Mikro-Gen Ltd

Automania

Automania

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

Wally works on a car assembly line. In this platform type game, the player must help Wally build a series of ten cars. Each car consist of six parts that are distributed all around the stock room which must be collected and at the assembly area, be placed in their correct positions on the car. The factory is populated with robots, bouncing tires, and air cooling blades which kill on contact so it's going to be a long working day.

Equinox

Equinox

Enterprise - 1986

Equinox is a computer game developed and published by Mikro-Gen for a range of home computers including the Enterprise.

Everyone's a Wally

Everyone's a Wally

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

Everyone's a Wally was the first arcade adventure game to feature multiple playable characters - a revolutionary feature at the time. Players began in control of Wally (a builder and handyman), but could switch to Wilma (his wife), and their friends Tom (a punk mechanic), Dick (a plumber) and Harry (a hippie electrician) - these last three names drawn from the placeholder phrase Tom, Dick and Harry. Herbert (their baby son) also appeared in the game as a mobile hazard NPC. The player cannot freely change character; the player begins in control of Wally and, in order to switch to another character, must first locate them. Characters not being controlled by the player wander randomly around the map controlled by extremely simple AI - another feature that, at the time, had never been seen before. Lives and health (called "endurance") were tracked independently for each character, but the game ended if any character died. The aim of the game is to complete a day's worth of work for each character; each character has a job to do stereotypical of their skill - for instance, Wally has to build a wall, Wilma has to take back three books to the library, etc. Completing the job awards the character with a letter, which spells out a password to open a safe holding everyone's wages. (The eventual password is "BREAK" - knowing this does not spoil the game since most of the letters can be seen before jobs are complete; the game requires them to be actually collected before allowing the safe to open.)

Frost Byte

Frost Byte

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

In Frost Byte you control Hickey the Kreezer, an elastic curve which moves sideways, jumps and shoots. You must navigate your way through planet Cosmica, and rescue your brethren, within the limited 'Twang' energy you have. Cosmica is full of hideous monsters, many of which can be shot. Your character builds momentum as it moves, so some hazards are easier to clear from a running start. You can only jump vertically, although you have control as the character falls. Ammunition is limited, and must be collected throughout your quest. Three sweets which enhance your character can be collected - the red one increases your speed, blue increases the height of your leap, and green means you can safely fall further. There are additional objects to pick up and use as well.

Frost Byte

Frost Byte

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

In Frost Byte you control Hickey the Kreezer, an elastic curve which moves sideways, jumps and shoots. You must navigate your way through planet Cosmica, and rescue your brethren, within the limited 'Twang' energy you have. Cosmica is full of hideous monsters, many of which can be shot. Your character builds momentum as it moves, so some hazards are easier to clear from a running start. You can only jump vertically, although you have control as the character falls. Ammunition is limited, and must be collected throughout your quest. Three sweets which enhance your character can be collected - the red one increases your speed, blue increases the height of your leap, and green means you can safely fall further. There are additional objects to pick up and use as well.

Frost Byte

Frost Byte

Enterprise - 1986

Frost Byte is a game published by Mikro-Gen and released on the Enterprise and Spectrum in 1986. It's a platform type game with maze/puzzle elements.

Herbert's Dummy Run

Herbert's Dummy Run

Commodore 64 - Released - 1985

Herbert's Dummy Run is the 4th game out of five in the Wally Week series (Automania, Pyjamarama, Everyone's a Wally and Three Weeks in Paradise) and sees baby Herbert lost in a department store trying to find his parents Wally and Wilma in the Lost and Found before the end of the day. As in previous games Herbert's Dummy Run is an arcade adventure where you must pick up objects and place them in the right locations. You are only able to carry two objects at a time and some objects are needed to be found to help complete the various arcade sequences. Nasties need to be avoided as well and if touched part of your tear gauge is filled. If your tear gauge is filled then one of three lives are lost. Lose all three lives or run out of time then it is game over. Il Meglio di Jackon Soft, Jackson Soft Oro #5

Pyjamarama

Pyjamarama

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

Wally Week has become trapped inside one of his own nightmares, and is in danger of failing to wake up from it in time for work. Only you can save him from the inevitable sack, by finding the key that can be used to bring your alarm clock to life. The world inside his head is large and varied, with escalators, lifts and locked doors used to navigate it. Only two objects can be carried at a time, but some must be used in tandem, and others only become active when you walk over them while carrying one or two items they require to become active. As this is a nightmare world, not everything is as it seems - everything is enlarged, and axes, punching hands and ghosts are all out to get you. Your energy is measured by a 'Snooze Energy' meter depicted by a glass of milk - once this drops to minimum, one of your 3 lives is lost.

