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Played by: MadMatty
Armalyte, developed by Cyberdyne Systems for the Commodore 64 and published by Thalamus in 1988. The game was also released on the Amstrad CPC. A competition edition was also developed (not sure how it was originally released) that allowed number of starting lives to be set for each player and a level select. This version has since been re-released with some new editions by Psytronik.
“Enter the forbidden zones, beyond the nightmare of delta with ARMALYTE…. Two freedom fighters lost in eight sections of a deadly galaxy, their own determination and control are the only elements standing between them and oblivion. ARMALYTE: featuring eight levels of frantic shoot ‘em up action, requiring nerves of steel and a sharp eye for the invading alien forces. With stunning and original graphics, animation and tracks of superlative music and sound FX. This is the biggest blast since the big one! “
At this point we have had some good shoot em up on the C64 with the likes of Katakis, R-Type and Salamander amongst many others so Armalyte has to be good and it is! The game is often referred to as Delta II taking place in its universe and being by Thalamus, I guess it is. The game is also called Armalyte: The Final Run on the Amiga/PC although it is not a port but more an authorised conversion with its own identity.
The game supports 2 players, each controlling a craft or you can have a droid follow in 1 player mode. The droid can be left to float around you are locked to a position. It is invincible and flies over obstacles. The only other option at the start is the type of starfield in which you can choose one of three. During play you can collect powerups which give you invincibility for a few seconds. You can also shoot them to get a different weapon upgrade. It’s a good idea to get the Generators and Batteries to charge up your super weapon. The super weapon can be selected at any time during play from 3 types and you hold the fire button to fire a charge. The only real annoyance is that the generators vanish after each level and you need to collect them again. Powerups are plenty though so not a huge issue.
The game isn’t overly frustrating which helps with replay ability. Each level is memorisable and continues to scroll along even when you are destroyed which helps if you encounter a frustrating area. The expected level of Thalamus presentation is all here and helps to make the game a great package complete with ending sequence. A great shoot em up and a great game on the C64. If it was possible to fault it I would say not having a choice of in game music is a negative. The tape version features loading music while each level loads but not on the disk version used for this video. I let the scrolling demo play at the end of the game which uses the level loading music.
00:00:00 Loader music
00:03:20 Title Screen Music
00:06:45 Gameplay starts Here!
00:44:13 Level Loading Music (Scrolling Demo) -
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