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An unexpected arcade shooter from the Dutch studio HVB Software, for all its primitiveness, especially in terms of graphics, capable of captivating in earnest. The player controls a cannon located at the bottom of the screen and is able to move left and right using the Shift keys, and, of course, shoot single projectiles (until one reaches the target, the other cannot be fired), the supply of which is unlimited. The playing field itself is divided into invisible stripes, which in turn consist of cells. Something attacks us from above - the strips begin to fill with shaded cells, and they do it with different and ever-changing intensity, either stopping or resuming growth. Thus, we are fighting these growing stripes of different sizes. Each shot destroys one cell and writes one point to the player's account. If at least one bar grows to the bottom of the screen, it will be a loss. Some cells contain bonuses, and in order to get them, you need to shoot at this cell. One of them gives an extra life (initially there are three in total), the other raises all the strips one cell up, that is, it sort of erases the topmost row. The game is divided into levels, on each next the intensity of the onslaught grows. For all its visual simplicity, typical for all HVB Software games, it's incredibly exciting and very complex. Surviving levels from level 3 onwards requires extreme concentration, quick reaction times, and sheer luck, because the bars grow randomly and you never know which one will suddenly increase and ensure defeat. Poor ASCII graphics, by the way, is only a plus, because there are no distractions, and everything really needed for the game is clear and understandable. |
