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Assassin (video game)
Encyclopedia
Assassin is a video game for the Commodore Amiga system. It was developed by Psionic Systems and published in by Team 17. The game is an action game
that has platform
and shoot 'em up
type gameplay. Assassin was updated and re-released in as Assassin: Special Edition.
, who has credits for many Team 17 video games.
that is razor-edged.
There are three skill levels to Assassin, Rookie, Arcade and Ultimate. As well as changing the difficulty, each level unlocks more of the game than the level that is easier than it. The enemies are tougher to defeat in the higher levels, but there are more rewards.
The player must guide the assassin through the levels facing enemies ranging from vicious dogs to wall mounted laser cannons. As well as the platforms
, the player is able to control the assassin to climb on walls and ceilings as a method of getting around, and avoiding enemies. The player can use the boomerang to attack enemies, or use bonus weapons that are gained by achieving certain requirements. The whole game is controlled by a joystick
.
Assassin: Special Edition was released 2 years after the original game and various gameplay elements were altered. The first level is gone which means that there no longer are the dogs as enemies, also the boomerang has been replaced with a laser gun.
noted the similarities of the game to Strider
and Turrican
, but overall rated the game highly at 89%. Again, the atmosphere of the game was praised, as were the graphics and animation. CU Amiga scored the game 89% and noted the size of the game maps. There are over 1500 screens over the five levels. The magazine said this was one of the games most striking features. Despite the critical acclaim, Martyn Brown, co-founder of Team 17 considers Assassin to be Team 17's least successful game. He attributes this to limited appeal.
The Assassin: Special Edition re-release was seen as an unnecessary release and even a backwards step as various gameplay elements were removed. Amiga Power gave the game a lower rating of 79%, but still praised most of it.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
that has platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
and shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
type gameplay. Assassin was updated and re-released in as Assassin: Special Edition.
Development
Assassin was developed by Psionic Systems in conjunction with Team 17. The project manager was Martyn Brown. Development was handled by programmers David Broadhurst and Haydn Dalton. With additional freelance work from Mike and Andrew Oakley. The music and sound effects in the game were handled by long term Team 17 audio specialist Allister BrimbleAllister Brimble
Allister Mark Brimble is a video game music composer. Allister has written music and sound effects for the videogame industry since the mid 1980s for a vast array of games, such as Driver, Project-X, Superfrog, Alien Breed, Assassin, Colonization, Descent II, Dizzy series ,Slightly Magic...
, who has credits for many Team 17 video games.
Gameplay
Assassin's storyline is fairly simple. The character is an assassin that has been hired to kill the antagonist of the game, "Midian". He is then dropped behind enemy lines and must first disable Midian's power source, and then assassinate him. The assassin is armed with a boomerangBoomerang
A boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...
that is razor-edged.
There are three skill levels to Assassin, Rookie, Arcade and Ultimate. As well as changing the difficulty, each level unlocks more of the game than the level that is easier than it. The enemies are tougher to defeat in the higher levels, but there are more rewards.
The player must guide the assassin through the levels facing enemies ranging from vicious dogs to wall mounted laser cannons. As well as the platforms
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
, the player is able to control the assassin to climb on walls and ceilings as a method of getting around, and avoiding enemies. The player can use the boomerang to attack enemies, or use bonus weapons that are gained by achieving certain requirements. The whole game is controlled by a joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
.
Assassin: Special Edition was released 2 years after the original game and various gameplay elements were altered. The first level is gone which means that there no longer are the dogs as enemies, also the boomerang has been replaced with a laser gun.
Reception
Assassin has received high ratings. The One Amiga rated the game 92%, praising all areas of the game. In particular the sound effects. In the review, the reviewer noted that the sound effects were "some of the most imaginative and atmospheric I've ever heard". The only criticism in he review was that some of the backgrounds seemed empty. The review from Amiga PowerAmiga Power
Amiga Power was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996....
noted the similarities of the game to Strider
Strider (arcade game)
Strider, released in Japan as is a 1989 side-scrolling platform game released for the CP System arcade hardware by Capcom. It became one of Capcom's early hits before Street Fighter II, revered for its innovative gameplay and multilingual voice clips during cutscenes .-Plot: Strider is set in a...
and Turrican
Turrican
Turrican is a 1989 video game programmed and designed by Manfred Trenz. It was first developed for the Commodore 64 by Rainbow Arts, but was ported to other systems later. In addition to concept design and character creation, Trenz personally programmed Turrican on the Commodore 64...
, but overall rated the game highly at 89%. Again, the atmosphere of the game was praised, as were the graphics and animation. CU Amiga scored the game 89% and noted the size of the game maps. There are over 1500 screens over the five levels. The magazine said this was one of the games most striking features. Despite the critical acclaim, Martyn Brown, co-founder of Team 17 considers Assassin to be Team 17's least successful game. He attributes this to limited appeal.
The Assassin: Special Edition re-release was seen as an unnecessary release and even a backwards step as various gameplay elements were removed. Amiga Power gave the game a lower rating of 79%, but still praised most of it.