ROLAND ON THE ROPES (CPC)
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Publisher: Amsoft.
Developer: Indescomp. Released: 1984. Genre: 2D Platformer; Maze. Posted 27th May 2014. By Chris Weatherley © 2014 |
Keen to gain a bit of catch-up momentum with the release of the CPC, Amstrad devised a character that they hoped would become the machine’s mascot. Created by Alan Sugar and Jose Dominguez, and named after Amstrad engineer Roland Perry, the multi-skilled, multi-faceted adventurer Roland was born. He would go on to appear in many Amstrad releases, albeit in various different forms and guises. His first incarnation is how I like to envisage him however, as the Indiana Jones style swashbuckler, dodging creepy crawlies and looting forbidden treasures. Roland on the Ropes was the first game in the series, and one which nearly all CPC owners should have played as it was part of the PP6 game pack which came with many machines. Roland’s first appearance didn’t break down any walls, but certainly wasn’t a pile of ancient ruins neither.
Unfortunately, with no drawn title screen to speak of, a basic menu loads up to send us headlong into the first adventures of the fedora-wearing plunderer and immediately the visual approach is evident. A budget morning cartoon styling with brash and bold shapes and colours, well done for the time with a hint of comic regard thrown in. Roland himself is nicely animated for the most part; with funny jumps, walking action and a very suspicious rope climbing technique for those of a dirty-minded persuasion. The setting of the vertical maze is a mish-mash of cloned stone blocks and icons, nothing out of the ordinary.
Unfortunately, with no drawn title screen to speak of, a basic menu loads up to send us headlong into the first adventures of the fedora-wearing plunderer and immediately the visual approach is evident. A budget morning cartoon styling with brash and bold shapes and colours, well done for the time with a hint of comic regard thrown in. Roland himself is nicely animated for the most part; with funny jumps, walking action and a very suspicious rope climbing technique for those of a dirty-minded persuasion. The setting of the vertical maze is a mish-mash of cloned stone blocks and icons, nothing out of the ordinary.
...That awkward moment when supremacists crash your tunnel party.
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Roland is embarrassed to awaken in a risqué dungeon. Again.
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The enemies are happily varied and random in their behaviours and appearance, particularly the ghosts. These appear to have followed the Casper the Friendly Ghost line of design; with large noses, pin eyes and full bodies. They pass through walls at a moment’s notice and are by far and away the most hindrance to the looting that is to be done. It’s a large play area too, set above a HUD which requires some degree of deciphering. For all the decent graphical touches however, there is one glaring problem, and as I will go on to mention, hark back to the 70s console games of the previous decade. Flickering occurs with almost every movement, no matter how acute. When running along or climbing, the HUD shimmers and flashes to much annoyance. This can cause a lot of eye strain when progressing deep into the game, and drags down the overall quality.
Despite the apparent setting of Egyptian pyramids or Jordanian tombs, we are greeted by a tinny but pleasant rendition of the High Noon TV theme ‘Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling’. Odd this, but the music choices of Amsoft have a tendency towards the peculiar, so it’s expected with dread, and with ROTR that’s all the music there is on offer. In-game sounds are plentiful and apt in a cartoon kind of way, and this is not only pleasing to the ears but gives an aura of nostalgia even when it was released. Like a collection of the best blips, whizzes and swooshes on the Ataris or Colecovisions of the 70s. The squeaking effect accompanying rope climbing can get annoying and sound can clash at certain points, which is disappointing.
The task in hand is to get Roland to the top of the map and find the exit, and progress to the next stage. On the way, you have to collect certain treasures and trinkets to make this possible. Getting to the exit without a piece of loot will see you unable to enter the next level. Cleverly, these items are scattered around the maze not in the direct route, so you have to back-track and actively search the level to fully complete it.
Despite the apparent setting of Egyptian pyramids or Jordanian tombs, we are greeted by a tinny but pleasant rendition of the High Noon TV theme ‘Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling’. Odd this, but the music choices of Amsoft have a tendency towards the peculiar, so it’s expected with dread, and with ROTR that’s all the music there is on offer. In-game sounds are plentiful and apt in a cartoon kind of way, and this is not only pleasing to the ears but gives an aura of nostalgia even when it was released. Like a collection of the best blips, whizzes and swooshes on the Ataris or Colecovisions of the 70s. The squeaking effect accompanying rope climbing can get annoying and sound can clash at certain points, which is disappointing.
The task in hand is to get Roland to the top of the map and find the exit, and progress to the next stage. On the way, you have to collect certain treasures and trinkets to make this possible. Getting to the exit without a piece of loot will see you unable to enter the next level. Cleverly, these items are scattered around the maze not in the direct route, so you have to back-track and actively search the level to fully complete it.
Little known fact: Roland gave his sneakers to Sonic when he retired
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Lucky Roland has a fine memory; a man could get lost in these archives
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Set points have fixed enemies such as the obligatory acid drops, scurrying pink rats (!) and bats, all avoidable apart from the latter as Roland has no ability to duck, which is a pity. Although he can shoot his pistol to scare off some nasties, this is principally redundant. He can’t jump while running either, so you have to stop and time a standing jump to avoid rats and such like. It’s the more unpredictable baddies that can really spoil your day out in the crypt. Chief among which are the ghosts; who travel in all directions and can appear at the moments notice, seconded only by the green wall-crawlers located in the rope shafts. Whilst these make the game difficult, there are vitally important to the gameplay. If it were a simple case of learning the maze and avoiding the fixed hazards, it would be a short lived affair, but the inclusion of said erratic and surprising enemies makes it a challenge every time you play. You never know if your luck will hold out while hanging from the rope, or if three ghosts will suddenly gang up on you in a dead-end. This creates a fun and equally frustrating task with a fair bit of life to hold your attention.
Although the later levels can be extremely taxing, almost proving impossible to conquer at times, the challenge is well balanced for the most as the frequency of adversaries’ increases gradually and the mazes get more complex. The primary exploration factor is really good, SFX and chunky entertaining graphics help this along too, but all this is affected badly by the constant flickering and somewhat jerky scrolling. So much so it turns what could have been a great CPC outing into a distinctly average affair. It wouldn’t be unwarranted to say that many of the Roland games didn’t hit the highs they should have, the very first game exhibiting the reasons why adeptly. It’s remembered as the classic in the CPC fan-sphere, and is a good, enjoyable game for short stints of play, but with it’s scrolling and jittering issues it feels a bit… ropey.
Although the later levels can be extremely taxing, almost proving impossible to conquer at times, the challenge is well balanced for the most as the frequency of adversaries’ increases gradually and the mazes get more complex. The primary exploration factor is really good, SFX and chunky entertaining graphics help this along too, but all this is affected badly by the constant flickering and somewhat jerky scrolling. So much so it turns what could have been a great CPC outing into a distinctly average affair. It wouldn’t be unwarranted to say that many of the Roland games didn’t hit the highs they should have, the very first game exhibiting the reasons why adeptly. It’s remembered as the classic in the CPC fan-sphere, and is a good, enjoyable game for short stints of play, but with it’s scrolling and jittering issues it feels a bit… ropey.
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VERDICT
Visual: 6/10
Audio: 6/10 Gameplay: 7/10 Longevity: 6/10 OVERALL: 6/10 |