Obsidian (1986 Game)
Encyclopedia
Obsidian is an action-adventure
computer game for the Amstrad CPC
personal computer published by Artic Computing in 1986. The game is set on the titular space station
located within the centre of an asteroid, which is out of control and drifting towards a black hole
. The player must guide an astronaut with a jet pack
around the station and re-activate its engine shields to prevent the Obsidian's destruction. This involves collecting items and using them to solve puzzles, while avoiding the Obsidian's reactivated security systems.
Obsidian is the first game that was developed by Revolution Software
co-founder Tony Warriner
, who was a school pupil at the time. Due to concentrating on Obsidian' s development rather than revising he failed all of his exams. The game received a postitive response from journalists, it was praised for the quality of its graphics, reviewers held mixed views on the game's ability to maintain player interest. The jet pack was criticized for being too sensitive when responding to the player's movement inputs.
The game world is filled with traps, laser defence mechanisms and security robots, all of which kill the astronaut on contact, resulting in the loss of one of his five lives. These defences must be shut down with objects obtained from gravity boxes in order to progress, as the player has no weapon to directly attack the robots with. The jet pack enables the astronaut to travel more quickly, but has a limited supply of nitro fuel. Should this fuel run out then the astronaut will lose a life. The spaceship contains points at which the jet pack can be refuelled, though these can be difficult to locate.
. The astronaut is forced to contend with the Obsidian's re-activated security system which has resulted in security robots being deployed, the space station's internal doors sealing and defensive laser grids becoming active. Once the player has restored power, reactivated the Obsidian's engines and reset the station's flight path, there is a limited time to teleport
back to the smaller shielded craft before the Obsidian's engines carry the astronaut through the black hole without being shielded.
developer Revolution Software. Warriner was introduced to home computers at the age of 13, as a result of which he developed an interest in game development. This interest resulted in him creating Obsidian when he should have been studying for his school exams, resulting in him failing every exam. The game was published, however, resulting in the young developer's entry into the video game industry. Revolution Software was formed 4 years later.
magazine awarded the game a score of 64%, calling it "...an average, if rather simple, arcade adventure." The same reviewer stated that Obsidian' s graphics are its most striking feature. The lack of enemies and objects to manipulate in some screens and low number of sound effects received were criticized. The reviewer for Amstrad Action
, Bob Wade, awarded the game a score of 81% and a 'A A Rave' award, praising the game's graphics and animations. He listed the game's robotics enemies as "annoying as you flick between screens". The reviewers differed in opinion on how the game progressed. Wade stated "...as the playing area opens up it soon becomes clear that many objects will be required to complete the game and that some hard thinking as well as trial and error will be needed." Amtix!' s reviewer stated "The trouble was that it became all very predictable and easy to solve once a few puzzles had been solved." Both reviewers stated that the jet pack's controls are too sensitive, making its usage difficult.
Computer and Video Games
' reviewer gave the game a score of 7 out of 10 in each of the magazine's scoring criteria — graphics, sound, value and playability. The reviewer stated that the game's premise is unoriginal, but that the game is enjoyable and makes "...full use of the Amstrad's colour graphics..." The reviewer also stated "...the smooth movement of objects and characters makes this game a pleasure to watch and play." The game was reviewed again in Amtix! by Massimo Valducci, several months later when Obsidian was re-released on the budget label Americana. Valducci stated it had been one of his favourite titles when it was originally released, giving the game a rating of 70% and stating "Everyone should have this game in their software collection." He praised the game for adding a twist to the maze theme by disallowing the player from fighting back against threats. He added "...a lot of thought and planning is needed to make your way around the various sections, deactivating the security systems as you go."
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
computer game for the 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,...
personal computer published by Artic Computing in 1986. The game is set on the titular space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
located within the centre of an asteroid, which is out of control and drifting towards a black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
. The player must guide an astronaut with a jet pack
Jet pack
Jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack, and similar names are various types of devices, usually worn on the back, that are propelled by jets of escaping gases so as to allow a single user to fly....
around the station and re-activate its engine shields to prevent the Obsidian's destruction. This involves collecting items and using them to solve puzzles, while avoiding the Obsidian's reactivated security systems.
Obsidian is the first game that was developed by Revolution Software
Revolution Software
Revolution Software Ltd. is a British adventure game company, based in York in northern England.The company was founded in 1990 by Charles Cecil, Tony Warriner, David Sykes and Noirin Carmody...
co-founder Tony Warriner
Tony Warriner
Tony Warriner is a computer game designer, programer and a co-founder of Revolution Software.wrote his first video game, Obsidian for Amstrad CPC, in 1986. The game was published by Artic Computing and received strong reviews. After leaving Artic, Tony had a spell at Cascade Games and then Bytron,...
, who was a school pupil at the time. Due to concentrating on Obsidian
Gameplay
Obsidian is an action-adventure presented in two dimensions, spread across approximately 50 game screens. Locations contrast between spaceship interior and rock surfaces. Players control a jet pack wearing astronaut who must deactivate the five engines of the titular spacestation Obsidian, which is located in the hollow centre carved out of an asteroid. Objects are stored in gravity boxes on the station's ceilings, only one object can be held at a time. These are used to solve the game's puzzles and allow the player to continue further into the game. Each object's purpose must be discovered as they are not labelled.The game world is filled with traps, laser defence mechanisms and security robots, all of which kill the astronaut on contact, resulting in the loss of one of his five lives. These defences must be shut down with objects obtained from gravity boxes in order to progress, as the player has no weapon to directly attack the robots with. The jet pack enables the astronaut to travel more quickly, but has a limited supply of nitro fuel. Should this fuel run out then the astronaut will lose a life. The spaceship contains points at which the jet pack can be refuelled, though these can be difficult to locate.
Plot
The crew of the Obsidian have temporarily abandoned the vessel in order to allow it to pass through a black hole. The Obsidian's internal systems are capable of withstanding the black hole, but the station cannot shield its human inhabitants from the gravitational forces. The crew have taken refuge in a smaller craft which has been shielded, intending to return to the Obsidian when both vessels have passed through the black hole. A radiation storm has damaged the Obsidian's engine protection systems and erased its flight path, leaving the station drifting towards the black hole where it will be destroyed. Only one member of the crew has the skills necessary to return to the Obsidian and prepare it to pass through the black hole, this is the game's player characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
. The astronaut is forced to contend with the Obsidian's re-activated security system which has resulted in security robots being deployed, the space station's internal doors sealing and defensive laser grids becoming active. Once the player has restored power, reactivated the Obsidian's engines and reset the station's flight path, there is a limited time to teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
back to the smaller shielded craft before the Obsidian's engines carry the astronaut through the black hole without being shielded.
Development
Obsidian is the first game developed by Tony Warriner, one of three founders of the adventure gameAdventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
developer Revolution Software. Warriner was introduced to home computers at the age of 13, as a result of which he developed an interest in game development. This interest resulted in him creating Obsidian when he should have been studying for his school exams, resulting in him failing every exam. The game was published, however, resulting in the young developer's entry into the video game industry. Revolution Software was formed 4 years later.
Reception
The reviewer for 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:...
magazine awarded the game a score of 64%, calling it "...an average, if rather simple, arcade adventure." The same reviewer stated that Obsidian
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....
, Bob Wade, awarded the game a score of 81% and a 'A A Rave' award, praising the game's graphics and animations. He listed the game's robotics enemies as "annoying as you flick between screens". The reviewers differed in opinion on how the game progressed. Wade stated "...as the playing area opens up it soon becomes clear that many objects will be required to complete the game and that some hard thinking as well as trial and error will be needed." Amtix!
Computer and Video Games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...