Imagine a forgotten island in time, inhabited by creatures that should have been extinct for millennia. A remote island, located in the vast ocean, where dinosaurs roam among us in the present day. And now, add the mystery involving the infamous Bermuda Triangle, where ships and airplanes have mysteriously disappeared. This is exactly the scenario that Prehistoric Isle throws us into.
I found the premise interesting and quite original, especially considering the time it was released, when most shmups focused on futuristic space settings, interstellar battles, and aliens.
Prehistoric Isle is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up (shmup) game, developed and published by SNK in 1989. Its gameplay is reminiscent of classics like R-Type, which I happen to like a lot. Here, we take control of a biplane armed with a front machine gun, which is your main means of attack. During the game, you will come across the eggs scattered throughout the scenery, and by destroying them, you release a power-up. When the power-up is collected, you gain a special weapon pod, which can be attached to the aircraft, much like in R-Type. However, the big difference here is that you can rotate the weapon pod clockwise around the plane, providing different forms of attack depending on the position:
1. Above or below the plane: In this position, the weapon pod emits energy waves that bounce when they hit a surface.
2. Diagonally above the plane: In this position, it fires energy balls that bounce off surfaces at a 45-degree angle.
3. Diagonally below the plane: In this position, the weapon pod launches bombs.
4. In front of the plane: In this position, the weapon pod replaces the standard machine gun with a powerful flamethrower.
5. Behind the plane: In this position, the weapon pod fires aerial mines.
Apart from the weapon pods, you can acquire additional upgrades from the eggs floating around the scenery, such as speed buffs and "$"-shaped icons, which don't provide any direct advantage, only points. However, if our plane is hit by enemies or even if Neanderthals manage to board, we suffer a penalty. This penalty results in the reduction of firepower to its original state.
It's important to note that, despite making some comparisons with R-Type, don't expect too much. The gameplay is simple and offers a very limited amount of power-ups. Of course, you can still have fun, especially because the game is quite short.
The difficulty is reasonable, but as the game progresses, it requires Jedi-like reflexes. It took me only 45,999 credits to complete the game.
The soundtrack is really cool, and the graphics are beautiful. Even with limited hardware, it's undeniable that SNK did an excellent job. Everything is very detailed, the sceneries, the designs of the dinosaurs and creatures. By the way, the sprite of the final boss is jaw-dropping, the level of detail is impressive.
In summary, Prehistoric Isle deserves praise for its graphics, soundtrack, and original concept. But it doesn't go much beyond that. The difficulty is bitter, if not unfair. The power-ups, despite having a cool concept of changing the pod's position and having a different variety of shots, I think it was poorly executed. So, I recommend this game if you're a fan of the genre and looking for a quick and enjoyable experience.
I found the premise interesting and quite original, especially considering the time it was released, when most shmups focused on futuristic space settings, interstellar battles, and aliens.
Prehistoric Isle is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up (shmup) game, developed and published by SNK in 1989. Its gameplay is reminiscent of classics like R-Type, which I happen to like a lot. Here, we take control of a biplane armed with a front machine gun, which is your main means of attack. During the game, you will come across the eggs scattered throughout the scenery, and by destroying them, you release a power-up. When the power-up is collected, you gain a special weapon pod, which can be attached to the aircraft, much like in R-Type. However, the big difference here is that you can rotate the weapon pod clockwise around the plane, providing different forms of attack depending on the position:
1. Above or below the plane: In this position, the weapon pod emits energy waves that bounce when they hit a surface.
2. Diagonally above the plane: In this position, it fires energy balls that bounce off surfaces at a 45-degree angle.
3. Diagonally below the plane: In this position, the weapon pod launches bombs.
4. In front of the plane: In this position, the weapon pod replaces the standard machine gun with a powerful flamethrower.
5. Behind the plane: In this position, the weapon pod fires aerial mines.
Apart from the weapon pods, you can acquire additional upgrades from the eggs floating around the scenery, such as speed buffs and "$"-shaped icons, which don't provide any direct advantage, only points. However, if our plane is hit by enemies or even if Neanderthals manage to board, we suffer a penalty. This penalty results in the reduction of firepower to its original state.
It's important to note that, despite making some comparisons with R-Type, don't expect too much. The gameplay is simple and offers a very limited amount of power-ups. Of course, you can still have fun, especially because the game is quite short.
The difficulty is reasonable, but as the game progresses, it requires Jedi-like reflexes. It took me only 45,999 credits to complete the game.
The soundtrack is really cool, and the graphics are beautiful. Even with limited hardware, it's undeniable that SNK did an excellent job. Everything is very detailed, the sceneries, the designs of the dinosaurs and creatures. By the way, the sprite of the final boss is jaw-dropping, the level of detail is impressive.
In summary, Prehistoric Isle deserves praise for its graphics, soundtrack, and original concept. But it doesn't go much beyond that. The difficulty is bitter, if not unfair. The power-ups, despite having a cool concept of changing the pod's position and having a different variety of shots, I think it was poorly executed. So, I recommend this game if you're a fan of the genre and looking for a quick and enjoyable experience.