240: The Killing Game Show

Number 240
(4.2 points)
The Killing Game Show
1991: 59

There were a few game studios who became well-known for their Amiga work, and Psygnosis were one of the most notable, appearing here with a platform shoot 'em up that even today is quite unusual.

Control a contestant on the Killing Game Show in a robotic walker, which can jump on platforms, shoot a number of different weapons, and also use special items to give you more health and such. It may sound like a typical platform shooter from that description, but there are a couple of twists. First, you need to race to the top of the level, as there is a deadly liquid slowly filling the arena; second, when you lose a life, the game replays your previous attempt up to your death, and you can take control at any moment. Even now, this is a radically novel feature, giving you the ability to skip through the bulk of the level that you got through fine, but taking over to correct your error. Instead of starting from where you died, or starting from the beginning of the level, you are given a choice, and this is especially helpful later on as the levels get more maze-like and being able to restart before you took a wrong turn is very welcome.

It's always refreshing to see a game on the Amiga that does something which you really don't see these days, and The Killing Game Show does that with its replay feature. It's certainly not an easy game by any means, but it doesn't seem terribly unfair either, so I recommend giving it a try. And I didn't even mention that there was an entire disk dedicated to an intro, in the days when such things got games more critical praise.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Killing Game Show, The (1990)(Psygnosis)(Disk 1 of 2)(Intro)[cr SR]
Killing Game Show, The (1990)(Psygnosis)(Disk 2 of 2)[cr SR][t +5 SR][bootable]