114: Mercenary

Number 114
(43 points)
Mercenary
1996: 58

The predecessor to Damocles appears significantly higher than that game, strangely, because it was chosen in the final list, whereas Damocles only made the first one. It's a strange decision, but nevertheless, there must be enough in Mercenary to go back to, despite its presumably superior sequel.

Faced with a 3D world to navigate, you purchase a vehicle and make your way to a nearby building to learn about a mission for you to embark on. From there, the game opens up as you explore the planet on which you have landed. Originating on the Commodore 64, the Amiga provides a smooth experience with a mixture of wireframe and coloured polygons.

I feel like this game suffers from being a C64 game, as it's very limited in any kind of narrative. It's the kind of game that really needs some extra help from a manual or what have you, just to figure out what you should do. The sequel Damocles was much more advanced in that respect, and you at least had some idea of how to get started in the game. Impressive at the time, but I don't think this holds up well.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Mercenary - Escape from Targ & The Second City (1988)(Novagen)[cr HTL]