75 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
75 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
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WIBARM
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WIBARM is a combination role-playing/arcade game from Broderbund, and it's a
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very good one. WIBARM successfully mixes arcade and role-playing features, and
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easily sustains the player's interest for literally hours on end. (This review
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is based on the IBM-PC version.)
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The role-playing part of the game is both the weakest and the strongest point.
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The weak aspect is the fact that there is only one character. In most
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role-playing games, there are several characters, each of whom has a different
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ability needed to successfully complete the adventure. But here, there's only
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one character, Eizel Cloud, who's in charge of his transformer, WIBARM.
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Therefore, the only choices to make involve which weapon to use and which way to
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go next. However, since these two very important decisions must be made over and
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over again, the effect of the limitations is lessened somewhat.
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The player is represented by a transforming robot that has three forms. The
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most common form is the plane, since it's necessary in order to travel to some
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of the buildings. Once part of a building is mapped, the plane also makes
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traveling easier, since it will continue forward without using controls. The
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robot form is used a great deal, as well, because it's the only one present in
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the arcade sections. The final form is a car, necessary for reaching certain
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areas.
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The main function of the role-playing is to break up the arcade action. You
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have to travel through buildings and caves on several different levels in order
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to find messages and powerful weapons. Of course, to reach the messages and
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weapons, you must fight various monsters. Defeating monsters increases your
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ability to fight, making it possible to beat more powerful monsters.
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As you go through the buildings, there is an auto-mapping feature to keep track
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of where you've been. One nice touch occurs when you take a certain amount of
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damage: The auto-mapper stops functioning. This can make finding the repair
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factory interesting, to say the least. If this happens before you find the
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repair factory, you may be better off starting over.
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The arcade action continues throughout the game. It alternates well with the
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traveling during the role-playing mode, and it's not difficult to get the hang
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of fighting. You can choose from among three weapons, each of which achieves
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varying efficiency in damaging the monsters, according to the ability level of
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the robot. While fighting, it's necessary to keep track of energy usage, damage
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to the robot, and damage to the monster. This is in addition to keeping track of
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the location of both the monster and the robot. After a few fights, this all
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comes automatically, but it's still possible to lose track and die -- especially
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since the monsters are also becoming more powerful.
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The IBM version of WIBARM requires 256K of RAM, one floppy (either 5-1/4" or
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3-1/2"), and MS-DOS 2.0 or higher. It supports CGA 4-color, EGA 16-color, Tandy
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16-color and Hercules graphics modes. Control is via joystick or keyboard.
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WIBARM is not copy-protected; it uses a security code sheet from which you must
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cross-reference two Japanese characters to determine the correct number code.
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The code sheet is the type of purple paper that's impossible to photocopy. This
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also makes the sheet difficult to read in low light, but at least it's not
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necessary to use your original disks. Two disk drives are slightly more useful
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than one when starting up the game, but are not a great advantage overall. And
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for those players with 3-1/2" drives, both formats are included in the package.
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The graphics are good, and reflect the Japanese origin of the game. The
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interiors of the buildings appear in a 3-D mode that's very convincing. The view
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drops off realistically in the distance, and the movement is very animated and
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wide-ranging. The limited colors are somewhat disappointing, but they do not
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detract from the game, and are combined in a pleasing manner. The keyboard
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controls are easy to use, and it's quite possible to get through the game
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without the use of a joystick. In fact, some players will prefer the keyboard
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controls.
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WIBARM is well worth purchasing. It provides a variety of situations and
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actions for you to choose from, and offers a great deal of entertainment value.
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WIBARM is published by Arsys Software and distributed by Broderbund.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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