Game Review: Spore (Commodore 16 and Plus/4, Bulldog)

After the original Commodore 64 release of Spore, there was a conversion for the Commodore 16 and Plus/4 machines.  It made sense as the screen dimensions are the same, so the level layouts could be the same on-screen, and the systems use user-defined graphics too, there were no sprites as such to convert either.  The premise is just the same as before, in that there is a biohazard warning, with the experiment that failed, and you need to contain the spores and hunt down the pesticide which will ultimately kill them.   These are stored in barrels throughout the building, and so this would help contain any localised outbreaks.  The barrels must all be collected in each of the sectors before you can progress to the next one, and avoiding the spores as you go.

Spores of Information

The instructions do lets you know what you will encounter on each of the sectors.  The spores themselves are glowing spheres and will target you at every opportunity, unless you can destroy them first.  These multiply via the generators, in dark red squares, and destroying these will help prevent the spores coming back.  There are walls you cannot move around, earth (light blue) which dissolves when you shoot at it or the spores touch it, the pale blue barrels which contain the pesticide, and all this needs to be collected for each sector.  The two most useful items are next – the flasks, which contain hyper gas and give you 100 extra energy units – but be warned, you can shoot them, so make sure you collect them.  The white rotating pills are also useful to repel the spores.

In addition, you also must shoot your way to open the barriers, which are opened by shooting a square at either end of the barrier – which opens it up.  The mirrors can also reflect the barriers and can be shot to redirect that barrier and hopefully to your advantage – and you can trap the spores in these with some careful play.  If you run out of energy, then the spores have absorbed you and that is game over.   When the main game loads, you also do get the same screen as the Commodore 64 with the information about the above too, which really does add well to the overall presentation, so credit where it is due to keeping it all in and making the game easy to understand from the outset.

Two For the Price of One

As excellently researched over at Plus/4 World, there are in fact two versions for the price of one here.  If you have a stock Commodore 16, you will get ten levels to play and the screen designer can allow you to create another two levels yourself.  If you have memory expanded the Commodore 16, or have a Plus/4, then all fifty levels from the Commodore 64 original are there, and you can create eighteen levels in the screen designer.   The game loads part way and then you choose the option to play the standard levels, use the level editor, or load your edited screens.  This does mean an initial multi load but was sort of to be expected, and at least means if you choose to play the levels, once they are loaded, you just can play them without any reloading, which is a sensible move.

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The game behaves the same as the Commodore 64 version so that once you start a level, your little character, indicated by a cross, flashes briefly to show you where you are, then the level starts.  You can move in eight directions, which is handy when some of the openings are reached by using the diagonals, and to shoot, you need to stop and then hold down fire, and press the direction you wish to shoot.  It takes a little getting used to, but once you do, it works very well and means you can rotate your shots easily if you are surrounded by spores.  Notably, if you are above a wall and the spore is below, they cannot see you and charge towards you.  It is worth noting that the spores spawn a little quicker from the red generators in this version, so be aware of that.

Repelling Rejections

Although needing to be used carefully, once you have collected a pill, this shows at the bottom middle of the status display, in between your energy and score.  Pressing the space bar utilises that pill, and this makes the spores stay as far away as they can from you for a limited period. It is wise to use this to shoot as many of the red square generators as you can, and potentially head to a safer spot to shoot any spores that you need to.  Of course, you do not get so many of these, so it is sensible to use them wisely, and indeed, do not go out all guns blazing when near a flask either, as you will want to ensure your energy gets topped up as much as you can – this is not topped up between sectors either, and reduces by one every second or so too, so speed as well as accuracy is of the essence here.

Control Cure

What is interesting here is that the controls seem to be a little bit smoother on this version.  The responsiveness is still very good, but it seems to move slightly slower, but that does mean that you are not having to tap the joystick as much to get used to the movement.  This is counteracted by the spores coming at you quicker too, so you still need to have your wits about you so that you can avoid those spores at all costs.  The other worthy note is that you would not be able to tell any difference in how the game plays – it looks and feels the same, which is no mean feat.  Mastertronic’s previous support of these machines was first rate and they knew getting a good version out really would make a difference.

Experimental and Frenetic

The frenetic pace has been retained well in this version too, and the very small graphics do mean that you can fit really good level layouts on to one level without having to scroll the screen, so again, masses of spores coming at you but never feels too crammed as you progress through the game either.  The layouts of each sector mean you can find out the path of least damage and ensuring you do not make a mistake when collecting the all-important black flasks to top up your energy, whilst keeping as many spores enclosed as you can.  The tactical side works wonders here and is just as good here in this version once you get into it. Remember, the pesticide when collected completes that sector, so do concentrate on that.

Level Designer

Albeit in a separate load on this version, if you wish to generate your own levels, a level designer is included in the game, with a help screen system detailing all the options available plus a handy guide as to which key does what.  Keys A to X for example will lay down the relevant block, whether this be a spore, generator and so on, at the square you are at, and you can also amend the starting position, clear the screen to start from blank, move around the existing screens and use one as a template, and plenty more besides.  It seemed just as straightforward to use as the Commodore 64 version, albeit still needing some level of joystick control in part.  However, having such a designer is a rarity on this system (Bongo from Anco is one of a few others that spring to mind) so this was a real treat to have for users of this system and an appreciated effort all round.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Spore are very small and all user defined, although animated reasonably well within that constraint.  The layouts also use some extra colours present in this system’s palette, and the fact that some of the collectables are colour coded does make them easier to spot, so you can see the flasks before collecting them and hopefully not shooting them in error.  There are some nice sound effects too and an excellent warbling sound when you are being hit by the spores and losing energy, and a nice zapping noise.  As expected, and to fit the game into memory, there is no music, but what is present at least helps you play the game.

Final Thoughts

Spore takes that basic theme of Gauntlet and makes it all miniature sized, fitting well on to a single screen and thus meaning that although small, it is well defined, easy to work out what you need to do backed up by some excellent instructions to help you. For this version, the conversion is excellent – giving you the level designer, and on expanded Commodore 16s or a Plus/4, the full fifty levels that are in the original.  Even the cut down size of ten levels on a stock Commodore 16 feels like you get a fair amount of gameplay for the money, and the fact that you have the same frenetic gameplay, controls that are well tweaked, and great playability and replay value, and it certainly stands out as one of the best Mastertronic releases for this system – perhaps slightly under-rated due to its later release date.  Well worth a play and shows what the machine can do with careful programming.

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