1066 All Stars

D/Generation

Developed by: Mindscape

Released: 1993

Format played: CD32

Emulation: Amiga Forever 2011

Ruminations

D/Generation is an isometric view puzzle / adventure game. Originally published on the Amiga in 1991 before being ported to the CD32, you play the rather underwhelming sounding part of a courier, tasked with delivering a package to a research company called Genoq. The rest is a mystery, which will unravel itself across 9 levels of puzzle solving.

I bought this when it came out but playing through again I realised how little progress I actually made first time around. With the benefit of emulation allowing me to save whenever I felt like it, I changed the rules somewhat, the game becoming a series of single screen challenges.

Not in the truest spirit of retro gaming I appreciate but it meant that I could focus on enjoying the mechanics of playing the game, rather than becoming frustrated

Second Impressions

The good thing about revisiting a title like this is that the graphics looked crap in 1993 so there is less expectation.

At first glance, the game appears rather crude. After the initial promise of the intro sequence, albeit presented in stills, the game opens to what on the surface appears to be Head Over Heels from the Spectrum that someone has painted with the colour of the vile purple alien worlds from Cannon Fodder 2.

But on deeper inspection, there is some nice detail. The isometric view works perefectly for the puzzle solving required (more on that below), the enemies are suitably menacing and varied and who can fail to raise a titter when one of the red balloon beasties bounces on one of the imprisoned staff and swallows him up?

Gameplay

Split across 9 levels of the Genoq building, the game is effectively a series of single room challenges. The set up varies but the basic combinations revolve around locked doors, respawning enemies, gun turrets and civilians to rescue.

A typical room plays out like so; after picking up the laser gun in the first couple of screens you enter the room and survey the scene befrore you. An employee sits anxiously in one corner whilst a couple of biogenic beasities bounce around menacingly. A key card lies invitingly on the floor but is sealed behind a locked door, the switch that operates it guarded by a deadly gun turret. Another switch opens the door but closes another. What to do?

The solutions require some forward planning, often involving standing on one door whilst bouncing your laser bolt off a couple of walls. Playing through via emulation, which allowed me the benefit of unlimited retries, I found that every single puzzle can be solved with a combination of brain power and sharp reflexes. The puzzles start off fairly simple but towards the end, as the mystery starts to unravel and you realise that things are not always as they seem, you may come to rely on the brawn of the grenades, bombs and shield that you pick up to get you through.

Playing this through in 'real time' I expect would be a very different experience. You start with 5 lives and lose one everytime you fail a room, however you can gain a life for each employee rescued. Losing a life means starting the room over. Losing all your lives means starting that floor over.

With the benefit of unlimited lives, I successfully released all prisoners and only very rarely had cause the use the extra weapons, all other solutions worked out through trial and error.

Ultimately this approach worked for me and added to my enjoyment but your experience may differ depending on how you approach it.

A couple of niggles. On occasion I would get excited and rashly dive straight in and start blasting enemies, only to find that I had accidentally killed the employee cowering in the corner or destroyed a computer which is required to enter a passcode to unlock a specific door. You can potentially blast your way through with a grenade but if you are out of stock, you have no choice other than to lose a life and restart the room (or reload if emulating).

The isometric view can also lead to the occasional difficulty in lining up a tricky shot or standing in the right place, or indeed to escape a charging enemy. It doesn't happen often but in the heat of the moment, when split second timing is required to successfully execute a solution, it can be frustrating when you find yourself scraping or bumping against a wall with a flaming enemy in hot pursuit or your laser blast bouncing harmlessly into a pot plant rather than the door switch you were aiming for.

Sound

A foreboding thrum plays along in the background as you progress, otherwise sound is limited to spot sound effects when something happens, such as a jaunty jingle when an employee is successfully rescued or a comedy bang when you are wiped out by a turret.

Nothing special but certainly functional.

The Bottom Line

This is the type of game that you are tempted to describe as being 'a great little game,' but that is patronising nonesense. This is an excellent title, treading a fine line between puzzle and action. Get past the ropy visuals and you are rewarded with a satisfying adventure that doesn't overstay its welcome.