space odyssey

Andrew Braybrook’s sci-fi quintet

Paradroid

Like most of Andrew’s C64 sci-fi titles, Paradroid is a top-down shooter. But it differentiates itself by allowing its droid protagonist to take control of its superior opponents with better weapons. This ingenious concept revolves around winning sub-games where you and your opposite number try to rewire each other’s circuits.

Uridium

Andrew’s Paradroid follow-up is more of a pure shooter than its predecessor. That said, Uridium’s colourful levels are defined by their lethal raised structures, which take serious skill to avoid. But the game’s main attraction lies in the speed and manoeuvrability of its manta craft, and turning it on a dime never gets old.

alleykat

Although technically a combat racer, Andrew’s

Alleykat is more like a forced-scrolling shooter where success is based on surviving events. These are split into categories that test how fast, agile, destructive, aggressive or resilient you can be, with tougher races being pricier to enter but also paying out more prize money.

morpheus

It may be Andrew’s least intuitive C64 sci-fi title, but morpheus represents serious replay value. For such a complex game, its objective is simple: blast orbitals to take down nuclei. Evolving foes hamper your efforts, however, and keeping them at bay requires you to collect the bounties on their heads to fund ship upgrades.

intensity

The only non-scrolling, non-shooter in Andrew’s C64 sci-fi series, although Intensity has a remote drone, upgrade ordering and evolving aliens just like morpheus. Intensity’s drone flies to your position when summoned and rescues any nearby colonists, leaving you to collect the reward and fend off aliens with your skimmer.