Entry posted by SpiceWare
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Yep, this review is out of order due to it having been the game for HSC Season 5 Week 42. If you're not currently taking part of the 2600 High Score Club then I highly recommend you check it out as you'll get exposed to a lot of really cool games! You can join in mid-season w/out any problems - there's no cost to join, just post a score in the current HSC topic. HSC Season 6 will also be starting up in the near future.
Oystron, by Piero Cavina
5/5
Space Oysters, Pearls and Bombs?!?! Oystron is definitely a weird game that would have fit in perfectly back in the day.
The game consists of three waves. The waves all look the same, but different things occur in them. Once done with the third wave you'll go back to the first, but at a higher difficulty.
In the first wave you shoot down the enemies and Space Oysters as they appear on the right. Each enemy has a different way of moving, making for some nice variety, and on top of that as you progress to higher levels the enemies can take on new abilities that will catch you off guard. When destroyed, the enemies will usually release a pearl which you need to collect and drop off in the Collection Zone on the left side of the screen. You'll be rewarded with a bomb(up to 6) for each filled row of pearls. Some of the enemies will try to destroy and/or steal your pearls, thus making the completion of rows more challenging than it first appears.
In the second wave the Oystron appears, and the only thing that can destroy it are the bombs you acquired in the first wave. The bombs are more like land mines in that instead of shooting them at the Oystron you are attempting to place them in the Oystron's erratic path.
The third wave takes place while warping back to the first wave. This wave plays like the first but is more difficult because it's faster and the colors of the screen flash so much that it's distracting. It's tempting to stay put in a a single row to minimize risk of death, but the points are worth more so it's to your advantage to keep moving.
The graphics are a little blockier than current homebrews, more on par with the initial Atari games(which makes sense as this is one of the earlier homebrew games). While they're certainly more than adequate, a little more detail in your ship would have been nice. The sound effects are great, and I really liked the background sounds which made me feel like I was playing in an arcade!
Label art was also done by Piero Carvina, and just like the game it also would have fit in perfectly back in the day.
I'm really surprised this game is not in the top 10 sales, it deserves to be.
Note: If you suffer epilepsy then this game is not for you because of the flashing in the third wave.
Next up, Crazy Balloon.
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