Game Review: Molecule Man (ZX Spectrum, Mastertronic)

The Aim of The Game

Molecule Man needs to find 16 circuits that are scattered around the maze.  To use the teleporter, he needs to insert each circuit into the teleporter, to fix it before it before he can make his escape.

Graphics

The graphics in Molecule Man are 3D isometric.  Each screen has its own colour on a black background so there isn’t any colour clash.  Although the screens are rather well drawn, as with any isometric game, they do come at the cost of slow gameplay.

The screens do feel very repetitive even if they do have different graphics on them.  They can vary from gravestones, blocks, pointed diamond walls and toadstools to name just a few.

Animation is noticeable when you walk around as your eyes bounce around and feet shuffle along.  Elsewhere, the teleporter is also animated.

Nice Loading Screen

I have to say that the loading screen for Molecule Man is very good indeed.  It is a very accurate drawing of the cassette inlay cover and has have a fun feeling about it, so full marks here.

Playability

Controlling Molecule Man is a rather dull and unresponsive experience.  Depending on what is on some of the screens, you can see a noticeable change in the pace and these in my opinion are either slow (at best) or indeed very slow indeed!

Should you go to re-define the keys, you’ll notice that there are quite a select for different things.  These include buying bombs/pills, picking up coins/circuits and throwing a bomb.  In addition to these, there are also keys to pause/unpause the game and abort.  Phew!

I’m not a huge fan of any games where you must remember so many keys to press (making them far more complicated than perhaps, they need to be).  Molecule Man falls into that category, I’m afraid to say.

The way you buy and collect objects is extremely awkward to do.  By walking into the boxes or coins isn’t good enough and this is where too many keys to presses costs you precious time and over complicates the game.  Each pill gives you an extra 20 points of health against the radiation counter.

A Tough Game

This is an awkward game to play.  This game only gives you one life, so if you make a mistake, you’ve basically had it.  Along the way, coins can be collected, and these can either be spent on extending your life or be used to buy bombs,

There is a radiation level than counts down from 20.  In reality, I timed this as 36 seconds in real time so it can be game over as quickly as that!

Knowing which places to throw the bombs (to clear where there are blocked off areas you can’t otherwise access) needs a bit of practice.  You need to get to know the maze and this will become easier, the more you play it, as you’ll recall where to go.

Finally, there is an overall timer counting down from 3300 as well to complete the game in.

What, No Score?!

Oddly, you don’t score any points as it purely comes down to survival and escaping.

Sound Effects Only

An opportunity has been missed to add a tune to the opening menu screen which is a pity.

There is tapping noises as you walk around the maze and louder pitched beeping sounds if you walk into objects.

Throwing a bomb results in a repeated explosion noise (and the maze through some colours before returning to its original colour.)

Game Designer

Molecule Man also comes with a separate game design editor programme too.  After the main game has loaded, the designer follows on the same side of the tape.  As you’d expect, this enables you to create your own mazes and add in your objects and save them to cassette tape.

This is a nice bonus and is rather easy to use.  Unlike the game, designing the levels is in 2D, to give you an oversight of what you are doing to make it easier.  Obviously, when you do play it, these will be displayed as 3D.  There are 42 objects to choose from on the left-hand side of the screen.

Designing the game layout can be trial and error as if you place something in the wrong place or too far away, you won’t know until you’ve saved and loaded it back in and re-edit. You could even send a copy of the maze to the ZX Printer (not sure how many of those may still be working nowadays!)

One Additional Note

Molecule Man was also released on the B:Side of another game called Energy Warrior.  The catalogue number for this is IS 0236.

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