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Kane (video game)
Encyclopedia
Kane is a multi-section action game
published by Mastertronic
, originally for the Commodore 64
in 1986. The game was then ported to a wide variety of other home computers. The game is set in the Wild West, and its name is a reference to the main character of the film High Noon
. The game consists of four distinct scenes, although some versions only contain two.
of the town of Kane. The game is split into four levels, two of which are shooting games using an on-screen target and two of which are side-scrolling action sequences on horseback. Only the shooting levels are present in all versions of the game. These may be played separately in the practice mode (with only one try given), but in order to complete and win the game, they must be played successively. The progress in the first scene defines the tries given in the next scenes.
Scene 1: The player controls a target and must shoot birds with a bow and arrow in order to trade with the Indians
. The birds appear at varying altitude from the left and fly horizontally to the right. At higher difficulty levels the speed also varies. The player starts with ten arrows. As the arrows take time to reach the target and the birds are moving, the player must anticipate the position the birds will be when the arrow reaches them. If the shot is successful, the arrow returns to the quiver
but arrows that miss are lost. It is possible to take down more than one bird with a single shot if the falling bird hits another as it plummets. The player can kill no more than forty birds or no more than forty birds can be let away (a tally of each is kept on screen). After the limit is reached or the quiver is empty, the player proceeds to the next scene, provided he has killed enough birds to trade for at least one 'peace token'. The number of birds required for a token depends on the difficulty level, beginning with three. The tokens earned in this scene act as the lives for the following scenes.
Scene 2: The player is on horseback and must ride to the town of Kane in a set time limit. The player must canter left to right or gallop to overcome wide obstacles. There are a number of obstacles (bushes, rocks, etc.) that the player must avoid by jumping over. The peace tokens are spent if the horse collides with an obstacle, and if the last medal spent the rider gives up and it is game over
.
Scene 3: When the player reaches the town he is ambushed by outlaws. The player controls the aim of a revolver, but unlike the first scene, the character on screen also moves left and right with the aim movement. The outlaws appear from cover at varying positions in the town and shoot at the player. The player must shoot ten outlaws, avoiding being shot himself. At higher difficulty levels the bandits are quicker and more accurate. The players' revolver has six bullets. At any time the player can move to the rightmost position to reload the weapon, but he is still vulnerable when reloading. The peace tokens are spent if the player is shot.
Scene 4: The player is on horseback again and must catch a moving train, this time moving from right to left. The train is travelling at the horse's canter speed so the player must gallop faster than train to reach the steam-engine and stop the train. As in scene 2, the horse must jump obstacles. These are more diverse and complicated and require a perfect knowledge of their order. At higher levels the player starts further from the engine and has to gallop longer. The peace tokens are spent if the horse collides with an obstacle.
After successfully completing the scenes, the game then repeats with greater difficulty.
and ZX Spectrum
, featuring all four scenes, and Acorn Electron
, BBC Micro
and Commodore 16
/Plus/4
with only the shooting scenes included (scenes 1 and 3 in the original game). Despite this, the BBC/Electron inlay gives instructions for all four scenes. This was corrected on the C16/Plus 4 inlay. All releases were in Mastertronic's £1.99 range.
with particular praise being given to the sampled sound effects and animation of the main sprites
(although they alleged that the main character is stolen from Impossible Mission
). The music comes in for criticism with the backgrounds and short nature of the game also being questioned but the game is recommended as "worth every penny of the measly two quid asking price" with an overall score of 63%. In direct contrast, their review of the C16 version in the Zzap!C16 supplement, the background graphics are praised but they claim "the movement of the main sprite leaves a little to be desired" giving an overall score of 48%. The Amstrad version (which is the most similar to the original) was particularly well received, scoring 70% in both Amstrad Action
and Amtix!
.
The Spectrum version gained less favourable reviews. Your Sinclair
was particularly critical, giving a score of only 3/10, complaining of the "luridly coloured" background graphics and the "dreadfully repetitive" gameplay. Graham Taylor of Sinclair User
could find only the character animation worthy of praise saying "the rest stinks", giving a score of 2/5.. Crash
gave a slightly higher score of 54% but were still mostly dismissive and did not recommend the game, claiming it was inferior to the original: "Mastertronic seem to have taken their time translating this to the Spectrum - and to be honest they shouldn't have bothered".
Jon Revis of Electron User
was also unimpressed with the Acorn version, criticising the unresponsive controls and especially the fact that scenes 2 and 4, as described in the inlay, are missing from the game: "It's a pity the programmer didn't read [the inlay]. The game may only cost £1.99 but I can't help feeling Mastertronic will receive a few letters of complaint about this one". The game was given a score of 4/10 for playability but an overall score of 6/10.
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...
published by Mastertronic
Mastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was the dominant software publisher in the UK, a position achieved by selling cassette-based software at the £1.99...
, originally for the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
in 1986. The game was then ported to a wide variety of other home computers. The game is set in the Wild West, and its name is a reference to the main character of the film High Noon
High Noon
High Noon is a 1952 American Western film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. The film tells in real time the story of a town marshal forced to face a gang of killers by himself...
. The game consists of four distinct scenes, although some versions only contain two.
