INEPT REVIEWS: THE DARK ZX SPECTRUM
21There was a time when games for the humble 8-bit micro computers were mostly rubbish platformers, text adventures and cheap knock off arcade clones of Space Invaders and Pac Man. But every now and then some clever geezer came up with a genuinely stand out title, some new type of game that blew our minds away. Lords of Midnight, Knight Lore, Castle Master etc - these games pushed the ZX Spectrum to its limits. But there was a genre of game that the computer never did, mostly because it wasn't a thing back in 1984. And that was the First Person Shooter, made famous by Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. Well fast forward to 1997 and The Dark by Oleg Origin. This chap managed to make a FPS on the basic ZX Spectrum and it's colourful and fast. It's a technical marvel. However, does that mean the game is actually good?
Here was a quick review I done on the 22nd June 2022. I am especially harsh on this game, struggling to get to grips with the very limited frame rate and movement. It probably deserves a more thorough play at a later date. It's worth noting that since the original release, it has been spruced up in a Redux version, published by Zosya Entertainment.