Gods (Amiga)

Super Adventures in Bitmap Brothers Games - Game 6

Shiny metal text, blue and orange colour scheme... yep this looks like a Bitmap Brothers game to me.

The title screen music (youtube link!) is 'Into the Wonderful' by Nation 12, converted into mod form, and it ain't bad. Doesn't really fit the image at all, but I couldn't really care less.

Another fine wall of text.

So apparently I need to make a copy of disk two, and leave the write protection off so it can save my password to it. Wouldn't it'd be nice if we could skip the passwords and just SAVE THE GAME to the disk?

To be fair I'm guessing this is an anti-cheat feature designed to stop me getting passwords off the internet a magazine. Plus you know, disk two's probably full of levels and graphics and all those other things, and wouldn't have enough space for save games anyway. Probably.

Anyway, the prologue explains that the gods are asking for volunteers to sort out an ancient city that appears to have stolen by four video game bosses. In return, the successful hero will get a single favour granted.

Our hero may not look so bright, going into battle wearing only a helmet, armed with an axe that looks it'd shatter if you were ever stupid enough to try to hit something with it. But he's smart enough to choose that his reward for success shall be to become a god himself. The gods didn't really see this coming, and are kinda hoping he'll fail. Fortunately for them I'm the one controlling him, so he will.

That has got to be the fizziest health meter in video game history. Actually I love the art style in general, the game looks fantastic for the time. Shame it's not very slick in motion. Also I miss having music.

Okay, this seems to be a platformer, and apparently our hero's axe shattered at some point before the game started, as I'm completely unarmed. But that looks like a conveniently placed weapon pick up over there on the right for me to grab.

Well that's great. I haven't even got a weapon yet and already enemies are teleporting in all around me. Fortunately these guys stick to their ledges and don't jump down at me, so the two on the left are the only immediate threat.

I grab the infinite knives pick up, spin around, and throw blades their way until they explode into little mushroom clouds. Nuclear daggers!

The green bar at the bottom of the screen tells me to find a gold key, so I suppose I'll go do that.

Okay this is getting a bit annoying now. I can't go anywhere or do anything without enemies spawning in from all directions to murder me. It wouldn't be quite so bad if my dude didn't have a slight delay on his attacks, meaning I have very little time to react.

Fortunately one of my fallen foes dropped another knife power up, so now I can throw two blades at once. It doesn't make the enemies any less frustrating, but throwing knives just cheers me up.

Well I've picked up a key, though it doesn't seem to be the gold one mentioned in the scrolling text. And now the key's fallen back out again.

Picked it up, dropped it, picked it up, dropped it. I feel like I'm going to see "HINT - YOU'RE AN IDIOT" scrolling across on that green bar any second now.

Right, okay. I have to duck, then press fire to pick up an item. Then I have to press fire a second time to move the cursor to a blank space so that he doesn't immediately drop it again. Apparently.

Dammit! I can't even flick a bloody switch without enemies spawning in to attack me.

I'm trying to concentrate on finding the correct switch combination to blow up these spiky sticks here, and you things aren't helping. Though I've just noticed my gold key, hiding in the room above.

World one completed? I've barely even gone anywhere! I've climbed like four ladders and jumped onto a few ledges.


BUT THEN, A FEW SECONDS INTO WORLD 2...

Well there goes my first life. I just didn't have the reflexes to kill all the enemies spawning in after they had me surrounded.

There's just no way to plan out a strategy to take out the next group of enemies, because half the time the bastards only appear after you've put yourself in the middle of their ambush. This place was empty before I jumped down to get the key.


LATER.

And then my wounded warrior accidentally falls down a ladder onto an enemy, exploding into seven screaming skulls (which then themselves explode), and losing his second life. Nice work hero.

Fortunately I respawned back at the top of the ladder, so I didn't lose any progress. Plus I apparently kept all my weapon upgrades, which is always nice.

