Body Blows Galactic
 | |
| Developer(s) | Team17 |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Team17 |
| Series | Body Blows |
| Platform(s) | Amiga |
| Release | Template:Vgy |
| Genre(s) | Fghting game |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
Body Blows Galactic is a versus fighting game and the sequel to Body Blows released in Template:Vgy by Team 17 for Amiga computers. Opponents and background graphics were later merged into Ultimate Body Blows.
Gameplay
The gameplay system is the same as in the first Body Blows game. The game features, two player modes and an eight-player tournament mode.
Storyline
After winning the global martial arts tournament, Danny and Junior decide to take the universe further and challenge the meanest and toughest in an interplanetary competition to become the ultimate galactic warrior.
Worlds and contenders
There are twelve different playable fighters from six worlds, and no bosses:
- Earth
- Represented by Junior, a fast British boxer, and Danny, a gangland rebel (the Earth fighters are named after the Team17 game designer Daniel "Danny" J. Burke and programmer Junior McMillian). The arena is on the top of a rocket-propelled platform.
- Eclipse
- Does not rotate but still revolve around its sun, therefore on one side of the planet it is very hot and the other side is freezing. Inferno is a pure existence of fire, while Warra is the fighting king in white amour of the ice world.
- Feminon
- An Earth-type planet ruled by women, where men are only accepted as lesser beings. Represented by Azona, a blonde warrior who fights on her hover board, and Kai-Ti, a Psylocke-like brunette with the ability to focus her mind to shoot energy orbs. Fights are taking place in a water pit with waterfalls in the background.
- Miasma
- After a moon-sized comet hit the planet, the inhabitants of Miasma survived as an individual energy mass (which is illustrated as blue energy orbs). Puppet chooses an appearances with yellow cones bound together with blue energy orbs and a venetian mask as face. The ghost-like Phantom wears a brown robe and is able to disappear and appear on different places in the fight area.
- Gellorn-5
- Consisting mainly of rainforest, dinosaurs are the dominant race of this planet. Dragon is a massive green creature using his brute strength to win the competition, while Dino is a Velociraptor-like creature with a small green rider on his back.
- Titanica
- Is the most technologic advanced planet of all the others. Lazer wears a visor and is able to shoot laser triangles; Tekno, a full metal robot which is able to shoot rockets to his opponents.
Development
A team of six people developed the game for about nine months.[1] A slightly enhanced version was available for the AGA Amiga 1200 which has several changes like more colorful backdrops and improved SFX and music.[2] Allister Brimble composed eight different musictracks (the title and end tracks tracks, and one for each planet).
Reception
Body Blows Galactic received favorable reviews except from CU Amiga which critiqued unbalanced characters: while Warra, Lazer and Dino are ineffective, the very fast Kai-Ti seems invincible.[3] In a special comparison in the Amiga Action Issue 53 (January 1994), Body Blows Galactic won or shared the title in the category "Atmosphere" and "Two Player Game" against Mortal Kombat and Elfmania.
Quotes and ratings:
- "Quite honestly, Body Blows Galactic is the best beat'em up ever to be inserted into the drive of an Amiga." - 93% - Amiga Computing #69 (Jan 1994).
- "Galactic is better than the original, but it suffers from dodgy joystick controls and is trembling in the long shadow cast by the upcoming Elfmania" - 88% - Amiga Format #54 (Xmas 1993).
- "You just have to ask yourself if you really, really want another combat game, and if the answer is yes then Body Blows Galactic is most certainly for you" - 87% - The One Amiga #63 (Dec 1993).
- "If you're beat'em up freak, this is well worth chechking out" - 84% - Amiga Action #53 (Jan 1994).
- "Beat'eam ups need to be fast and responsive, otherwise you realise how shallow they are. This is neither." - 72% - Amiga Power #33 (Jan 1994).
- "A sad follow up to a brilliant game. What a disappointment" - 57% - CU Amiga (Jan 1994).
Other ratings inluded 91% in Amiga Force 14 (Jan 1994), 90% in Amiga Dream #2 (Dec 1993), 86% in ACAR Vol 11 No 3 (Mar 1994), and 83% in Amiga Joker (Dec 1993).
In March 2008, the website defunctgames.com took a review solely of the cover of Body Blows Galactic and mocked: "Seriously guys, what happened to the background?"[4]
References
- ^ The One Amiga 63 (12/93)
- ^ Manual of Body Blows Galactic
- ^ CU Amiga (January 1994)
- ^ Episode 68: The Cover Critic Meets His Maker