The Last Eichhof

The Last Eichhof is a freeware and open source shoot-'em-up game released for MS-DOS in 1993 by Swiss company Alpha Helix. The player controls a beer bottle and destroys bottles belonging to rival beer companies. There are 5 levels; between each level, the player is given a chance to buy extra bottles, each with their own shooting projectiles.

Development

Graphics and fonts by "Tweety". Code and levels by "Tritone". Additional programming and music by "Zynax". Much of the music in "The Last Eichhof" comes from the songs "Schnaps Bonus" and "Bring me Edelweiss" by the pop band Edelweiss.^[1] The instrumental from the Pink Floyd song, "Money" plays during this stage where you can sell beer bottles. Many sound effects were samples taken from the TV sitcom Parker Lewis Can't Lose. The source code was later released under a "Do what ever you want with this code"-license (Public domain like license, similar WTFPL).^[2]

Gameplay

The object of the game is for the player to shoot cork projectiles out of the beer bottle/s and destroy as many enemies to gain as many litres of brew as possible (the game's score is tallied in terms of litres, instead of the usual points). Not only does the amount of brew collected boost the player's score but it also provides money needed to buy supplies from the pub. In most of the levels, waves of mugs, bottles and tankards will attack the player followed by minibosses (usually crates and rival beer logos) and occasionally big bosses. In one of the levels, the player is faced by hostile champagne bottles, Daiquiris, tequilas, martinis, Jack Daniel's, and Bourbon. Most of the enemies have an alcohol theme. In one of the levels, the enemies are items associated with hangovers: alarm clocks, coffee pots, toilets, Alka-Seltzer, Aspirin. However, there are a few enemies in the game which do not have any alcohol-related theme (Windows logo, Pac-Man, MacIntosh Apple logo, toaster screensaver).

The main beer bottle must be protected and avoid enemies, otherwise a life is lost. If all lives are lost the game is over. Bottles that accompany the main beer bottle cannot ever be destroyed. Once a level has been completed, the player stops by at the pub to buy extra bottles of beer to assist the main beer bottle. Four standard bottles (Stange, Pony, Barbara Braeu and Dunkel) can be purchased from the counter and many others (Can 33CL, Chuebeli, Pokal, Xenon 2 Cannon, plus Bonus Guttere for lives and Speed) can be purchased from the Menu Card. Up to six bottles can accompany the main beer bottle. After each level, the player has the choice of selling the bottles for a small reduction of what they first cost.

Note that levels 2-5 have checkpoints. So if the main beer bottle is hit, the player restarts at the last checkpoint successfully passed instead of restarting at the beginning of the level.

Reception

The Abandonware webpage Home of the Underdogs awarded the game the title "TopDog" and described it as a "rare freeware gem"^[3] and MobyGames considered it as "one of the most "original" games of all time".^[4]

References

External links

• The Last Eichhof at MobyGames
• Original homepage archived by archive.org
• The Last Eichhof – Review by Home of the Underdogs
• Source Code - Do whatever your want licence
• The Last Eichhof for XP, Vista, 7 - Version that works again on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 thanks to bundle with DOSBox.