I've found a gem that teleported me to a secret room where I was able to collect a ceramic pot that I apparently need for something or other.

I'm hoping it's just going to lead to a bonus room or something, because I'd hate to have to do something obscure like this to complete every level world.

I have no idea what that switch just did, but I get the feeling I've got to jump down this hole to find out. No matter how long I duck, the screen doesn't want to scroll down to show where I'd be landing, but I'm pretty sure the designers wouldn't be cruel enough to make it lead anywhere immediately dangerous.

And then the warrior jumped down the hole to his death. GAME OVER.

THERE WERE NO CONTINUES.

At least they've allowed me enough space on the high score table to put in any dumb name I feel like for once, no matter how long or dumb. Well almost, as it appears that Sven Svardensvart, hero of Banshee, has a name one letter too mighty for Gods' humble name entry screen.

Right, now I know what to expect (and where the enemies spawn from) I'm going to play it again and see if I do any better this time. At least I know now not to jump down any suspicious holes.


LATER, AFTER I FOUGHT MY WAY BACK TO WORLD TWO.

Son of a bitch! I fell down the same ladder again.

Falling onto an enemy isn't actually a guaranteed instant death, well not for me anyway. It's fairly certain to kill the unlucky creature I land on. But I never have much health left by this point due to the game being hard as fuck/my lack of skill.

You know, the way the enemies spawn in whenever I go anywhere or do anything (including killing the enemies that just spawned in) is kind of annoying, but it gets worse when the fuckers start shooting at me too.

I'm in a safe place at the moment so hopefully I can just wait these guys out, but if I was on the same ledge as them I don't know how I'd be able to kill them without getting hit myself. Pressing fire when I'm ducked just shuffles through my inventory so I'm helpless right now.


EVENTUALLY.

I finally delivered two ceramic pots to the designated room and got a key! Or maybe I just got bonus points and the key was here already, I can't tell. All I know is, I've got a shiny key and I'm not dragging pots around with me anymore.

Damn, this shopkeeper's got bigger muscles than my guy has. Though I suppose he'd have to. I'm just passing through the Fortress of a Million Spawning Enemies, but this poor guy works here.

This shop screen's giving me Xenon 2 flashbacks. No Super Nashwan Power here though I'm afraid. At least I don't think there is, some of the icons are kind of vague. Like for some reason this jar of fizzy orange liquid that looks exactly like my health bar, is actually a weapon power potion.

Well there's lots of things I'd want to buy, but sadly I've got to spend all my hard found cash on health.


LATER, ON WORLD THREE.

Uh, I pressed the switch to turn these platforms on, but I can't jump high enough to reach the next one. Unless I actually can, and I just don't know how.

Just making a regular jump is a little awkward, as I have to pull the joystick diagonally in the direction I want to go. Pressing up just makes him face the wall. The console ports handle this better though, as they've got a separate jump button.

Eventually the game takes pity on me and spawns a teleport gem to take me to the top of the platforms.

And then my dude gets killed while hiding under bullets, because I can't fight back when I'm ducked. Pressing fire just uselessly cycles through my stuff. Though you can tell by the inventory boxes on screen that I died trying.


Gods was a big critical success and was showered with glowing reviews and 90% scores, but whatever those guys saw in it I'm just not seeing. Well except for the great artwork, and even that doesn't look as good in motion. The game is just a pain in the ass.

Bitmap Brothers games:
Part 1: Xenon (Atari ST)
Part 2: Speedball (Atari ST)
Part 3: Xenon 2 - Megablast (Amiga)
Part 4: Cadaver (Amiga)
Part 5: Speedball 2 - Brutal Deluxe (Amiga)

Part 6: Gods (Amiga)

Part 7: Magic Pockets (Amiga)
Part 8: The Chaos Engine (Amiga)
Part 9: The Chaos Engine 2 (Amiga)
Part 10: Z (MS-DOS)