| Shadowfire | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Denton Designs |
| Publisher(s) | Beyond Software |
| Platform(s) | ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 |
| Release date(s) | 1985 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure / RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media/distribution | Cassette |
Shadowfire is a computer game for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64, published by Beyond. It is notable as one of the first games to use a menu-and-icon-driven interface. It was followed by a sequel, Enigma Force, in 1986.
Contents |
General Zoff is holding Ambassador Kryxix captive in his spaceship. Plans for a new type of spaceship (the Shadowfire of the games title) are contained in a micro-disc hidden in the Ambassador's spine. If Zoff has the plans, the empire will be in great danger, and it is only a matter of time until his inquisitors will discover them. The Emperor has assembled the so-called "Enigma Force", a group of six reckless mercenaries, to take care of the situation.
Players take control of all six mercenaries and have one hour and forty minutes of realtime to rescue Ambassador Kryxix and capture General Zoff. All six characters have different abilities. Syylk is an insectoid and a strong fighter, Zark Montor, the team leader, is an expert in unarmed combat and the only translator of the group - meaning that Kryxix will only follow Montor, Sevrina Maris is the only character who can pick locks, Torik is an avian with thorough knowledge of explosives - and the fastest moving character, Maul is a slow combat droid and Manto is a weak droid, but the only team member that can operate the transporter that is vital for the mission's success.
Controls are completely icon based and the screen is divided into six sections. The upper screen section is called the mission command screen and displays which character is active, the active character's location and the status of all characters: whether they are moving, engaged in combat, weak or dying or performing certain action such as picking locks. The lower half of the screen changes depending on the situation and shows additional information and all selectable actions.
From the main game screen (Enigma Force screen) players can choose one of the six characters and access four sub-screens:
Character status screen: Shows a character's speed, strength, stamina (health) and carried weight.
Object screen: Shows all objects present at a location as well as all objects carried by the selected character. It can be used to drop or pick up items, equip weapons and items or use special items.
Movement screen: Here, the active character can be moved by clicking on arrows that show possible directions for a character to move.
Battle screen: During battles, characters can scan the location to count and identify their enemies, move, attack with their equipped weapon, defend or retreat.
Both the manual and the game are not always helpful towards the player:
The game was well-received on both released platforms, gaining a 96% Crash Smash for the ZX Spectrum version[2], and a 91% ZZap Sizzler award for the Commodore 64 version.[3]. The innovative interface, multi-character gameplay and atmospheric music by Fred Gray were also favourably commented upon.
Shadowfire was unique at the time in that it was released with the ZX Spectrum version on one side of the cassette, and the Commodore 64 version on the other side of the tape. This ensured that Shadowfire rode high in the individual format charts, as both ZX & C=64 sales counted as one, increasing the perceived popularity.
The game was followed up by a sequel in 1986, named Enigma Force which featured a more arcade orientated style of gameplay.[4] Whereas Shadowfire was entirely icon based, Enigma Force allowed the player to directly control the reduced list of characters, and play as an arcade game.