Please login to submit a screenshot

"The arithmetic of a game concept killed by overuse."

The era of the very old-school Commodore 64 has long since past, giving way to newer computers and newer gaming consoles. Some memories of the Commodore 64 live on, however, in collections, remakes, and emulation of old games. The ones most paid attention to are (of course) the games that were the most popular and entertaining of the time, producing nostalgia in its older players.

Some games went mostly under the radar over twenty years ago, when the Commodore 64 was still a popular system. Survivor was one of these games, as it was released in 1983, alongside such amazing and celebrated hits as Lode Runner, Moon Buggy, Archon 2, Castle Wolfenstein, Centipede, Ultima III: Exodus, Galaxian, Spy Hunter, and many more. Survivor is mediocre compared to these games, although for its time it was a moderately entertaining game.

Survivor's flaw lies in that it is not wholly original at all - many games were made very similar to it before its release year of 1983. The gameplay concept is simple - maneuver your craft around, firing projectiles and destroying blocks and the the occasional enemy for points while avoiding said blocks and enemies. Also to be avoided are randomly scattered platforms of lasers, which will also kill you if they connect with your ship. Sounds fairly standard, but there is no beginning and no end to this game - it finishes when you lose all your lives, and if you are a patient player it is far too easy to avoid any obstacle thrown at you.

Graphics: 5

Average for the Commodore 64. Nothing too flashy, but not horrid-looking either.

Sound: 5

Minimal, even for a C64 game. An explosion effect, a humming effect, a firing effect, an enemy effect, a propulsion effect, and a game start/end effect. Oh, there's also a stirring rendition of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries playing at the game's title screen. Woohoo.

Controls: 5

Simple and easy, but sometimes a little too touchy.

Gameplay/Replayability: 5

This was detailed above, but an added note is that the hit detection is slightly off in this game. From a replayability point of view, if you ever found it fun to begin with you'll come back to play it later.

Overall: 5

Adding the above numbers up is simple Math, and the solution is a game in a genre Murdered by many other games all too similar to it. It's no wonder that Mr. Richard Carronly ever wrote one game for the C64.


Reviewer's Score: 5/10 | Originally Posted: 01/28/04