Epic (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Epic is an action
-based space flight simulator game
developed by Digital Image Design
and published by Ocean Software
for the Amiga
and Atari ST
in early 1992, with ports for the PC DOS
and NEC PC-9801 later the same year. A sequel titled Inferno
was released for the PC CD-ROM
in 1994.
and the Star Wars
film franchise, focusing on a fleet of ships carrying the human inhabitants of a planet threatened by an imminent supernova
. The escape route leads through the Rexxon Empire's territory, which results in war. The player controls the fleet's only hope, one of three experimental Epic class fighters. In the final mission, the fighter is also used to deploy a cobalt bomb
.
as a spiritual sequel to the two Uridium
-like Goldrunner top-down shooting games, before a deal for publishing DID games was signed with Ocean in 1989.
Much of the technology that was used to create F29 Retaliator
has been used to create Epic. The action is viewed in 3D, with graphics being a mix of uniformly-colored polygons and bitmaps (featuring 32 colors for Atari-ST and and 64 colors in the Amiga version, largely shades of grey). The music featured in the game is the "Mars Suite" from The Planets
.
criticized the game for its poor design depth and playability; a war of words was exchanged between Amiga Power and Ocean over the review.
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...
-based space flight simulator game
Space flight simulator game
A space flight simulator game is a genre of simulation video games that lets players experience space flight. Highly realistic examples lacking any sort of combat include Orbiter and Microsoft Space Simulator...
developed by Digital Image Design
Digital Image Design
Digital Image Design was a British video game developer founded by Martin Kenwright and Phillip Allsopp in 1989 and was originally based in Runcorn, Cheshire, England. The company had employed around eighty developers who specialized in areas of software and simulation...
and published by Ocean Software
Ocean Software
The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
in early 1992, with ports for the PC DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and NEC PC-9801 later the same year. A sequel titled Inferno
Inferno (video game)
Inferno is a computer game developed by Digital Image Design and published by Ocean of America in 1994 for the IBM PC. This game is a sequel to Epic.-Reception:...
was released for the PC CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
in 1994.
Story
The plot borrowed heavily from the television series Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
and the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
film franchise, focusing on a fleet of ships carrying the human inhabitants of a planet threatened by an imminent supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
. The escape route leads through the Rexxon Empire's territory, which results in war. The player controls the fleet's only hope, one of three experimental Epic class fighters. In the final mission, the fighter is also used to deploy a cobalt bomb
Cobalt bomb
A cobalt bomb is a theoretical type of "salted bomb": a nuclear weapon intended to contaminate an area by radioactive material, with a relatively small blast....
.
Gameplay
Epic has eight completely different levels (including two in two phases), which take place either in space or over the surface of a planet, each with a tight time limit to complete the mission (destroying the assigned targets), with failure being not an option.Development
The game has been in development for about three years and repeatedly delayed. At first it was known under the working title Goldrunner 3D and was initially announced to be published by MicrodealMicrodeal
Microdeal was a British software company which operated during the 1980s and early 1990s from its base at Truro Road in the town of St Austell, Cornwall...
as a spiritual sequel to the two Uridium
Uridium
Uridium is a science fiction side-scrolling shoot 'em up for the Commodore 64 . It consists of fifteen levels, each named after a metal element, with the last level being called Uridium...
-like Goldrunner top-down shooting games, before a deal for publishing DID games was signed with Ocean in 1989.
Much of the technology that was used to create F29 Retaliator
F29 Retaliator
F29 Retaliator is a combat flight simulator video game developed by Digital Image Design and published by Ocean Software in 1989 for the PC, for the Amiga and Atari ST in 1990, and the FM Towns and NEC PC-9801 in 1992-1993...
has been used to create Epic. The action is viewed in 3D, with graphics being a mix of uniformly-colored polygons and bitmaps (featuring 32 colors for Atari-ST and and 64 colors in the Amiga version, largely shades of grey). The music featured in the game is the "Mars Suite" from The Planets
The Planets
The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst...
.
Reception
ACE gave the Amiga and ST versions a score of 839 (out of a possible 1000), praising its fast 3D graphics and sense of scale, but disliking its longevity and lack of depth. While other computer magazines gave Epic a glowing review, 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....
criticized the game for its poor design depth and playability; a war of words was exchanged between Amiga Power and Ocean over the review.