Indiana Jones meets Rick Dangerous
Rocky Memphis is another excellent platformer from the talented Trevor 'Smila' Storey (creator of Monty's Christmas and a whole host of classic 8-bit game remakes). The game takes the template set by the classic platformer Rick Dangerous, throws in some nifty Commodore 64 visuals and chiptune music, then adds an interesting gimmick. Instead of merely trying to reach the level exit, Rocky Memphis tasks you with plundering a huge pyramid of its many treasures in as fast a time as possible.
There are 600 rooms in total, and finding all the shiny treasures is a huge undertaking. Your journey is full of peril, namely the standard temple dwelling fare of bats, snakes, ghosts, spikes and lava (to name but a few). Once you have the treasures you must return to your jeep parked outside the pyramid, and the game logs the time to the online leaderboard. You are granted infinite lives in which to finish the game but dying adds a time penalty to the clock, and as you are trying to do this as quickly as possible, it is a fitting punishment. Luckily you can save and continue later, as the entire quest clocks in around at around the 4 hour mark, depending on your platforming skills.
The platforming action is extremely fun, with tight jumping mechanics, and interesting rooms to explore. It perfectly recreates the feel of the flick screen adventures from the 8-bit days, but with an improved level of visual polish that enhances the experience. I would, personally, have preferred to have been able to explore the game world at my own pace, rather than have to rush through it, but I applaud the designers for trying something a little different. Overall, Rocky Memphis is a wonderfully retro platformer that will hold a lot of appeal to anyone who enjoys the platforming antics of the 8-bit days, especially those found on Commodore's 8-bit machine, and it comes highly recommended.
You can download the game, free of charge, from the Ovine By Design website here
