Gods (video game)
| GODS | |
|---|---|
| Mega Drive cover | |
| Developer(s) | Bitmap Brothers |
| Publisher(s) | Accolade Mindscape Renegade Software |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, DOS, Atari ST, Acorn Archimedes, MD/Gen, SNES |
| Release | 1991-92 |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
Gods is a 1991 video game by The Bitmap Brothers where the player is cast as Hercules in his quest to achieve immortality. The game was first made for Amiga and Atari ST computers and then ported for various other platforms. Not unlike other Bitmap Brothers' games, Gods was highly praised by critics thanks to the quality graphics, the music (as it was common with Bitmap Brothers, an external musician assured the game score, this time John Foxx as Nation 12) but mostly for the enemy AI, which would adapt not only to the player position, but also to his skill. Bonuses are awarded for reaching certain parts of the level under a certain limit of time or number of lifes, bringing an object to a room or simply by playing poorly, where the game helps the player.
Although at first Gods might seem a "jump and run" platformer, it becomes soon evident that while precise and timed jumping are required to progress, planning each move carefully yelds better results health-wise than attempting to speedrun a level, and there are some puzzles (often involving levers and objects) which require the player to go back and forth in the level, since there's only a three space inventory where objects required to get bonuses (such as keys) or to complete a level can be
carried. The console versions (especially the Mega Drive/Genesis port) run at a considerably higher speed, which increases the difficulty level greatly.
Weapons work somewhat like those found in SHMUPS. There are several weapons available in the levels or to buy, and up to three of each can be used simultaneously. It is also possible to vary the focus of the weapons: to destroy more enemies at the same horizontal level as the player, a tight angle is advisable, but in levels with open spaces and enemies in higher places, a diffuse aim might prove more useful. There are also other weapons, such as bouncing axes that can be used to take on enemies at a lower level or fireballs.
There are four levels, each with a Guardian at the end. After completion of a level the player meets a trader, and depending on the wealth accumulated during the game (by catching diamond-shaped jewels or bags) can buy more powerful weapons or items (Xenon 2: Megablast uses the same idea).
External links
- Gods Country (fanpage)
- Bitmap Brothers' page
- Error: Unrecognised abbreviation
- Mobygames' page