Shadow of the Unicorn

Shadow of the Unicorn

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

In Shadow of the Unicorn, the player assumes the role of multiple characters, trying to get rid of the evil and chaos unleashed upon two kingdoms when a magical book was unsealed. At the beginning of the game, it's possible to switch between three different characters - the King of Oronfall, his Satyr friend, and a wizard. Eventually, the number grows to ten, once a controllable character has been found. The explored lands are shown from a side view, with a compass indicating the currently viewed direction. Pressing the appropriate keys or joystick changes the view and lets the player travel in a different direction. There are furthermore bars indicating the energy and injury level of the currently controlled character. Energy is decreasing slowly over time and may be refilled when magical bushes are found, while injuries occur from occasional fights with hostile creatures. Objects necessary to complete the quest are scattered throughout the land. Some clues in addition to the back story are contained in the accompanying novel of the game.

Stainless Steel

Stainless Steel

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

Ricky Steel is a feared renegade with a mechanical arm to fire bullets, and his Class A101 armoured yet amphibious Nightwind car is Stainless. He lives in a Mad Max-inspired world, but Dr. Vardos has sent a horde of androids to destroy it. Take control of Steel and stop this, in this Spy Hunter-style vertically scrolling road-based shooter. The game is split into four sections. You begin on foot, and must travel up the screen to reach the Nightwind. Helicopters and other foes must be shot or avoided, and their bullets avoided. You then enter your vehicle and drive up the screen, dealing with similar hazards. The controls involve pushing forward to accelerate and pushing down to reverse. Level 2 involves taking to the water, attacking submarines using bombs. The final showdown involves hunting down and killing Vardos, despite the attentions of animal-shaped asteroids and other hazards. The scanner along the bottom of the screen is crucial to spotting foes as they approach. You have a limited shield, turned on and off by pressing space, and limited fuel which is recharged by collecting fuel circles which float by.

Tai Pan

Tai Pan

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1984

The object of the game is to become Tai Pan by building a shipping line and then making money faster than your opponents. The first player whose corporate value exceeds £100,000 will be declared Tai Pan. You wish to make your fortune in China, in this adaptation of James Clavell's book. First job is to get enough of a loan to buy a ship; once you have this, and get a crew either by paying them or simply kidnapping them, you can begin trading. The game has three main stages, and a number of different gameplay elements, largely allowing you choose your own path. Initially you walk the streets trying to get the right elements and people, then you head out onto the waters to head to other trading cities. Upon approaching other ships you can board them and do battle with their inhabitants.

The Witch's Cauldron

The Witch's Cauldron

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

The Witch's Cauldron is a text adventure with graphics where the protagonist is turned into a slimy toad by the witch Hazel, apparently inspired by the classic fairy tale The Frog King. Imprisoned on the witch's island, the player needs to get the main character back to his original form by collecting ingredients and mixing them into the cauldron, with complementary adventure game puzzles. During the game, the player will transform into various creatures, such as a bat, a cat or an ape, while trying to regain the human form. The screen has been divided horizontally in a graphic representation of the scene (top) and a lower part for the text description and commands. The scenes are not shown from a first-person perspective. Instead, the player is able to see its form in a third-person view from the side, showing the current location in relation to the objects. There are about 100 rooms to explore and some puzzles require a specific form. If a shape change happens to quickly, it becomes possible to miss out on items.

The Witch's Cauldron

The Witch's Cauldron

Commodore 64 - Released - 1985

The Witch's Cauldron is a text adventure with graphics where the protagonist is turned into a slimy toad by the witch Hazel, apparently inspired by the classic fairy tale The Frog King. Imprisoned on the witch's island, the player needs to get the main character back to his original form by collecting ingredients and mixing them into the cauldron, with complementary adventure game puzzles. During the game, the player will transform into various creatures, such as a bat, a cat or an ape, while trying to regain the human form. The screen has been divided horizontally in a graphic representation of the scene (top) and a lower part for the text description and commands. The scenes are not shown from a first-person perspective. Instead, the player is able to see its form in a third-person view from the side, showing the current location in relation to the objects. There are about 100 rooms to explore and some puzzles require a specific form. If a shape change happens to quickly, it becomes possible to miss out on items.

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