METAMORPHOSIS

Author:

Leonardo Vettori and Kees Van Oss

Memory: 48K/128K

Released: 2021

Metamorphosis provides us with some existential insight into the dawn of man. Like with most synopses, it’s surprising we made it through to walking on two legs at all — it’s a tough-old universe out there.

The game begins in the lowest level of Hell, in which you control a Xenomorph-like creature, which is about as low down the evolutionary ladder as you can get. Its energy level is also limited, so death comes easy to such weak beings.

The game’s idea is to ascend through the evolutionary process towards humankind by locating special discs that have been scattered throughout the terrain. Of course, this is easier said than done — you have to battle your kin, many of whom have evolved further than yourself. You can defeat your brethren by spitting black tar on them until they devolve down into the lowest form, which is then edible, and you can replenish any energy lost in battle. You can also leap on their heads to stun them. The game is divided into interconnected platforming levels, with each sub-level being isolated from the other until three discs are collected. These are located

in battle rooms which are essentially single-screen arenas where you battle a hoard of your kin. Access to the portals that take you to these rooms requires keys.

These keys also are hidden throughout the game; it may require you to revisit previously visited levels. As you progress and evolve, your energy meter also extends — this is vital for the battles ahead.

CRITICISM

• Metamorphosis is a highly unique game; it takes the over-saturated platform genre and gives it a fresh breath of life. The whole concept of evolutionary ascension is handled brilliantly, and its unique graphical style magnifies this. Everything looks influenced by H.R. Giger artwork, and the darktwisted aesthetic of Hell is portrayed with painful precision.

The balance of exploration, platforming and battling is superb. The music perfectly matches the mood and is just as disturbing as the graphics.

The game may seem difficult due to starting with very little energy, but with perseverance, you soon get used to the brutal nature of Hell — it is dog-eat-dog down there.

CRITICISM

Gordon King

• This is one of those games that at first, I have no idea what I have to do. I know I am in hell, and for the first five minutes or so, I literally had no idea what was going on and died very quickly. “Press R to Restart” flashed mockingly at me rather too often. Persevere though and you start to see a little more that the game has to offer and realise that this is a platform game in disguise.

The visuals are quite extravagant for the Spectrum with the blue, red and the black combination of graphics giving the game a deception of depth.

The sounds and musical ditties that accompany the gameplay are spot on, and add atmosphere to the rather sinister surroundings you find yourself playing in.

Metamorphosis is most unique, and once over the initial difficulty and lack of direction from the game, there is a lot of fun to be had, as you explore the depths of hell, in your quest to evolve to being something that resembles ‘man’. Love it.

Chris Wilkins

Use of Computer Graphics: Playability:

Getting started: Addictive Qualities: Overall:

Another busy couple months in the mail room — keep sending those letters into me on my new E-mail, lm@crashmagazine.co.uk. Stay safe!

Dear Lloyd, Getting regular issues of CRASH through the post is like going back to my childhood. So I thought I would share my two main teenage memories of CRASH.

The first was my dad coming home from work one night in early 1984, with an ear to ear grin and thrusting issue 1 at me with the words “a fantastic new Spectrum magazine.” He had been browsing in the local newsagents and picked it up purely on the strength of the cover. I vividly remember it, the alien staring out at me, gripping the joystick, immersed in playing Space Invaders. I read that magazine over and over, my 13 year old eyes taking it all in, scanning everything, being amazed at the games, the adverts...just everything. I loved CRASH more than anything. I can’t thank my dad enough for introducing me to such a wonderful magazine. Sadly he passed away 18 months ago but CRASH and my dad are pretty much interlinked in my memories.

The other memory I would like to share is that we were on holiday in Wales that same year when the August magazine came out. I remember being in WH Smith and seeing the new issue there on the shelf taunting me ..... the cover, a boy on a beach, under a parasol playing on some kind of portable Spectrum, surrounded by Olli bugs! I wanted it there and then. I didn’t want to wait until I got home for my dad to collect it from the newsagents where he had it reserved every month for me. I begged and begged but he told me I had to wait. That holiday was the longest one of my life. The days seemed like years. I insisted that he called at the newsagents before we even got home to unpack and my dad being the amazing person that he was obliged. Needless to say, as soon as he pulled up in the driveway, I ran upstairs to my bedroom, leaving the less than amused family to unpack the car as I Iost myself in Spectrum heaven for a few hours.

So these days as a new magazine drops through the letter box, I excitedly open the envelope and for a short while, I am transported back in time to 1984 and my dad’s smiling eyes. Thanks for the ongoing memories, Mark Hancock,

Stoke-on-Trent.

Ahh, what a couple of lovely memories to read on a Spring afternoon. That would be issue 7, August 1984. I had just hit my 50th birthday that summer and Oli used to call me Gramps. I often looked into Roger’s eyes; ‘smiling’ is not the word I would use! LM