Auto Amy DX
(EgoTrip, 2024)
It seems that Amy can’t get enough of collecting jewels! In this puzzle game, you must place tiles on a grid so they form a path along which Amy can travel, collect all three jewels, and reach the finishing point. The concept is very similar to Pipe Mania and there are 40 levels to complete. The first few levels offer an easy introduction, but it becomes trickier as the layouts become increasingly devious with the inclusion of conveyor belts and teleports. Thankfully, as with previous games featuring Amy, you can retry each level as often as you want. The graphics are colourful and there’s a nice tune to listen to on the menu.
See also: Chaos Rising, Chaos Rising Part 2, Concave, Ice Slider, Jewel Warehouse, Potato Rescue, A Prelude to Chaos.
Autocrash
(Zigurat, 1991)
I love the dodgem cars at the funfair, but this is no ordinary dodgem car session – no, this one involves lots of killing! Your aim is to bash the opponents’ dodgem cars and cause them to fly out of their cars. As they run on to the arena to grab another car, you have to run them over with a sickening crunch! However, the timing is important; you must build up speed by circling the arena for a while, and bash into your opponents’ dodgems after they’ve just crashed. Of course, your opponents can do the same to you... The first level is OK, but the second level, where there are two other competitors, is too hard, and it’s a boring game, anyway, even with all the blood and gore.
When I saw the loading screen, I knew this game was going to be special – a ninja with a pair of shurikens seemingly bursting from a tiger’s head! Cool! The plot of the game is uncertain; something about ridding the dungeon of monsters to please the god Kwon. You can call on Kwon’s services to regain your health several times, but do it too much, and he gets angry and kills you! Ungrateful fool! The dungeons are fairly huge and difficult, but not overly so – each go takes you that bit further, and the player’s interest is kept going with new monsters and treasures to uncover. The graphics are fine – small but clear, and very well animated – and the music is a treat; a nice kung fu ditty and lots of satisfying explosions! I love ninja games, and this is one of the best. I advise you play it as soon as possible!
See also: The Way of the Tiger.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Axelino.
Les Aventures de Pépito au Mexique
(Belin, 1991)
Pépito is a cartoon character which is used in France to advertise a brand of sugary chocolate biscuits and cakes. You play Pépito, on the trail of some Mexican bandits who have stolen his supply of chocolate. The journey takes you across 34 screens, confronting the local wildlife, as well as chasms, boulders, and the bandits themselves. Most of the hazards are avoided by jumping over them, which requires some careful timing, although some enemies can be fought off by flinging your sombrero, or some chocolate biscuits, at them. The game is aimed at young children, so it’s slightly easy, but while the graphics are absolutely stunning, you have to wait 15 seconds on average for the next screen to load, and unless you have a lot of patience, you will soon find yourself losing your temper.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Metr81.
Averno is a single-screen arcade puzzle game which evokes more famous games of the era. It almost looks as if Taito could have released this in the arcades. It’s actually a Spanish release. Each screen is made up of bricks. Around the screen are placed keys, which are needed to unlock doors to progress to the next screen. To gain access to the keys and doors you must nudge the bricks carefully downwards. Do things the wrong way and the level will be impossible to complete. You’re also on a time limit. Graphically it’s in simple Mode 0 with basic sound effects and manic music. The game can be frustrating while you work out a solution to each screen and some form of variety in the graphics would have helped, but this isn’t a bad little game.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
XeNoMoRPH.