Spheres of Chaos
| Spheres of Chaos | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original Archimedes release cover | |
| Developer(s) | Iain McLeod |
| Platform(s) | Acorn Archimedes (RISC OS), PS2 (PS2 Linux), PC (Windows) |
| Release date(s) | Reviewed in Acorn User December 1992, p. 157 |
| Genre(s) | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Spheres of Chaos is a space shooter video game, created by Iain McLeod, with the basic gameplay being similar to the classic arcade game Asteroids.
The game was originally written for RISC OS on the Acorn Archimedes. Ports exist for Linux, Windows and PS2 Linux. The game uses very bright colours and patterns, with many enemies on screen at once. The audio is similar to that of Robotron: 2084 and Defender.
In October 2007, Spheres of Chaos was declared freeware.
Gameplay
The player controls a small grey spaceship. At the start of each level enemies, called common aliens, appear which must be eradicated to complete the level. The difficulty and quantity of enemies increase along with the level number. Enemies will typically split up into smaller versions when hit. Black holes also appear during gameplay and either attract or repel the spaceship. Many black holes at once can mean that space becomes unnavigable. When level isn't completed quickly, enemies called bugs start to appear who try to hunt down the spaceship by shooting at it. Also, some occasional things can appear in later levels, ranging from spinshooters to multiplying daisies and bacteria. Often, when all common aliens are defeated, a boss will appear. Bosses take many hits to destroy and must be destroyed to complete the level. Enemies can provide power-ups when defeated. The colour of the power-up when found will affect the ability of the power-up.
There are various options which can be modified to change features such as the amount of enemies and power-ups as well as in-game visuals. The game can be played in single player or in multi-player with up to 8 players.