Rotor description
Conceptualisa and almost varanava game embodies the almost incredible idea of combining tactical strategy and arcade.
The title screen. Choose the next mission on the pocket computer. This is the - graphically unspectacular -- training simulation.
Specific plot at all. There is only a strange vehicle similar to a tank jumping, riding on a futuristic 2D mazes. But riding, and the laws of physics. And because the management is very kind of like, "free": you can rotate the car to where you want to use the accelerator. But if you are used to ignore the concept of "gravity" - you should think before you play. Our goal is to avoid contact with the walls of mazes and enemies, for that, and that is deadly for us. Enemies, of course, it can kill from a distance.
On the bottom of this room are three crates; one closed one containing a sun crystal one trapped with a bomb. The "Kairo" graphic set. On the left is an attractor
In the game there are boxes that contain bonuses. These boxes should be shot, and bonuses to collect. Bonus four of a kind. The is the cans of fuel. Yes, fuel in the game of course, more than that – it is small (and the faster we go, the faster it is consumed). So to refuel it regularly. Also very important "pearls" - is that some kind of local "currency": having on Board a number of such "pearls", at any time to order a particular car upgrade, upgrades several types (speed, power, shot, armor, etc.). There are still bombs, and they explode after 3-40 seconds after finding. From the bomb you can run away but you can "take" - then it won't explode, what's more, you'll have more points for upgrades, but to move with bombs is difficult – the game takes into account the influence of weight on movement speed. Finally, there are also yellow crystals. They just need to collect a certain amount to complete a particular mission.
on the right wall lurks a repulsor. The "Styrene" graphic set. The force field needs to be deactivated.
All the enemies in the game are immobile and represent a variety of shooting turrets, turrets, and stuff like that. The problems are two: first, this is all very excellent marksman, and a variety of ammunition, flying in different trajectories, making dodging extremely difficult; secondly, because of both the physics and the abundance of enemies and the fact that it's impossible to touch, to die because they are too quickly moved down the stairs directly to the turret, almost easier than bullets. And sometimes even designed so that someone not to kill. There are situations when (such-and-such horror!) still need to find a switch that are responsible for deactivating any guns... And it's all done in quite adequate to what is happening, some austere and dark, but very beautiful graphics, the background of each level is very different from the other.
Verdict – a true masterpiece of complexity. Confusing and concealing a death maze, the limited fuel and cargo, the developed system upgrades, dinamichnyy and interesting gameplay, indeed combining (very successfully) arcade and tactical strategy with one unit, - all this makes the Rotor worthy of close attention by all oldhamers seeking forgotten rarities of great DOS-era games.
Now, play Rotor online for free on your browser and make your boring weekend fun and full of entertainment.
Source: Archive.org, Mobygames.com