Obsidian (1986 video game)
| Obsidian | |
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Artic Computing magazine advert with Obsidian's artwork as the main image
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| Developer(s) | Tony Warriner |
| Publisher(s) | Artic Computing |
| Platform(s) | Amstrad CPC |
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| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Obsidian is an action-adventure computer game for the Amstrad CPC personal computer published by Artic Computing in 1986. The game is set on the titular space station located within the centre of an asteroid, which is out of control and drifting towards a black hole. The player must guide an astronaut with a jet pack around the station and re-activate its engine shields to prevent the Obsidian's destruction. This involves collecting items and using them to solve puzzles, while avoiding the Obsidian's reactivated security systems.
Obsidian is the first game that was developed by Revolution Software co-founder Tony Warriner, who was a school pupil at the time. Due to concentrating on Obsidian's development rather than revising he failed all of his exams. The game received a positive response from journalists, it was praised for the quality of its graphics, reviewers held mixed views on the game's ability to maintain player interest. The jet pack was criticized for being too sensitive when responding to the player's movement inputs.
Obsidian is an action-adventure presented in two dimensions, spread across approximately 50 game screens. Locations contrast between spaceship interior and rock surfaces. Players control a jet pack wearing astronaut who must deactivate the five engines of the titular spacestation Obsidian, which is located in the hollow centre carved out of an asteroid. Objects are stored in gravity boxes on the station's ceilings, only one object can be held at a time. These are used to solve the game's puzzles and allow the player to continue further into the game. Each object's purpose must be discovered as they are not labelled.
The game world is filled with traps, laser defence mechanisms and security robots, all of which kill the astronaut on contact, resulting in the loss of one of his five lives. These defences must be shut down with objects obtained from gravity boxes in order to progress, as the player has no weapon to directly attack the robots with. The jet pack enables the astronaut to travel more quickly, but has a limited supply of nitro fuel. Should this fuel run out then the astronaut will lose a life. The spaceship contains points at which the jet pack can be refuelled, though these can be difficult to locate.
The crew of the Obsidian have temporarily abandoned the vessel in order to allow it to pass through a black hole. The Obsidian's internal systems are capable of withstanding the black hole, but the station cannot shield its human inhabitants from the gravitational forces. The crew have taken refuge in a smaller craft which has been shielded, intending to return to the Obsidian when both vessels have passed through the black hole. A radiation storm has damaged the Obsidian's engine protection systems and erased its flight path, leaving the station drifting towards the black hole where it will be destroyed. Only one member of the crew has the skills necessary to return to the Obsidian and prepare it to pass through the black hole, this is the game's player character. The astronaut is forced to contend with the Obsidian's re-activated security system which has resulted in security robots being deployed, the space station's internal doors sealing and defensive laser grids becoming active. Once the player has restored power, reactivated the Obsidian's engines and reset the station's flight path, there is a limited time to teleport back to the smaller shielded craft before the Obsidian's engines carry the astronaut through the black hole without being shielded.
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