Paradroid

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Paradroid
Publisher(s) Hewson
Designer(s) Andrew Braybrook
Platform(s) Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, Acorn Archimedes, C64 Direct-to-TV, Virtual Console
Release date 1985
Genre(s) Shoot 'em up/puzzle game
Mode(s) Single player

Paradroid is the name of a Commodore 64 computer game written by Andrew Braybrook and published by Hewson in 1985. It was also released, as Paradroid 90, for the Amiga and Atari ST home computers and as Paradroid 2000 for the Acorn Archimedes. There exist several fan-made remakes for modern PCs. In 2004 the Commodore 64 version was re-released as a built-in game on the C64 Direct-to-TV, and in 2008 for the Wii Virtual Console in Europe.

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[edit] Description

Paradroid on the C64
Paradroid on the C64

The game is set on a spaceship viewed from a top-down perspective. The ship consists of numerous rooms and levels, each one populated by hostile robots or "droids". The player, in control of a special droid called the "Influence Device", must destroy all the other droids on the ship. Each droid (including the player) is represented as a circle around a three-digit number. The numbers roughly correspond to the droid's "power" or "level", in that higher-numbered droids are tougher to destroy.

The Influence Device is numbered "001". The primary way in which the Influence Device destroys other droids is by "linking" with them, effectively taking them over. When the player takes over another droid, the previously-controlled droid is destroyed.

Taking over a droid is done via a mini-game involving basic circuit diagrams and logic gates. Each droid has one side of the screen, with a series of logic gates and circuits connected together. The droids have a number of "power supplies" that can apply power to one circuit. Higher-numbered droids have more power supplies. At the end of a short time period, the droid supplying the most power to the circuit "wins". The logic gates are the key to allowing lower-numbered droids to beat higher-numbered droids. There is also a strategy in timing when power is applied to a circuit (as two supplies of power to the same circuit result in the later supplier of power gaining control of the circuit).

In either case, the droid being controlled by the player is destroyed. If the player beats the droid in this mini-game, he takes control of that droid. If not, either the droid is destroyed and the player returned to the game as just the Influence Device (if he was previously controlling a different droid), or the player is killed, ending the game, if he was not already controlling another droid before the takeover attempt.

While in control of another droid, the player effectively acts as that droid, meaning the player has access to that droid's maneuverability, armor, weapons and "power supplies" (used during the droid-control mini-game). If the droid has weapons, the player can destroy other droids simply by shooting them, instead of taking them over (though higher-numbered droids can require several shots to destroy, and might actually fire back). The player only has control of a droid for a limited amount of time (which is inversely proportional to the droid's number). If that time elapses, the controlled droid is destroyed and the player reverts back to the Influence Device (001).

The spaceship has several decks, and each deck can have several rooms. Doors and elevators connect the rooms and the decks. Many rooms have computer terminals that provide access to maps of the current deck and the entire ship as well as droid information. Each droid can access information about itself and all lower-numbered droids (this access is available to the player based on the droid being controlled).

[edit] Goals and Challenges

As well as achieving a high score, Paradroid players also see certain achievements as worthy. Clearing one or more ships entirely of robots is one such goal. Another is a successful transfer from the 001 Influence Device to the unstable 999 droid.

Despite the instructions referring to a finite fleet, the Commodore 64 game never ends: when you clear the eighth ship called "Itsnotardenuff", you're just replaced back on the ship, with higher-ranking droids on each deck.

[edit] Quazatron

Andrew Braybrook's Graftgold partner, Steve Turner, wrote a version of Paradroid for the ZX Spectrum called Quazatron. It was also published by Hewson, and retained the same gameplay but on an isometric playing field.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Remakes