Striker In The Crypts Of Trogan is a platform game released by Codemasters Software in 1992. The game was released on cassette and is one of the few non-cartridge games that utilise the Plus features. In addition this game has both a 64K and 128K mode. On a 128K computer additional data is loaded from cassette before the game starts.
This game uses a similar engine to Switchblade with some improvements and it also supports extra PLUS features : the 4096 colour palette allows smooth coloured layers in the sky, as seen in the pictures below.
It is also one of the rare Mode 1 games to include raster effects to enhance the actual number of colours used in the game's window. Most other Mode 1 productions used Rasters only to add colours in the HUD, yet this game does both. However this use of rasters is not flawless because those regions do not move with the vertical scroll.
The Mode 1's few colours (excluding the rasters) are well used and give a particular atmosphere, but a greater use of the Plus hardware sprite capability (for the player's character or to add more coloured elements as in Switchblade ( Cartridge )) wouldn't have hurt...
This is actually a nice game, yet sometimes criticised because it is actually very similar to Switchblade. But as Jeff Calder did both games this is not that suprising.
The main reproach we may find to this game may come from the way the player's character jump...not smooth nor natural as in a Rick Dangerous 2.
This game is probably one of the better example of a decent Speccy Port or more accurately Speccy "co-developpment".
Also the Animated intro is worth noting.
Screenshots
Striker on the CPC Plus
Striker on the CPC Plus
Striker on the old gen CPC
Striker on the old gen CPC
Stuff to collect
Stuff to collect
Videos
Long play of Striker in the Crypts of Trogan
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Production Team
Code : Jeff Calder
Graphics : George Calvert, Andy Wynd
Music : Andy Wynd
Design : Jeff, Andy, Ee, George, Buster, Linda, Sue
Implementation details and use of Plus hardware
- Mode 1 is used throughout
- Multiple plus raster interrupts are used to make the shading in the sky
- CRTC hardware scrolling is used. (standard CPC hardware scroll).
- Screen is reduced in height to hide the panel when the screen is scrolled. Probably to avoid painting the panel.
- Plus sprites are not used
- Plus screen split is not used
- Plus pixel by pixel hardware scroll is used
- Plus DMA is not used
- After loading the game performs a checksum of it's code and data. If the checksum fails then an error message is reported.
Cartridge
An unofficial cartridge version of the game exists. It is useable on 464+, 6128+ and GX4000.