Time Fighter was one of two games that was to be released by a Danish company called “Future Games Development” in the Autumn of 1988.
Sadly it was never to be, but thanks to a search by contributor Mads, we are able to shed some light on them initially to hopefully start off a search for the actual game.
The title itself was almost complete at the time, and was described as a pretty poor shoot-em up by the guy who went to see the games running. It was a horizontal scroller that went too fast, and had clumsy graphics. You basically control a man who flies around on a dove and have to shoot witches and other people flying around on a broom. A very simple shooter overall.
We don’t know much more than this at the moment, but hope to find out more soon. In the meantime, we have included a rough translation (under Articles) of the original article from IC-RUN 1988. It’s not perfect, but it gives a rough indication of what the game was to be like.
Contributions: Mads, Jazzcat
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Future Games Development (FDG)
15-year-old proprietor and chef, Thomas Klitgaard,explains that he has about 20 programmers. Of these, only 13 to 14 that are active.
FGD (Future Games Development) currently has two games for the c64 under development. Both are inexpensive games, and after looking them thoroughly,
I concluded that “Rob’n Run” is one of two new budget games from the Danish Future Games Development in fact is an inexpensive cheap game.
All FGD’s games are to be distributed via PCS, which then sells them to a British company. In this way a large part of the royalty pool, so I do not think the programmers have much money to look forward to. Nevertheless, as the games “Time Fighter” and “Rob’n Run” are almost complete. I’ve got a little look at them, but a final test get in first when the games comes on the market, what they probably in late September, early October.
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“Time Fighter” – is a very very budget game as claimed in aforementioned press release would be a really good shoot’m up game. Sadly I can not give FGD right in this, because frankly, I think “Time Fighter” is something of the most miserable “shit”. The small horizontal scroll is running too fast, and the stars in the background picks, while it all are becoming increasingly confusing because of the clumsy graphics and the annoying flickering colors at the top.
You start to be a little man who flies around on a dove, and so you have to shoot some witches and other people flying around on a broom. There are some clouds occasionally emerges and send some deadly lightning through the air. and there is also a jerky stone. By bringing together a very fast flying and unidentifiable object up, you get a new weapon.
At the next level (also last level), one is a little ugly aircraft , who must shoot some aircrafts as well as some barrier balloons. These flying in the same boring formations, and the only variation is the only animated characters throughout the game.
Namely, some small triangles great that almost must be stolen from another game. After completing first course, we should fight a duel with a big dragon which spews fireballs. At the end track waged a small duel with an oversized barrier balloon.
It is now impossible to complete without cheatmode. Overall. a rather miserable cheap cheap games that no normal man could desire to own.
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No more Future
A slightly different case, with the second budget games. “Rob’n Run” is the name.
Fittingly, when one considers that you run around and have a little bumpy grave robber. This game being developed by the 16-year-old Jacob Buck who is the programmer and David Elin, who is 15 years and is responsible for the graphics.
Unlike the boys behind “Time Fighter”, these two understand how to handle the c64. Graphics is reasonably good, and as far as I could see, so the programming is not badly done. The controls are good, you react instantly, and there is not the same amateurish touch to the gameplay, as there are in “Time Fighter”. Perched at the top of gaming the screen is a small pyramid is divided into fields.
These fields represent the different rooms, and the respective field stated when located in that area. You have been locked in a pyramid and therefore seeks to get out again. It comes to finding some keys, so you can open the different doors.
But not enough with it. One should also collect an amulet scattered in nine parts around the pyramid. Only when all parts are 9 been formed into an amulet you can move up to top where the end is located. Amulet be namely used as a lucky charm, when you are confronted with a several thousand years old giant tremendously in the last location.
If not amulet is intact you do not have an honest chance! On your way to the end you must fight against various ghosts and miscellaneous. Unfortunately the necessary routines for these sequences yet not finished, so I must believe Jacob and David in their words. Each of the spaces were not finished, so I only got a small glimpse of the first few. They are well designed, and live fully up to what you had to expect from a game in this class.
The game is excellent as budget games, and I would probably say that it when it is completely finished, it will be worth spend a 30-40 kroner. (3-4£)
