Uridium
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| Uridium | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Dominic Robson (ZX Spectrum), Steven Turner (Music) |
| Publisher(s) | Hewson Consultants |
| Designer(s) | Andrew Braybrook |
| Release date(s) | 1986 |
| Genre(s) | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum |
| Media | Cassette tape |
| Input | Computer keyboard or joystick |
Uridium is a sci-fi horizontal scrolling shoot-'em-up for the Commodore 64 (and other 8-bit machines). It consisted of fifteen levels, each named after a metal element with the last level being called Uridium; a fictional metallic element. The sleeve notes cited one of the developers: "I really thought it existed".
The game was later released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Mindscape purchased a license to release a game based on the film The Last Starfighter; but rather than program a new game, Mindscape decided to take an easier route by recycling a program from an older, relatively obscure game. The title Uridium was dropped, but the levels and gameplay were identical. In 2004 it would be "re-released" on the C64 Direct-to-TV.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The solar system is under attack! Enemy Super-Dreadnoughts have been placed in orbit around each of the fifteen planets in this galactic sector. They are draining mineral resources from the planetary cores for use in their interstellar power units. Each Super-Dreadnought seeks out a different metal for its metal converter.
Your Manta class Space Fighter will be transported to each planet in turn and it is your task to destroy each Dreadnought. First you must attack the defensive screen of enemy fighters, then you must neutralise the majority of surface defences before you land on the Super-Dreadnought's master runway. Once on board you must pull as many fuel rods as possible from the metal converters before you take off for a final strafing run as the Dreadnought vaporises into the ether.
[edit] Game play
In practice, each level takes place at a fixed altitude just above the surface of the Dreadnoughts. The screen scrolls horizontally in both directions as the Manta flies over the Dreadnoughts. Each Dreadnought has a different configuration of walls and other high structures that must be negotiated in order to reach the landing zone. This task hampered by squadrons of enemy fighters that attack the Manta in waves. Lastly, flashing ports on the Dreadnought's surface release homing mines that cannot be destroyed. It takes a skillful Manta pilot to outfly the mines until they self-detonate.
Only when enough of the Dreadnought's defenses have been destroyed is the "Land Now!" signal activated, and the player allowed to slow its speed to a minimum land on the sternward landing zone. After this, the pilot presumably enters the interior of the mothership and sets its nuclear reactor to self-destruct. Finally, the Manta takes off again as the Dreadnought below it crumbles to atoms.
Later Dreadnoughts have tricky wall configurations where the gap between the walls is so narrow that the Manta must turn sideways in order to pass through it. This required skillful use of the joystick. More skill could be exhibited (and more points awarded) by ignoring the "Land Now!" signal and destroying the elite fighters that attacked in waves of one.
[edit] Technical details
When Uridium was originally released, reviewers were impressed by the way the Dreadnoughts were presented. In a simulation of parallax scrolling, the surface of the Dreadnoughts scrolls horizontally, whereas the stars in the background stay still.
As the Commodore 64's graphics do not support parallax scrolling, particular trickery was required to achieve this. The way it was done is that the Dreadnoughts' surface is actually the background, and the black empty space and the stars are character glyphs on the foreground. As the Commodore 64's graphics chip scrolls the screen to the left or right, the character glyphs representing the stars change shape by shifting their single lit pixels to the right or left, countering the scroll of the screen and giving the impression they were stationary.
[edit] Levels
- Zinc
- Lead
- Copper
- Silver
- Iron
- Gold
- Platinum
- Tungsten
- Iridon
- Kallisto
- Tri-alloy
- Quadmium
- Ergonite
- Galactium
- Uridium
Obviously the last seven Dreadnoughts were mining for resources that we are yet to discover. The final dreadnought, Uridium, actually contains only a few screens of gameplay; the bulk of this dreadnaught consists of the "congratulations" message for completing the game ("GREAT ZAPPING.. TURKEY"). This is initially made inaccesible by an impassable wall, but visible in the final overflight when the Dreadnaught is destroyed.
[edit] Trivia
A later game done by Andew Braybrook, Morpheus, contained a homing mine enemy called a "Uridimine", named no doubt as a tribute to the homing mines of Uridium. Some afficiandos refer to the homing mines as "Uridimines" when talking about Uridium or Uridium 2 as well.
[edit] Sequels
Uridium was followed by Uridium 2 on the Amiga platform.
