Elvira: The Arcade Game Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]
Get Great Retro Scene News @
Developed and published by Flair Software in 1991
My first and only experience with the game prior to recording the video was the demo of the C64 version, which featured on a Commodore Format magazine Power Pack cassette. I can’t remember if was any good or not, but it remained a curiosity, especially once I’d played the definitely-not-a-suitable-game-for-kids, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark.
The gore and scariness present in Horrorsoft’s adventure-cum-RPG are absent here, and it’s not even the remotest bit spooky. I guess Flair decided to do something else with the Elvira licence, and a platformer made for a logical choice.
What we got was a Gods clone, which replaced the hulking gladiator with Elvira’s more svelte form, but also dispensing with the clever traps and puzzles.The game reviewed reasonably well at the time, gaining scores between 70 and 80% range; Amiga Power praised the visuals and gameplay, describing it as “a real treat to play”, but it’s not a sentiment I share. Yes, the artwork and animation is good, and the fundamental platforming elements (moving, jumping) work well enough, but the vast, maze-like levels are confusing and difficult to traverse, often containing pits and traps off-screen that you can’t see. The Ice World proved especially problematic, thanks to use of switches, triggers and keys that are meant to remove barriers at key locations. There’s no real way to understand how or where these objects are linked, aside from traipsing from one corner of the level to the other to see if anything has changed. I checked out the level maps over on Hall of Light, and there were quite a few secret areas I couldn’t figure out how to get into, but the monotony meant I had no inclination to try and figure out why certain teleporters didn’t work.
My biggest complaint by far, however, is the collision detection. Elvira’s projectiles will pass through certain enemies unless they touch a very specific pixel, and the fact she throws weapons in an arc makes it difficult to hit things anyway.
For those wondering about the plot, Elvira receives a vision during a dream from a supposed ancestor, King Gustav of Transylvania, who promises to leave his castle to her if she can clear out a bunch of demons from the various worlds he used to inhabit.
Credits
Coding: Mick Hedley
Graphics: Phillip Nixon
Music: Phillip Nixon
Chapters
0:00:00 Intro (music by Phillip Nixon)
0:01:50 Main Menu (music by Phillip Nixon)
0:02:31 Fire World (music by Phillip Nixon)
0:22:26 Ice World (music by Phillip Nixon)
0:52:48 Castle World (music by Phillip Nixon)
1:17:49 Ending (music by Phillip Nixon)
#elvira
#retrogaming
#amiga
