1991 Rainbow Arts
Platforms: Atari ST, Commodore Amiga and PC
Not to be confused with the recent Psytronik release of the same name, Rotator was a one/two player tank game, where you would have to link a number of generators together to boost their flagging power. This is due to an alien invasion which is disrupting the world’s energy systems, and has thrown civilisation into chaos.
The impressive feature from the game would be a vertically split screen mode, with a play area that can be rotated in a Mode 7 like fashion. As you try to link up the generators, you would have a trail of cable left behind you – which would have tension the further you stretch, slowing you down and causing problems whilst trying to navigate around obstacles such as trees and bridges.
What is interesting is that the game was listed as being developed for the Atari ST and PC, as well as Amiga. No doubt the Amiga and PC were up to doing the rotational effects, but would the ST have fared as well?
Overall the game would be played across 32 levels, with 16-colour real-time zoom and rotating effects, digital speech and 6 in-game soundtracks. The game was seemingly complete, as Amiga Joker magazine would review the game, giving it a respectable 77%. It seems that although using a ground breaking effect, the game itself didn’t quite live up to it.
However, although reviewed by at least one magazine, the game would disappear completely and was never to be heard of again. We don’t quite know why at this stage, and its very much early days – but we hope to find the developers and see if something of this intriguing title could be recovered. If you know anything more, please do get in touch.
Thanks to Karl Kuras for the heads up about the title.
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