Unique isometric shooter, but does it work?
Desert Falcon for Atari 7800
Let's start with that awesome Atari 7800 Prosystem. Because with Desert Falcon, I feel like I'm really playing a "Prosystem."
In Desert Falcon for Atari 7800, we get a lot of animated sprites, an original idea, and attractive, colorful graphics. This game looks good and plays relatively well. It even sounds okay, considering the sound chip; the sound effects are decent and the looming beat grants a progressive and ominous tone.
In other words, I think Desert Falcon is a showcase title for Atari 7800. If this had been released with in 1984, rather than being shelved with the 7800 for a couple years, I think Desert Falcon would continue to hold loyal fans. Unfortunately, by the time the game came around, most everyone had been exposed to the glories of the NES, and an isometric falcon who collects hieroglyphics wasn't going to cut it. That's too bad, because I think Desert Falcon is an overall decent game.
That said, Desert Falcon is far from perfect. It can be difficult to gauge your height, resulting in otherwise avoidable collisions. The controls require a few rounds to really get the hang of it; there's a learning curve here. And personally, I think it would be more fun to fly over the hieroglyphics, rather than hop around like a sitting target on the ground.
But let's consider all that Desert Falcon has going for it. The levels offer different varieties of palettes, enemies, and obstacles. Plus, we get a large, imposing "Howling Sphinx" boss. We get a fun bonus stage between levels. And we get a complex power-up system. Seriously, it might be impossible to recall which hieroglyphic combination gives you invincibility, warp, or points, but it would be handy to know your favorite combo. As for me, I enjoy grabbing random symbols and seeing what surprise power-up I get. It feels like half the time I get points, but I also get some really cool power-ups, like double shot and slow down.
The falcon is quite the protagonist. The souring and flapping animations look great. Our falcon can also swim, which at first I thought was silly, then discovered it was advantageous in moving quickly across the ground. When the falcon gets hit, he falls over while little birds tweet around his head, which is funny, cause, you know, he's a bird, too.
The controls are the most frustrating part of this game, but once you get the hang of isometric flying, Desert Falcon is an engaging, unique shooter. If someone asks for one game that defines the Atari 7800 Prosystem, I wouldn't show them Ballblazer, as awesome as it is. Actually, I would show them Ninja Golf. But my next choice would be Desert Falcon, because the game looks, plays, and feels exactly how I imagine a 7800 game to be.
I'm not very good at it, and again, it's not perfect, but I recommend Desert Falcon to any 7800 owner.
Desert Falcon for Atari 2600
I gave Desert Falcon for 2600 a solid try, but it remains disappointing no matter how many times I play it.
Desert Falcon for 2600 is technically impressive. We get pretty much everything from the 7800 version, such as the power-ups, the Howling Sphinx boss, and the bonus stage. Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn't translate.
Personally, I think the graphics are really pretty good. Sure, the enemies look like a pile of blocks, but I enjoy that Atari aesthetic. Our falcon flaps over his shadow, and the Sphinx boss is imposing and large.
The controls for the 7800 version require some practice, but no matter how many times I play Desert Falcon for 2600, I just can't get the hang of the game. It's much harder to gauge your altitude, probably because of the charming graphical limitations. When graphics impact gameplay in a negative way, it ruins the game.
The Sphinx is impressive enough, but you need to shoot it on one specific spot in the middle of its face. Due to those charming graphics, again, it's difficult to know where you're shooting, let alone where you're supposed to shoot. All the while, the Sphinx launches blocky enemies, which tend to spawn directly in front of you, resulting in unfair deaths.
Overall, Desert Falcon for 2600 is technically impressive, but the graphical limitations and uncertain controls ruin the gameplay. The 7800 version is much more playable. A "Dark Chambers" approach, in which the two games were made differently based on the hardware, could have given us a more playable game. Still, I tip my hat to the programmer for wedging so much in here.
Final Desert Falcon Review for Atari 2600:
I recommend Desert Falcon for Atari nerds and collectors.
Comments