Game Review: Universal Hero (ZX Spectrum, Mastertronic)

If you wait on the menu screen, the game will run through 24 screens for a few seconds each. Before each screen appears, a sequence of red boxes shrinks towards the middle of the screen and reverses showing the next one.

What’s also great about an attract mode of course is that you get to see parts of the game that you may never see (or as an incentive to play it more and find it.)  Some of the screens have animation too, including mine trucks, venus fly-traps in snapping out of their plant pots)  and also a couple of views of a spacecraft too with stars twinkling away.

Calm Down and Control Yourself!

Well, to play Universal Hero, with Interface 2, Kempston and Cursor joysticks.  If you use the keyboard though, you are going to need to 8 different keys.  Anyway, these are:  right, left, cursor right, cursor left, jet pack, pick/drop, use key and describe.  (let’s be honest, 8 keys are a lot to remember!)

In the top-right hand corner there are nice blocks (which are effectively pockets).  As you pick items up (or drop them), they will fill up (or empty) that one.  Using the cursor left and right keys moves the flashing block over to the item that you want to use or drop.

Playability

The controls are extremely responsive and work straight away without any delay.  What is also very impressive here is that the collision detection seems to be spot on.  Even when the screen has a lot happening on it, there is no slowing down or lagging.  One some screens, some aliens’ home in on you.  You do get to know the screens which do that rather quickly and if you find an exit on the screen, you can come back in where it would have returned to where it started from.

The only minor niggle with the controls was when picking up an item.  I found myself picking it up and dropping it a couple of times, as the controls really are too sensitive in that regard!  I’d prefer that though rather than those games where you must be in exactly the right position to pick things up.  No such issue here.

One anomaly that I did find was that on one screen, where there is no platform (see the screenshot with the spaceship), you could drop and pick up items on what must be an invisible platform!  Anyway, you can’t go down the screen, as it’s not an exit.

You have one life but can when you collide with an alien, it depletes fairly (but not uncontrollably) quickly. You have four canisters and when one is empty, you move onto the next one.  Timing is key on some screens and part of the enjoyment.  Mind your head though, as you will bounce of the ceilings quite a lot.

Instant Deaths

Be careful what you collect or it’ll be a message:

Oh dear me, didn’t you pay attention in physics.  Plutonium is highly dangerous.

For some reason, when you collide with the blue tree, you get the message (quite why the tree is so lethal is a mystery to me!):-

Youv’e [sic] ran out of oxygen  Dear me.  You should have filled up somewhere.

What’s The Point(s)

If you’re a player who enjoys getting high scores, then forget about that in Universal Hero.

Even when going through many screens, you don’t score anything.  Solving the puzzles is clearly the objective of the game without having to score points.  One of the early ones is where there is a teleporter and by using (I won’t spoil it!) the teleporter style doorway disappears and allows you to collect a floppy disk (remember those?  Most of you will reading this review!)

Got To Pick a Pocket or… Nine!

As you’ve probably guessed (I wonder how!), you have nine pockets in your spacesuit.  You can pick up, drop or use items which you find along during your mission.  The pockets are shown in the top-right hand corner of the screen as a 3×3 square grid.  The item which flashes is the one which is in your main pocket ready for use and is displayed in another box slightly to the left.

You can change pockets by using what are known as the cursor keys (just left and right).  Getting to the right of the grid moves down a row and left, up a row.

Pressing the description key then shows you three screens of what you are currently carrying (or not!)  The programmer clearly has a sense of humour as you start with no items but the descriptions (rather than just saying empty) though, they are described as Zero, Nuffink, Nuffink, Spare Space, Nuffink, Nuffink, Nothing, Empty and Not a Sausage.

Graphics

Now, the graphics are extremely good, and most screens are detailed and mostly colourful.  There is some very low and acceptable colour-clash (when an enemy moves over you usually is the obvious time it is really noticeable but doesn’t distract from the gameplay).

The animation is highly commendable too and well worth mentioning and all smooth and slickly done.  Examples are when your spaceman walks along, with each frame neatly drawn and seamless on the screen.  As you turn (if you’re quick), you will notice your spaceman  face the screen and then then turn other way.  What also really impressed though was when either flying or just hopping down steps, you see the jet pack just give out some gas partials too.  The screens also have stars that twinkle away too.

The items that you collect are also obvious, so there is little guess work in what you have picked up or dropped but if you aren’t sure, just go through the description screens.

Just to add, the loading screen isn’t bad either (notice Mastertronics) with an extra letter S at the end.

Very Few Sound Effects but An Amusing Apology!

When playing Universal Hero, there are limited sound effects when picking up items (they tend to sound like those in say Finders Keepers).

There is no music, however, I leave you with a screenshot of what the programmer put into the first loading sequence (press Break after the first bit has loaded to view it).  Most people obviously wouldn’t have seen the message, but you know now.

I guess we could all party like it’s 1999 at times, but if you’re anything like me (you’ll usually find me in the kitchen at parties!)

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You know what we think but why not share your thoughts on this game! Let us know what you think of it in the comments below, or add your own score using the slider in the summary box at the top of the review!