 8 New PS4 Games, PS Plus Discounts". PlayStation Blog . Sony Interactive Entertainment . Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Mann, Kyle (June 30, 2011). "Interview: Final Form Games Talks Jamestown, Hoagies". Press X or Die. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Jamestown+ for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Mackey, Bob (June 20, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". 1UP.com . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  7. ↑ Pinsof, Allistair (July 6, 2011). "Review: Jamestown". Destructoid . Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  8. ↑ Reed, Kristan (July 15, 2011). "Download Games Roundup (Page 2)". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  9. ↑ Vazquez, Suriel (June 23, 2011). "Review: Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony". GamePro . GamePro Media. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  10. ↑ McGee, Maxwell (June 28, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  11. ↑ Navarro, Alex (July 1, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". Giant Bomb . CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  12. 1 2 Meunier, Nathan (June 29, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  13. ↑ Edwards, Tim (August 2, 2011). "Jamestown review". PC Gamer UK . Future plc . Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony". PC Gamer . Vol. 18, no. 10. Future US. October 2011. p. 77.
  15. ↑ "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony". PC PowerPlay . No. 193. Next Media Pty Ltd. September 2011. p. 63.
  16. ↑ Heisler, Steve; Agnello, Anthony John; Nelson, Samantha; Kaiser, Rowan; VanDerWerff, Todd; Teti, John (July 18, 2011). "July 18, 2011 ("Jamestown")". The A.V. Club . The Onion . Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  17. ↑ Conditt, Jessica (July 9, 2011). "PAX 10 says these are the best indie games". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
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