Encounter +3DIG - Hokuto Force's next C64 release is a bit of a 3D shooter!

Hokuto Force are on form again as with all the releases so far this year, we've got another one to mention and this one is a game that is very similar to the Arcade game of Battlezone but for the C64. Called ' Encounter ' and originally released in 1984 by Paul Woakes through Novagen Software in the UK and Synapse in the USA. This is a first person shooter and features eight environments, three difficulty levels and a rather unique 3-D graphical style with scaled sprites instead of wireframe 3D graphics. Thanks to Hokuto Force they have released the disk based version, which included more features compared the Novagen one, plus a trainer, loader system replacement by Arcane, menu system improvement by Arcane and bug fixes.

Now that is out the way, it's on to the game. I wont spoil the story too much but sufficed to say you are on a distant planet in some far off galaxy battling dangerous Aliens at very fast speeds with the only helper being your radar and warning sounds. This is all done through a first person view point across multiple landscapes as you try to defend yourself against dangerous projectiles such as heat seeking missiles, that if you don't shoot at, will damage you badly!

This is a pretty decent game, and it is one of the smoothest 8bit titles I have played for many years. The feeling of speed between each enemy to be destroyed gives you the impression you are going well over 100mph. More so when you've killed all the Aliens and a portal opens up traversing you from one place to another, that's if you can avoid the spheres!

A worthy release from Hokuto Force, and for once this game can be enjoyed with, our without the cheats!

Links : 1) Source 2) Download