Save Those Janitors was an action video game where you had to rescue 9 stranded janitors aboard an orbiting nuclear reactor before food runs out. It was advertised in a 1992 issue of RUN magazine from the US. The game was sold on disk, but sadly it didn’t sell too well for the author:
“I sold 3 copies to mail in orders. So, it failed as far as selling it. I think I only have one or two copies left (in basement- in cases) so I hope they are readable.”
The developer seemed to really push that he had worked hard on the game and it featured some good scrolling techniques, but Charles gives reasons why he thinks it maybe failed:
“One thing, the game was written to be too hard really, so it was panned by a reviewer (I can’t recall who) and I really should have included user testing and response to their feedback. So it deserved to fail.
But someone who really wants to invest the effort could promote through levels but I know I could have done better in retrospect.”
A bit harsh maybe on himself, and it seems a huge shame that this one has not yet been preserved. However, Charles found someone who preserved the title and has allowed it to be released to the world.
Check out the download link above! … The game has been fully salvaged, and now you can check out the game for yourself. It is a little rock hard to play, so Charles mentions that you can hold down CTRL and S to put on a cheat mode. CTRL and D turns it off again.
Also included in the download is a fixed/cracked version by Armageddon (Work by Ian Coog, supply from Moloch) which features a number of fixes, including a PAL fix.
It is a pretty neat game, just one that if it was a little easier may have been better recieved. There is a possibility from the sources that the game could be tweaked. The main thing is that it is now saved for posterity, so go check it out!
Case closed, as its confirmed not a GTW, but watch this space for a download.
Contributions: Peter Weighill, Charles Orcutt, Ian Coog, Moloch
