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Killer Gorilla (video game)
Encyclopedia
Killer Gorilla is a computer game written by Adrian Stephens and originally published by Micro Power
for the BBC Micro
in 1983 and ported to the Acorn Electron
and Amstrad CPC
computers in 1984. It is a clone of Nintendo
's Donkey Kong
.
Adrian Stephens was paid 400 pounds
for writing Killer Gorilla. He wrote it after buying a magazine that had screenshots of the four levels of Donkey Kong
, and that made him feel like doing something similar.
The game can be played on a PC
with a BBC Micro
emulator
such as BeebEm
.
The game involves controlling a man to reach a fair-haired heiress trapped by a large gorilla
at the top of the screen. It is made up of four levels, set higher and higher up a construction site – 25 m, 50 m, 75 m and 100 m.
There are two hammers on the 25 m, 50 m and 100 m levels, with none on the 75 m level. Hammers last for about 10 seconds, as measured by the amount of bonus that ticks away. You cannot climb ladders or jump gaps when holding the hammer.
After completing the four levels, the player returns to the 25 m level and the game repeats, getting progressively faster and with more barrels, custard pies, and fireballs. In addition, the girders on the 25 m level acquire more holes.
An extra life is awarded when the player completes the 75 m level for the first time.
's highly regarded Play It Again Sam 3 (1988). PIAS 3 also included a game called Killer Gorilla 2 but this was actually a re-titled early Superior Software game. Based on Donkey Kong Junior and originally released as Zany Kong Junior in 1984, it was soon withdrawn after a cease and desist from Atarisoft
who owned the home computer rights to the original game. Ironically, Atarisoft had commissioned Adrian Stephens to officially port Donkey Kong Junior to the BBC Micro after seeing Killer Gorilla but the game was never released as Atarisoft decided to abandon the BBC platform. This version has since surfaced on the internet.
Micro Power
Micro Power was a British company established in the early 1980s, best known as a video game publisher but they also produced and sold many types of computer hardware and software through their Leeds...
for the 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...
in 1983 and ported to the 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....
and Amstrad CPC
Amstrad 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,...
computers in 1984. It is a clone of Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong (video game)
is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...
.
Adrian Stephens was paid 400 pounds
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
for writing Killer Gorilla. He wrote it after buying a magazine that had screenshots of the four levels of Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong (video game)
is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...
, and that made him feel like doing something similar.
The game can be played on a PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
with a 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...
emulator
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
such as BeebEm
BeebEm
BeebEm is a BBC Micro emulator, first developed by David Gilbert in 1994 and since improved by a number of people, most notably Mike Wyatt who currently maintains the emulator and its website. Although BeebEm's first incarnations were for UNIX-based systems, the version for Windows is now the most...
.
Gameplay
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
at the top of the screen. It is made up of four levels, set higher and higher up a construction site – 25 m, 50 m, 75 m and 100 m.
There are two hammers on the 25 m, 50 m and 100 m levels, with none on the 75 m level. Hammers last for about 10 seconds, as measured by the amount of bonus that ticks away. You cannot climb ladders or jump gaps when holding the hammer.
After completing the four levels, the player returns to the 25 m level and the game repeats, getting progressively faster and with more barrels, custard pies, and fireballs. In addition, the girders on the 25 m level acquire more holes.
An extra life is awarded when the player completes the 75 m level for the first time.
Scoring system
- Jumping over barrels or cement pans = 100 points
- Hitting barrels or custard pies with hammer = random score between 300 and 900 in increments of 100 points
- On the 50 m, 75 m and 100 m levels there are bonus items as follows (these represent the heiress's belongings):
- 50 m....a handbag ( 300 points), a hat (500 points) and an umbrella (800 points)
- 75 m....an umbrella (300 points), a hat (500 points) and a telephone (700 points)
- 100 m....an umbrella (300 points) and a telephone (900 points)
- In addition, once a level is completed, the player is awarded a number of points depending on the time remaining on the clock (as indicated by the amount of “Bonus” shown at the top of the screen). Thus, the quicker a level is completed, the more points the player is awarded.
Trivia
- It is possible to lose a life by coming into contact with a fireball even if you have the hammer.
- You also lose a life if you come into contact with the gorilla on the 100 m level, although oddly you don't on the 25 m and 75 m levels.
- Owing to a bug in the program, if you jump into the burning oil pot on your left on the 25 m level you die but appear at the top of the screen by the gorilla.
- Fireballs can (and frequently do) change direction when you attempt to jump over them, leading to your character jumping into them instead.
- It is possible to pick up a bonus after dying, for example by falling too far onto the umbrella on the 75 m level.
Compilations and sequel
The game appeared on a number of compilations including 10 Computer Hits (1985), Micropower Magic 2 (1986) and Superior SoftwareSuperior Software
Superior Software is a video game publisher. It was established in 1982 by Richard Hanson and John Dyson, two graduates of the University of Leeds, England...
's highly regarded Play It Again Sam 3 (1988). PIAS 3 also included a game called Killer Gorilla 2 but this was actually a re-titled early Superior Software game. Based on Donkey Kong Junior and originally released as Zany Kong Junior in 1984, it was soon withdrawn after a cease and desist from Atarisoft
Atarisoft
Atarisoft was a brand name used by Atari, Inc in 1983 and 1984 to market video games they published for home systems made by their competitors. Each platform had a specific color attributed by Atarisoft for its game packages...
who owned the home computer rights to the original game. Ironically, Atarisoft had commissioned Adrian Stephens to officially port Donkey Kong Junior to the BBC Micro after seeing Killer Gorilla but the game was never released as Atarisoft decided to abandon the BBC platform. This version has since surfaced on the internet.