DARKLAND

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Software house: Starbyte

Game type: Arcade
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The game starts with a nice-looking starbyte logo (only a trick 
so that you want to buy the game cause' it's nice-looking) 
followed by a very nice picture that contains a little animated 
sequence where the thunder hits down.
That is a trick too...They make good graphics but the game is 
shit! That is usual,isn't it??
After the animated sequence the picture fades away and left is 
only the text "Darkland" (nice font!).
Now there comes a shadow of the text which is gliding forth and 
back (you know,like in all demos!).I think the shadow is in water 
but I'm not sure,because it's a black background!
Behind the Darkland-text there is a small text which is scrolling 
upward.It is probably the game history (I'm not sure about 
this,because Išve got the French version).
If you now press the joystick button it will start to load a 
while and then a really nice animated sequence shows up,where a 
small man (probably you) walks forward to something strange (?).
After this the game begins.
You are a strange,half-metallic robot with a ball around your 
head.I don't know what the ball is good for.
There are not too many movements for your "monster".
The only things you can do are jump,shoot right,duck and duck and 
shoot right.If you try to shoot left,you will only fail.
It's not possible...
Under the play area,you will find your and your ball's power.
Right of the power you find different signs.
They are your weapons and you can switch between them by pressing 
space.You have six weapons at the beginning and can probably get 
more because there are empty boxes too.Your weapons are: fire to 
the right and up at the same time,a firestar which goes around in 
the air and dies,a missile,a boomerang,a bola and a kind of 
fresbee (it goes very fast but it looks a little like a metallic 
fresbee!).
I think you have unlimited weapons and that it good for the looser! 
The graphics are really wonderful;very detailed and the bakground 
looks a little like the background in Shadow of the beast (both 
backgrounds have trees).
The evil aliens who come against you are good they too.
The scrolling is smooth and very,very good.
There is not any music in the game,only in the intro.But the 
music in the intro is sampled or soundtrack so it's very nice.
In the game there is only sound effects (different samples) but 
they are nice.I think it's good that there is no music in the 
game because that would probably be so bad that you want to close 
it off immediately.
When you have walked for a very long time the drive begins to sound.
Then you know that you have come to the second stage.
It is almost identical with the first stage;it is almost the same 
aliens and the ground looks like in the first stage.Only the 
background is a little bit different.
I don't know if you know yet what I think of games like this:
shit!!!Only shit!
Almost all games are identical to each other,there are absolutely 
no variation in this game and not in others like this.Your aim is 
to kill as many aliens as possible and at the same time survive.
For those who like games where the aim is shoot and kill,I can 
only recommend darkland.
To the other (normal) people I say: buy a role-playing or strategy
game instead of this SHIT!

Graphics: 92

Sound: 75

Gameplay: 45

Value for money: 30


Reviewed by Sorcerer of The Digital Dictators!