DAWN OF KERNEL
The Leonis system is home to a planet called K3R-NL which is in the process of being mined for minerals... or more accurately was, because a virus has infected the network, and caused a complete failure of the life support systems.
An automated distress beacon was also triggered as the miners made their way to the life pods but, along with the relevant information needed to organise a rescue mission was something else, 12 characters which were buried deep within the message’s carrier signal which spelled out “KERNEL LIVES”.
This is because the virus that took over K3R-NL’S mining complex has actually become sentient in the process and really doesn’t play well with others. The base’s defences have been pressed into service against anybody who might be attempting to shut the systems down in order to regain control, so all of the automated turrets and motion-triggered surface-to-air missiles will target any small, but manoeuvrable craft which may enter in search of Kernel’s system core.
A mining facility also has lots of equipment and those have been reprogrammed as well so it must be avoided, along with the laser grids which kept the local wildlife out – essentially they’re sci-fi cattle grids – that obstruct the player. These need to be disabled by destroying the power stations dotted around the map, some of which leave behind supplies of ammo, shield power and screen-clearing nova bombs.
There have been a few comparisons drawn between this and Cybernoid but, while Dawn Of Kernel does appear to have been influenced by Raffaele Cecco’s classic and has a similarly challenging difficulty curve, the action is claustrophobic with less open space to run away from enemies or their projectiles. Each challenge has to be approached in a more cautious and methodical manner and that different tone combined with some excellent graphics and sound throughout makes Dawn Of Kernel well worth picking up.