|
|
|
ELVEN WARRIOR
review | ZX SPECTRUM
|
Publisher: Players Premier.
Developer: Duncan Kershaw. Released: 1989. Genre: 2D Action-platformer. Other versions: CPC; C64. Posted 27th August 2025. By Tom Clare © 2025 |
|
You can’t beat a bit of 1980s fantasy gaming. It’s true, much of the thematic heavy lifting had to be performed by players’ imaginations, but this was all part of the ZX Spectrum’s charm. Give us a cool setting, fill it with platforms, baddies, and ample tests of hand-eye coordination, and we’re away. Elven Warrior placed players in the role of Elf who, according to the manual, returns to the woods one night to rubberneck the charred remains of a freshly burnt witch. He wastes no sentimentality on the victim, but has plenty of interest in what was in her possession. Fortuitously enough, the Book of Immortality somehow survived the incineration. Elf takes to reading it, discovering that seemingly all that stands between him and eternal life is a quintet of cauldrons that must each be filled with four magic potions.
For the player, this boils down to some good ol’ fashioned flick-screen adventuring, with plenty of platforming, a decent helping of combat, and obligatory item retrieval. It’s not the most revolutionary setup, nor does it sound especially exciting, but Elven Warrior is an enjoyable effort nonetheless. It’s helped in no small part by some very smart graphics, where the quality of the sprites takes centre stage. Elf moves with silky-smooth animations, whilst the various shambling zombies, creepy floating voodoo masks, and beastly warriors are all nicely drawn. It could be argued that the eerie woodland exteriors are a few pixels short of a Myth plagiarism lawsuit, but in conjunction with the blue caverns, its compact design structure helps ensure the contents of each screen is clearly defined, and packed with action. A little more variety wouldn’t have gone amiss, though the only technical fault of note is a ton of colour clash.
Elven Warrior's visual design is very tidy, though a little more variety wouldn't have hurt
Nippy controls and a nice array of platforming obstacles ensure exploration is fun, whilst the combat is excellent. Beginning with a bow and arrow, Elf will encounter a bunch of throwing implements, including hatchets, that can be chucked across the screen, taking out foes in one satisfying hit, eliminating them for the duration of that screen. Convincing hit boxes help, whilst eagle-eyed players will find a modest number of screen-clearing potions, though unlike the awful C64 version, you’ll rarely find yourself overrun by foes. The effects of weapons firing and enemies being vanquished lend further elegance to its stylish presentation.
Oddly, Elf can jump only directly upwards. This might sound like a major impediment, but the environments are crafted cleverly around this factor, encouraging players to think about how to best to ascend and descend the many ledges and drops. Elven Warrior loses marks for a bit of lax design here and there: seemingly innocuous falls can leave the player wedged between two blocking pieces of scenery, and given that you can only jump vertically, that’s essentially Game Over. There’s one game-breaking bug that I encountered, where a drop sees Elf becoming stuck in the top of a wall, with no means of manoeuvre. It turns out, this wall is removed through the filling of one of the cauldrons, so as long as you avoid the drop till that point, you’ll be okay.
Oddly, Elf can jump only directly upwards. This might sound like a major impediment, but the environments are crafted cleverly around this factor, encouraging players to think about how to best to ascend and descend the many ledges and drops. Elven Warrior loses marks for a bit of lax design here and there: seemingly innocuous falls can leave the player wedged between two blocking pieces of scenery, and given that you can only jump vertically, that’s essentially Game Over. There’s one game-breaking bug that I encountered, where a drop sees Elf becoming stuck in the top of a wall, with no means of manoeuvre. It turns out, this wall is removed through the filling of one of the cauldrons, so as long as you avoid the drop till that point, you’ll be okay.
|
|
Like many games of the time, it adopts a bit of a guinea pig approach to trial-and-error, which some will have more patience for than others. Though not excessively regular, you will at points need to risk an unsighted fall to a screen below, hoping that you don’t land in water or become impaled on spikes. With no checkpoints and one life only, Elf’s journey can end very abruptly. This, along with running out of keys (who has single-use keys?!) through trying different routes to locate elusive potions, creates the lion’s share of Elven Warrior’s challenge.
It’s a shame there’s no in-game BGM, as this does rob EW of the atmosphere the visuals fight hard to earn. That said, special mention must go to the awesome title screen music; a superbly atmospheric, dark fantasy theme perfect for whetting the appetite for what lies in wait. The game took me a good seven or eight attempts due to out-of-the-blue deaths and occasional bugs. It’s tricky to beat, though mostly due to obscure potion placements which, despite the broadening of the map with each full cauldron, are often found in earlier locations.
It’s a shame there’s no in-game BGM, as this does rob EW of the atmosphere the visuals fight hard to earn. That said, special mention must go to the awesome title screen music; a superbly atmospheric, dark fantasy theme perfect for whetting the appetite for what lies in wait. The game took me a good seven or eight attempts due to out-of-the-blue deaths and occasional bugs. It’s tricky to beat, though mostly due to obscure potion placements which, despite the broadening of the map with each full cauldron, are often found in earlier locations.
|
|
Careful where you fall, as occasionally you won't be able to get back up...
Elven Warrior marks a tidy platform adventure game. For the most part, it exhibits a lot of quality. Decent design helps set the scene for a commendable slice of fantasy escapism, with top-notch combat, pretty presentation, and a diverting enough sequence of fetch quests. It has its blemishes, notably a severe lack of originality, an over-reliance on backtracking, and instances of careless programming that result in frustrating Game Overs. Overall though, fans of ZX Spectrum adventure games this fun fantasy a chance.
|
VERDICT"What Elven Warrior lacks in originality it makes up for with impressive presentation and sturdy platforming. A few bugs and a lack of thematic variety diminish it somewhat, but it's a fun adventure nevertheless." OVERALL: 6/10 |
OTHER GAMES WITH CLASSIC FANTASY THEMES REVIEWED
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014, PlayStation 4)
|
Rendsword (2024, Playdate)
|