Gameplay
The player takes the role of SheriffSheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of the town of Kane. The game is split into four levels, two of which are shooting games using an on-screen target and two of which are side-scrolling action sequences on horseback. Only the shooting levels are present in all versions of the game. These may be played separately in the practice mode (with only one try given), but in order to complete and win the game, they must be played successively. The progress in the first scene defines the tries given in the next scenes.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. The birds appear at varying altitude from the left and fly horizontally to the right. At higher difficulty levels the speed also varies. The player starts with ten arrows. As the arrows take time to reach the target and the birds are moving, the player must anticipate the position the birds will be when the arrow reaches them. If the shot is successful, the arrow returns to the quiver
Quiver
A quiver is a container for arrows. Quivers have been traditionally made of leather, bark, wood, furs and other natural materials; modern quivers are often made of metal and plastic....
but arrows that miss are lost. It is possible to take down more than one bird with a single shot if the falling bird hits another as it plummets. The player can kill no more than forty birds or no more than forty birds can be let away (a tally of each is kept on screen). After the limit is reached or the quiver is empty, the player proceeds to the next scene, provided he has killed enough birds to trade for at least one 'peace token'. The number of birds required for a token depends on the difficulty level, beginning with three. The tokens earned in this scene act as the lives for the following scenes.
Scene 2: The player is on horseback and must ride to the town of Kane in a set time limit. The player must canter left to right or gallop to overcome wide obstacles. There are a number of obstacles (bushes, rocks, etc.) that the player must avoid by jumping over. The peace tokens are spent if the horse collides with an obstacle, and if the last medal spent the rider gives up and it is game over
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...
.
Scene 3: When the player reaches the town he is ambushed by outlaws. The player controls the aim of a revolver, but unlike the first scene, the character on screen also moves left and right with the aim movement. The outlaws appear from cover at varying positions in the town and shoot at the player. The player must shoot ten outlaws, avoiding being shot himself. At higher difficulty levels the bandits are quicker and more accurate. The players' revolver has six bullets. At any time the player can move to the rightmost position to reload the weapon, but he is still vulnerable when reloading. The peace tokens are spent if the player is shot.
Scene 4: The player is on horseback again and must catch a moving train, this time moving from right to left. The train is travelling at the horse's canter speed so the player must gallop faster than train to reach the steam-engine and stop the train. As in scene 2, the horse must jump obstacles. These are more diverse and complicated and require a perfect knowledge of their order. At higher levels the player starts further from the engine and has to gallop longer. The peace tokens are spent if the horse collides with an obstacle.
After successfully completing the scenes, the game then repeats with greater difficulty.
Release
The game was first released on the Commodore 64 in early 1986. It was then ported to Amstrad CPCAmstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, featuring all four scenes, and Acorn Electron
Acorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
, BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
and Commodore 16
Commodore 16
The Commodore 16 was a home computer made by Commodore with a 6502-compatible 8501 CPU, released in 1984. It was intended to be an entry-level computer to replace the VIC-20 and it often sold for 99 USD...
/Plus/4
Commodore Plus/4
The Commodore Plus/4 was a home computer released by Commodore International in 1984. The "Plus/4" name refers to the four-application ROM resident office suite ; it was billed as "the productivity computer with software built-in"...
with only the shooting scenes included (scenes 1 and 3 in the original game). Despite this, the BBC/Electron inlay gives instructions for all four scenes. This was corrected on the C16/Plus 4 inlay. All releases were in Mastertronic's £1.99 range.
Critical reception
Reviews for the game were mixed, possibly reflecting the relative quality of the different versions of the game. The original version on the C64 was given a generally positive review in Zzap!64Zzap!64
Zzap!64 was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 . It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact....
with particular praise being given to the sampled sound effects and animation of the main sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
(although they alleged that the main character is stolen from Impossible Mission
Impossible Mission
Impossible Mission is a platform computer game for several home computers. The original version for the Commodore 64 was programmed by Dennis Caswell and published by Epyx in 1984.-Description:...
). The music comes in for criticism with the backgrounds and short nature of the game also being questioned but the game is recommended as "worth every penny of the measly two quid asking price" with an overall score of 63%. In direct contrast, their review of the C16 version in the Zzap!C16 supplement, the background graphics are praised but they claim "the movement of the main sprite leaves a little to be desired" giving an overall score of 48%. The Amstrad version (which is the most similar to the original) was particularly well received, scoring 70% in both Amstrad Action
Amstrad Action
Amstrad Action was a monthly magazine, published in the United Kingdom, which catered to owners of home computers from the Amstrad CPC range and later the GX4000 console....
and Amtix!
Amtix!
Amtix! magazine was, as its subtitle stated, a "monthly software review for the Amstrad computers". Published by Newsfield Publications Ltd in the mid eighties.-Lifetime:...
.
The Spectrum version gained less favourable reviews. Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated, was a British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum.-History:...
was particularly critical, giving a score of only 3/10, complaining of the "luridly coloured" background graphics and the "dreadfully repetitive" gameplay. Graham Taylor of Sinclair User
Sinclair User
Sinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum...
could find only the character animation worthy of praise saying "the rest stinks", giving a score of 2/5.. Crash
CRASH (magazine)
Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress.-Development:...
gave a slightly higher score of 54% but were still mostly dismissive and did not recommend the game, claiming it was inferior to the original: "Mastertronic seem to have taken their time translating this to the Spectrum - and to be honest they shouldn't have bothered".
Jon Revis of Electron User
Electron User
Electron User was a magazine targeted at owners of the Acorn Electron microcomputer. It was published by Database Publications of Stockport, starting in October 1983 and ending after 82 issues in July 1990....
was also unimpressed with the Acorn version, criticising the unresponsive controls and especially the fact that scenes 2 and 4, as described in the inlay, are missing from the game: "It's a pity the programmer didn't read [the inlay]. The game may only cost £1.99 but I can't help feeling Mastertronic will receive a few letters of complaint about this one". The game was given a score of 4/10 for playability but an overall score of 6/10.