COSMIC PAYBACK

Author:

John Connoly / PROSM

Publisher: Bitmap Soft

Memory: 48K/128K

Released: 2020

977 saw the launch of the Voyager space probe which began its journey into the depths of space. Contained within was a gold-plated disc with information on mankind and planet Earth. In hindsight, this was perhaps a risky thing to do; what if an alien civilisation also coveted this rare and precious metal? We had just provided them with a roadmap to riches beyond their wildest dreams.

Cosmic Payback takes place in a nearfuture where, after many struggles, the planet has found harmony. But like in all good stories, this peace was short-lived, and an alien invasion took place, plundering all of Earth’s gold resources and taking the spoils back to their home planet. The financial and technological ramifications were huge, and the entire planet was cast back into the dark ages. In a desperate attempt, man rallied together and with the final dregs of gold, constructed a craft to seek out this alien world and take back that which belongs to them.

Over 15 levels, you control a bouncing ball craft that must hop about the alien landscape to collect the gold deposits. The landscape is a 3D-tiled terrain, with holes that cascade into space, moving & disintegrating floors and plenty of devious routes that lead to deadends. Cosmic Payback is a game of precision timing and dexterity; one misstep or one poorly planned route will result in you falling into the void. This is particularly so when following the conveyor of moving tiles you really need to learn the path they take. With each gold tile you bounce on, the level total is deducted by one, giving a clear indication of how much remains on each level. If you die, then you have to restart the mission from the start. Once all the gold is collected, you must find the warp tiles that take you to the next world.

• Fans of Bounder and Trailblazer will be at home with the concept of Cosmic Payback. With its requirement for precise bouncing, this is a game that satisfies admirers of this ‘genre’. It’s not the prettiest thing to look at,

but the 3D tilemap is very functional, and the sense of depth is accurate. The latter is a renowned weakness in 3D games, with players venting their frustration over the perspective. All the varieties of bespoke tiles provide added excitement to the game. In particular, the switched one is the most devious as it activates access elsewhere in the level. The game does ramp up its difficulty very rapidly, and by level 4, I

CRITICISM

• What a pleasant game — one that instantly reminded me of

Bounder, Trailblazer etc.

It’s a game you have to have a good few goes on and die a few times until you know what the pixelated floor tiles do — once that is nailed you can have a good time bounding across the levels the game