Gorf Longplay (Commodore 64 Version) - Warning: Contains Flashing Lights!
5Gorf Longplay (Commodore 64 Version) -
Gorf is a fixed shooter originally developed by Midway and released as an arcade game in 1981. The game’s title stands for "Galactic Orbiting Robot Force," and it features a series of five distinct missions, each with unique gameplay mechanics. Players must defeat waves of enemies while progressing through these missions: "Astro Battles," inspired by Space Invaders; "Laser Attack," featuring fast-moving enemies and laser barriers; "Galaxians," modeled after Galaxian; "Space Warp," where enemies emerge from a swirling vortex; and "Flagship," which tasks players with destroying a heavily shielded mothership.
The Commodore 64 version of Gorf, released in 1983 and developed by Commodore, adapted much of the arcade experience. However, due to copyright restrictions, the "Galaxians" mission was removed, reducing the total number of missions to four. Despite this omission, the C64 version retained much of the gameplay charm and challenge of the original.
One of the standout features of Gorf is its use of synthesized speech, which was groundbreaking at the time. On the Commodore 64, this feature was preserved when using the Magic Voice Speech Module, allowing the game to deliver its iconic taunts like “Insert coin, space cadet!” This addition was a major draw for fans of the arcade version.
The gameplay of Gorf is characterized by its variety, as each mission introduces new enemy patterns and mechanics, keeping the experience fresh. However, the game does loop endlessly after completing all the missions, making it more about achieving high scores than reaching a definitive ending.
I think the Commodore 64 version of Gorf did a solid job of porting the arcade’s core gameplay mechanics, even if it wasn’t perfect. The missing "Galaxians" mission and the slightly less dynamic graphics and sound are definite drawbacks, but I still see it as a nostalgic favorite for fans of early shooter games. For me, it’s a great example of how arcade classics were adapted to home systems during the 1980s.
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