It’s the new games mega blast! From arcade classics to 8-bit legends, these are the debut stars of Antstream Arcade this November. Want something super fresh to play, for free, on Antstream Arcade, the easy-access platform for retro gaming? This quick and painless guide is here to help you. Game on!
The wicked red warlock Zahgrim has taken over the kingdom of MariGold, turning its lush fields and vibrant villages into a barren wasteland. Following the death of your magical master, Goff, the player’s character discovers a parchment that details how this mere apprentice can defeat Zahgrim and bring happiness back to MariGold. While not exactly the best-looking C64 game, Black Magic holds hidden depths, its spell and barter system, allied to a spooky Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins aesthetic, proving a winning mix.
Ant-Fact: Coder Peter Ward’s only other C64 credit is the similar game, Main Frame. He subsequently became the lead programmer on LucasArts’ Super Star Wars series.
Ant-Tactic: Beware the deadly lava pools. Some have stalactites above them. Shoot these to form a makeshift bridge.
Ant-ernative: For more ghostly antics, try Palace Software’s Cauldron.
The MSX original of this indie run ‘n’ gun game debuted back in May on Antstream Arcade, and now we have the Sega Mega Drive version. Strongly influenced by arcade games such as Mercs and Ikari Warriors alongside the Metal Gear adventures, this vertically-scrolling game is a one-man mission to rescue the president’s daughter. Pick up extra weapons and destroy the enemy!
Ant-Fact: Metal Dragon’s Metal Gear influence is demonstrated in its opening scenes as the hero communicates with his commander.
Ant-Tactic: Don’t forget to pick up the extra weapons when revealed – you can’t return and get them!
Ant-ernative: There’s extreme violence on a similar theme in SNK’s arcade game, Guerrilla War.
The success of the arcade racer Pole Position inspired this water-bound variant back in 1985. 37 years later, players can take to the river and stream Aqua Racer to their heart’s content on Antstream Arcade. 20 tricky courses await you, with obstacles and opponents within each. Fortunately, Aqua Racer offers a training level where you can practice some of the later courses without rivals distracting you.
Ant-Fact: Aqua Racer was known as GP F1 Nautica outside the UK.
Ant-Tactic: Familiarising yourself with the more challenging courses via the practice mode is a vital aspect of Aqua Racer.
Ant-ernative: There’s racing action of a drier nature on Antstream Arcade with the superb arcade game Championship Sprint.
The legendary ovular hero Dizzy finally arrives on Antstream Arcade on the Amstrad CPC. Dizzy’s mission is to concoct a potion that will enable him to defeat the evil wizard Zaks. As he searches for items and solves puzzles, Dizzy will encounter many hazards in the land of Katmandu. Fortunately, his useful jump will help him evade trouble in this delightful arcade adventure from Codemasters and The Oliver Twins.
Ant-Fact: Dizzy’s name comes from the spinning jump he performs.
Ant-Tactic: Launch Dizzy higher in the air by jumping on the conveniently-placed mushrooms.
Ant-ernative: Dizzy is well represented on Antstream Arcade, with many fans regarding Fantasy World Dizzy as his best adventure.
This indie RPG shooter is another fantastic homebrew addition to Antstream Arcade. Featuring a hugely-customisable player ship, 11 missions and ten stages, cut-scenes that portray a fascinating deep story and, naturally, lots and lots of shooting action, Sector 88 is a must-play for any shoot-‘em-up fans on Antstream Arcade.
Ant-Fact: Sector 88 includes advanced graphics created on PC before being transferred to the MSX.
Ant-Tactic: Don’t worry about how weak your fighter is at the start – take down as many enemies as you can to earn credits and upgrade your craft.
Ant-ernative: While Hewson’s Zynaps may not have the depth of Sector 88, it’s another great shooter on Antstream Arcade.
Originally released in 1994, K240 is the sequel to Utopia: The Creation Of A Nation and another complex strategy game from Gremlin. Humans are busy colonising the eponymous region of space, locating asteroids and then mining them for valuable ores. Unfortunately, rival alien species have the same idea! Deep and involving, K240 will captivate those willing to lose themselves in the futuristic world.
Ant-Fact: Gremlin released an upgraded PC version of K240 called Fragile Allegiance in 1996.
Ant-Tactic: To get started, you must allocate cash to your building fund. Right-click the mouse, then left-click ‘I’ for information before selecting the bar chart icon.
Ant-ernative: You can build an empire of an altogether different sort in Castles, also on the Commodore Amiga.
For the penultimate game in this round-up, we present the Atari 2600 game Quadrun. The player’s objective is to destroy enemy captors while rescuing the friendly runts that both wander into the game area. While the player’s character is invincible, they have limited energy to eliminate captors, making Quadrun a fascinating and multifaceted Atari 2600 game.
Ant-Fact: Quadrun is one of two original Atari 2600 games that used voice synthesis.
Ant-Tactic: If you fire and miss, nip to the other side of the screen and catch your energy ball, conserving it for another attempt.
Ant-ernative: There’s Atari 2600 shooting of a more conventional kind with the classic Space War on Antstream Arcade.
Finally, this month we revisit a bunch of wriggly old friends in the SNES version of Team 17’s awesome Worms. As with the Amiga and Mega Drive games, the objective is to destroy the opposing annelids with grenades, machine guns, bazookas and more. War has never been such fun!
Ant-Fact: Since the success of the original Worms, there have been a further 16 games in the main series and another 11 mobile and spin-off games.
Ant-Tactic: Bombs are among the most fun weapons in Worms. And the most potent bomb is the Banana Bomb. Of course.
Ant-ernative: Take the battle to the middle ages in the arcade game Rampart, also available on Antstream Arcade.
Also new on Antstream Arcade this month: Atari VCS exclusive Basketbrawl and a brace of fresh Amstrad titles, Grell and Falla and Stormlord.
That concludes the Antstream Arcade new game roundup for another month! Look out for another fantastic selection of new games soon.
Want to keep track of new games, challenges and more on Antstream Arcade? Then head over to the Antstream Arcade Discord channel:.
