An arcade shooter and a retro strategy/RPG hybrid join the library this week.
Another week means yet more games added to the Antstream library. This time we have the classic arcade shooter Centipede (Atari 8-bit) and the just as classic strategy/RPG The Lords of Midnight (Spectrum)
Previously a VCS exclusive, the Atari 8-bit version of Centipede joins Antstream this week. An iconic game that proved incredibly popular in the arcades, Centipede originally launched in 1981 before being released on multiple platforms. The game is a fixed shooter where the titular centipede moves left and right across the screen, getting lower with each crossing.
The goal is to shoot all of the centipede segments before it reaches the bottom. Mushrooms litter the screen, increasing as the player advances through the levels, but they can also be shot and destroyed. The centipede will move until it hits the edge of the screen or a mushroom, and will then turn around. Shooting the middle segments of the centipede will cause it to split in two, and the player is scored depending on what they manage to shoot. A true classic from the golden age of arcade games, Centipede is not a game to miss.
The Lords of Midnight is a fantasy strategy/RPG hybrid game that launched originally for the ZX Spectrum in 1984, before being converted to other home computers. The game proved to be very well regarded by the players and spawned a couple of sequels in later years. In The Lords of Midnight, players are charged with destroying the Witchking Doomdark and bringing about the end of the perpetual winter that hangs over the Land of Midnight.
Played very much like a graphic adventure, The Lords of Midnight employed an innovative 3-D effect to immerse the player in the fantasy world. Players initially begin with four characters, but can recruit many other characters to their cause as they progress. The game has two different goals that change how the game is played. Players can either choose to destroy the source of Doomdark’s power, which plays as an adventure, or raise enough armies to storm Doomdark’s citadel, which is more wargame. For the most adventurous players, combining both objectives into one game is the way to go. The Lords of Midnight is a classic example of early strategy games and still has a devoted following even now.
This week’s challenge is for Double Dragon players who think they are hard enough. Titled “C’mon Then, If You Think You’re Hard Enough”, players must earn the highest score possible on the highest difficulty. Good luck!
We’ll be back next week with more games to play anytime, anywhere.
