Game Review: Rescue (ZX Spectrum, Mastertronic)

Opening Presentation

Once Rescue has loaded, the opening screen quickly moves the text showing the keyboard and joystick control options quickly shifting across to the middle screen with some sound and colour.

There is then an opening tune by Tiny Williams (in the style of Tim Follin’s music) so it’s pretty good. Once that has played through, there is a brief scrolling message about the author, graphics designer, music and Icon Design Limited.

Navigation

In the top-right corner of the screen is a nicely animated square with cyan crosses with a scanning line moving from top-to bottom.  This displays whereabouts you are and need to reach the next scientist that you need to rescue.  You can tell also, as all the others are standing still but these ones are running around.

There are quite a few teleporters scattered around which and these are red squares with a cyan coloured monitor.  From time to time, you will also see aliens appearing though what looks like a yellow padded square area.

You will come across medi-kits (they act like an extra life), needles (to boost your energy), ammo boxes (which have the letter “A) on them, scientific experimental test-tubes as well as fuel.  Some of these are hidden in yellow crates too, so they’ll need a few shots to break them down and reveal the contents inside.

Playability

Well, Rescue certainly doesn’t hang around!  The is very fast paced and the controls are very responsive.  You can move horizontally across a whole screen in just under 4 seconds or vertically in around 3.  Your character can run and fire horizontally and vertically only so no diagonal movements by either yourself or the aliens.

Impressively, bullets can bounce of the walls too and blue triangles too.  If they bounce back at you, they don’t kill you.  Another thing is when you fire, the bullets also move in the direction you are moving so you can shoot at 90-degree angles too!  In additional to this, you’ll also see on some screens, cyan triangles where bullets can ricochet around too if you shoot them.  Nice.

You will encounter areas (from the first screen) when you will see the words “Open” and “Shut”.  By walking into those, it does exactly what you’d expect and open or shut of an area.  Aliens do wonder around from screen to screen so shutting them can also come in useful, especially if you are low on energy or ammo to protect yourself.

Once I teleported and ended up being trapped as I shot the teleporter.  Silly, I know but there you go, you must try these things so there is use for the Abort button. Shooting a non-moving scientist results in them disappearing into smoke and leaving a pair of boots where they had stood.  Once again, fun, but not a good idea if you are going to complete your mission and beat the space pirates.

Any white baddies are fast and invincible, so you’ll need your wits about you here.  Usually, you’ll need to leg it to safety or either run around them in wider open screens or take a risk in smaller enclosed areas to get past them.

You carry up to four items and using the “Pick” key, either rotates them, places items in certain areas as and when you may need them.

Lots of Guidance Please

When you begin to rescue a panicking scientist, they run in a set pathway.  The only way that you can change their direction is right by walking into them at the right time.  If you’ve ever played One Man and His Droid, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

The scientists run as quickly as you can so if you misguide them in the wrong direction, you’ll either need to chase after them and re-steer them in the right direction or wait as they may possibly run back towards you.

Placing held objects can also help scientists run in the right direction, as they can block their path if they turnaround.

Music and Sound Effects

The opening soundtrack is pretty good and throughout the game, there are reasonable sound effects too.  These can range from buzzing, short blips, screeches and teleport sounding noises. You do get short beeping noises when you shoot and blow-up aliens and collecting items too.

From time to time, you will also hear a few sounds effects which seems just right.  You don’t hear them constantly, so they won’t get on your nerves.  It would have been very easy to have put in tapping noises when running around but fortunately, Rescue doesn’t have that.

So, in summary, the sound effects do complement the game and are well integrated.

Graphics and Screens

It must be said that the screens make good use of colour and the brightness levels.  Simple things like green edged walls (in two brightness are effective).

Most of the screens have some level of detail to them.  You won’t find amazingly drawn backgrounds but still looks pleasant.  As you’d no doubt expect, other screens are emptier and really to run through and test your memory.

The aliens and tanks are averagely drawn for what they are but don’t seem to have too much intelligence, sometimes staying still.

Some Nice Touches

The programmer certainly has a sense of humour, and this is evident throughout the game over sequence.  For example, game over appears all over different parts of the screen for a few seconds and then the words (believe it or not!) appear.  If you exit the ship without completing your mission, you’ll also get some witty message about your failure!

It is worth mentioning that when you pause the game, there is a nifty border colour cycling effect which bounces up and down.  It’s worth pausing just to take a look!  Yes, I do honestly mean that (so give it a go).

With the abort key, the good thing is if you were to accidently press that key, it does ask if you are sure.  So, avoids those annoying moments when you didn’t mean to press the abort key and just go so straight back to the main menu.

There is also a built-in bonus Easter Egg too.  On the main menu screen, pressing break when the scrolling message begins, does a false reset (like the New command in BASIC) followed by a Tatung Einstein startup screen! All these small extras in Rescue, really make a difference in my opinion.

Minor Frustration!

From the very first screen, it is possible to end Rescue within a second.  Yes, no typo here, I really do mean less than a second (beating even Cage Match for the swiftest exit!).  You first appear facing right and going that way enters the ship ready for take-off.  Entering then tells you, that you didn’t have enough fuel just after take-off!  That’s a bit annoying but at least you know not to do it next time around.

Even the timer which runs throughout the game play doesn’t even get a chance to even appear on the screen if you do that straight away.  Hmm, not fantastic.  Anyway, on the plus side, at least it’s at the start of the game and not an instant death screen, when you’ve got well into the game itself.  Games that do that, really bug me but I suppose this one in Rescue is forgivable for that reason.

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