#synsoft

[retrocgads]

UK 1985

[retrocgads]

UK 1985

[periodically80s]

[ultrace]

Ever hear one of those stories and the person telling it ends up saying, “Guess you had to be there”? That’s kind of how it is with Blue Max, released for Commodore 64 and Atari machines in 1983 by Synapse Software. It feels difficult trying to convey to a modern gamer just how great this title is, especially given its release date, but it’s a quality product. It was one of the first games I got for my Commodore 64 in 1987 and even then I was late to the party but impressed nonetheless.

Blue Max is a cross between Zaxxon and River Raid, with the tiniest bit of flight simulation tossed in. The game is played from an isometric 3D perspective, like Sega’s arcade classic, but is set in the much more relatable era of World War I instead of the far future. As a British pilot, you'll be bombing buildings, bridges, cars, tanks and runways of the Central Powers. Why is a game where you fight on the side of the Allies named after one of the top military honors of the time in Germany? According to the storyline, your pilot is such a successful bomber and nuisance to the Central Powers that the "Blue Max" award is being offered to anyone who can take you down. In reality that's not how it worked at all, but hey, it makes for a cool name, so we can roll with it.

Even if this was all the game offered, it would still be a fun title, but Blue Max actually takes things a little further. Much like in River Raid, you'll have to manage your fuel, which can only be replenished at special landing strips between long runs. You'll also have to deal with damage to your plane. You only get one life, but can sustain potentially several hits while flying. Like in Activision's old Atari 2600 game Robot Tank, each hit you sustain will damage a part of your plane. You can lose maneuverability, suffer a fuel leak and have your guns and/or bombing system work intermittently. Only crashing into the ground, colliding with another airplane in mid-air or being bombed while on the runway refueling (see my last pic for an example of this inglorious end in action) can destroy you. But crashing becomes extremely easy when you've taken a few shots from the zealous artillery scattered around. Repairing your plane can be done between runs, but requires extra time sitting on the runway after you’ve refueled. Doing so poses a great risk.

You could fly around for some time just enjoying bombing runs over the early 20th century German countryside (which appears to be generated procedurally), but the ultimate objective of the game is to advance through different terrains and ultimately win. In order to do this, you need to bomb specific targets scattered in each area. Buildings and bridges will be marked with a flashing "X" symbol; enemy planes and vehicles will be flashing blue. Once you've nailed enough targets through various runs, you'll move to another kind of area--runways and trainyards, and even a German city. Each of these comes with increased aggressiveness, but advance far enough and you'll win the game. It was a thrilling advancement in gaming back in 1983

[retrocgads]

UK 1985

[retrocgads]

UK 1984