After much debate, deliberation, change of owner, employer
and management, Beyond has finally decided to released
the now fabled Bounces. Written by Denton Designs,
Bounces is a futuristic entertainment used as
an opiate for the masses. It's a sensible and noble
sport which involves being connected to a wall by a
huge rubber band whilst wearing friction-soled shoes
in a special arena.
Within
the Bounces arena a slugdomium ball moves around
in a very low gravity way, and it is the way it moves,
or rather the how and where of its movement, that decides
the outcome of the game. If it flies into your goal
then pointwise you're worse off for the experience.
Conversely, a ball in your opponent's goalmouth is just
the sort of thing that wins points. Of course the path
that the ball takes can be changed and manipulated by
the player, and through clever slugdomium slug control,
goals are scored.
As
well as using the great big laccy band and friction
shoes, both players are equipped with a snatcher. Attached
to the players game hand, it serves two purposes: used
as a scoop it can snatch up the flying sphere and throw
it out at high velocity (the subtle use); less subtly,
the snatcher can be used as a weapon -- just raise it
above your opponent's head and bring it sharply down
onto his cranium. This tends to befuddle the wits of
your opponent, causing him to fall over -- another point-winning
activity.
The
arena is viewed side-on and the play area occupies the
middle part of the screen. Two sets of three different
goals are in the ceiling, one set above each competitor.
For the computer version of the game two real life heroes
have been digitised from the future arena: Erik the
red and Sir Ashley Trueblood. Both are easily distinguished
as a very large part of this future sport is showmanship.
Erik is in full Viking attire while Sir Ashley is decked
out in a complete 14th century knight's suit of armour.
A
joystick is used to control your player and a number
of moves are available during the contest. On a fundamental
left, right basis the stick can move a hero left and
right, although the elasticity of the stretchy band
that tethers him to the wall limits the field of movement.
Stretching the band too far by walking away from the
wall can cause problems when retreating, as the tension
in the rubber can make your hero slide back at an alarming
rate. Bash into the wall and he'll lay on the floor
in a huddled heap, and points are lost.
Pressing
the fire button brings a player's snatcher arm into
action, and as long as fire is held down, the snatcher
is under joystick control. If the ball passes over the
snatcher while fire is being held, it is captured. Releasing
the fire button while a ball is held in the snatcher
releases the energy-ridden sphere back into the arena.
Bouncing
a ball off an opponent's skull is not an illegal move
but a low down trick; nevertheless it's a very handy
tactic indeed as it knocks the poor chap to the ground.
Falling to the ground has two results: 1) it gives points
to your rival and 2) it saps your stamina. Stamina is
shown on a bar underneath the arena itself and the bar
grows if a player stands around resting. Troll about,
get knocked over and lob a few balls about and your
player's stamina quickly gets into overload. Paralysis
sets in while a player's stamina bar is in the red and
his opponent is presented with a handy opportunity to
score points until the bar creeps back to the yellow
and movement is restored to the tired player's limbs.
Different
point values are awarded for plonking the ball in the
different goals, and bonuses are awarded for bashings
that you inflict on the other player. There are two
halves to each match, each half lasting 90 seconds.
The winner is, logically, the one with most points at
the end of the bout.
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