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CHAOS ENGINE - Classic Amiga
Game for PC
Sixteen
levels (in four groups of four) await you
in this
long-developed Bitmap Brothers title. The basic gameplay is similar to
Gauntlet, but in an open air setting, with bridges across rivers and
such in the maps. The visuals are in the 'metallic and blue' style the
Bitmaps appeared to favor.
There were 6
characters available in
the game, each with different strengths and weaknesses, and different
starting prices. In 2-player mode you each chose a character and played
co-operatively, but in one-player games you also choose a character for
the computer to control, with its Artificial Intelligence allowing it
to open doors, pick up power-ups and take on baddies away from the ones
occupying your character.
Like
in most games the story of "Chaos Engine" is not really original: A
"Baron" invents a machine in his experiments that "although primitive"
becomes more and more powerful and finally changes all creatures in its
surroundings to evil monsters.
The Player gets the task to build a team consisting of two mercenaries
(one is alternatively controlled by the computer) that should destroy
the machine and its offsprings. The six choosable "characters" differ
in intelligence, skill, speed and energy. Furthermore they have
different guns and two special powers, e.g. healing, throwing dynamite
or reading maps.
The games' basic concept is quite simple: Firing all the time you
navigate your mercenary through four worlds (each subdivided in four
relatively complex levels) and erase with the help of your
(computer-controlled) partner an unlimited number of monsters which
attack from the front or back. The levels are a bit more complex like
in most other action games: From time to time there are small puzzles
that admittedly only consist of finding switches in most cases. Often
there are even several ways and exits to complete a level. That was
maybe supposed to raise motivation.
Money plays an important part in "Chaos Engine". It either lies around
visible or hidden or can be found as a bonus for killed monsters. After
each two levels there is the possibility to upgrade or to buy lives and
weapons. Another important point are the passwords that at least partly
replace the lacking saving option.
"Chaos Engine"'s well done level design and good controls make it an
action game above average. The variety of enemies/worlds and the
possibility to (in limitations) develop your team also contribute to
the positive overall impression. The graphics are better than on the
PC, and they are more than adequate.
The disadvantages of "Chaos Engine" are typical of action games: a few
unfair events and an incredibly high difficulty level in the later
game. At the end of the game when fighting the "Chaos Engine" a few
ideas would not have been bad.
On the whole it is a recommendable game that surpasses many new action
games by far. It shows that a good game is no problem without much
technical fuss.
Windows
95/98/Me/2000/XP
Pentium 166MHz
32Mb for Windows
95/98/Me
640 x 480, 16-bit colour<16-bit Sound card
Loudspeakers or headphones, mouse
NEW CD-ROM, SEALED
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