Toki (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Atari Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1992

Toki is an action-platformer that was first released in the Arcade in 1989.

+ Great level design with a nice assortment of enemies, environmental hazards and stage verticality to mix things up.

+ Provides ample opportunities to gain power-ups, with some only obtainable by skillfully jumping off foes' heads.

+ Solid controls and your ability to fire diagonally opens up your attack arsenal and protects you from airborne enemies.

+ Has multiple continues, the graphics make good use of the handheld's colour palette, and the fun bosses have giant sprites.

- Projectiles blend into the backgrounds, and there's one-hit kills instead of the life bar found in the NES port (1991).

- As a lead character, Toki is lacking in personality and charm, especially when compared to Bonk (Turbografx-16).

Rampage (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Atari Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1990

Rampage is an action game that was first released in the Arcade in 1986.

+ Stage structure is divided into different cities to aid progression, and the multiplayer mode supports up to four people.

+ Includes four monsters (one exclusive), and recognising what items harm or heal you requires quick thinking.

+ Graphics are gorgeous with beautiful pixel art and animation, along with huge sprites that showcase ample personality.

- Gameplay is mind-numbingly repetitive and there's barely anything new that gets introduced to keep you engrossed.

- Despite taking place in various cities, everything looks the same and the game offers little in the way of scenic variety.

- Action is incredibly zoomed-in, to the point where you can't always see lightning bolts or when a building is about to fall.

APB (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Quicksilver Software
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1991

APB is a driving game that was originally released in the Arcade in 1987.

+ Has surprising depth that challenges you to multitask, and the upgrade ability gives you numerous ways to tackle the stages.

+ Bite-sized missions are perfect for handheld play, and balancing the timer against finding items off the beaten path is fun.

+ Has charm in spades thanks to the hilarious voice clips, cut-scenes and general tone that plays on every cop stereotype!

- With 99 stages (and no continues) it's puzzling why there are no passwords, and constantly having to restart is disheartening.

- Demerit system is far too strict, especially as civilians aim to bump into your car and cause you to suffer the consequences.

- Could have used a pre-stage map to display the layout, as the result is aimless wandering when you need a gas station.

Robotron: 2084 (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Shadowsoft
Publisher: Shadowsoft
Released: 1991

Robotron: 2084 is a wave shooter that was first released in the Arcade in 1982.

+ Throws an enormous amount of sprites and animations around the playfield, and there's never any flicker or slowdown.

+ Intense, claustrophobic action forces swift analysis of the most urgent threat(s) while giving you no chance to breathe.

+ Deciding whether to rescue humans or deal with the onslaught of robots is a great hook that adds risk-reward.

+ Upgraded intro presentation is excellent with ominous music and a back story that cleverly couples as a tutorial.

- Auto-shooting controls work, but can fail when trying to avoid blasting the last robot in the hope of rescuing humans.

- Graphical effect when starting a wave obscures your vision, and the small screen can make it hard to nimbly dodge foes.

Basketbrawl (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Hamilton and Associates
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1992

Basketbrawl is a sports game that was originally released in 1990 on the Atari 7800.

+ Has ten characters (up from six in the original) with unique play-styles, and balancing scoring vs combat is a neat concept.

+ Has welcome new features like player recovery and weapons, and a handy password code is displayed after each match.

- Disappointingly, you can no longer chose your preferred game length and the ball bouncing SFX is beyond irritating.

- Action is choppier than on the 7800 and you often can't tell what's happening when players congregate in the same area.

- A curious removal from this port is your ability to jump, which hampers defensive rebounding in favour of button mashing.

- Screen only scrolls with your player rather than the ball handler, and it's far too easy to lose track of the action.

Xenophobe (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Epyx
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1990

Xenophobe is an action game that was first released in the Arcade in 1987.

+ Supports 1-4 players via ComLynx, and in a perverse twist, one person can play as an evil Snotterpillar to hinder the others!

+ Huge list of playable characters, and the Festor enemies (that were absent from the Atari 7800 and NES ports) are included.

+ Space stations evoke a creepy atmosphere, and the game provides you with lots of weapon types to even the odds.

+ Makes good use of the console's additional buttons to enhance the gameplay via grenades and jetpacks.

+ Impressive graphics with highly-detailed rooms, and the between level cut-scenes have some excellent sprite scaling.

- Unfortunate amount of slowdown when enemies litter the screen, and items can often be obscured by the foreground.

Qix (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Knight Technologies
Publisher: Telegames
Released: 1991

Qix is an action game that was originally released in the Arcade in 1981.

+ Maddeningly addictive gameplay and there's a considerable amount of techniques you can employ to fill the screen.

+ Works well on the smaller screen and the tense SFX / reduced playfield make the action feel brilliantly claustrophobic.

+ Gives you the option to move fast or slow, with the latter adding risk-reward due to it gaining you more points.

+ Unlike the NES port (1991), this version includes a password feature so you can skip to later levels to continue progress.

- However, each Game Over requires you to re-input this password instead of clearing your score and restarting the action.

- Catchy jingles from the NES version are sorely missing, and the core gameplay doesn't really develop as you advance.

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Atari Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1993

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom is an action-platformer that was originally released on the NES in 1991.

+ Level design has lots of verticality and Ryu's new ability of grabbing ledges makes for some nimble platforming.

+ Cinematic cut-scenes are beautiful and tie the gripping story together, including the shocking early plot twist.

- Attack and jump buttons are reversed which causes confusion, and there's no option to change them back.

- Spotty collision detection, and the action is too zoomed-out which makes it hard to accurately judge spatial distance.

- Pixelated graphics offer no clear distinction between the foreground and background, and the colours are muted.

- Music is a chaotic jumble of competing tones that retain none of the quality and intensity of the NES original.

Baseball Heroes (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Atari Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1992

Baseball Heroes is a sports game that's exclusive to the Atari Lynx handheld.

+ Four different modes are available, and playing the Home Run Derby competitively with two-players is a neat feature.

+ Includes a few advanced fielding mechanics, as you have the option to jump or dive for a ball that's hit into the outfield.

+ Animation is impressively smooth and includes two camera angles depending on whether you're pitching or batting.

- Gameplay is incredibly slow and it takes an age for your bat to swing around, causing you to anticipate rather than react.

- Tracking down a fly ball in the outfield is comically bad, as there's no way to judge depth perception for its trajectory.

- Only four fictional teams to choose from and no difficulty options to ease you in against the brutal CPU opponents.

Kung Food (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Lore Design Limited
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1992

Kung Food is a side-scrolling beat-em-up that's exclusive to the Atari Lynx handheld.

+ Opening cut-scene is terrific and sets the mood with some excellent pixel art, animation and lighting effects.

- Level design repeats the same sections over-and-over again, which makes each stage lack any real progression.

- Gives you a paltry number of ways to defeat opponents, as there's only three kicks and two punches at your disposal.

- Poor collision detection and it's difficult to know if you're on the same horizontal plane as an enemy, let alone hitting them!

- Often too many oversized sprites on screen at the same time, resulting in a poor frame-rate and delayed button presses.

- SFX are harsh sounding, while the music loops incessantly with barely any hint of melody to enhance the action.

Awesome Golf (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Hand Made Software
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1991

Awesome Golf is a sports game that's exclusive to the Atari Lynx handheld.

+ The courses are expertly designed and it's impressive how their intricacies are graphically visualised before each shot.

+ Putting is intuitive (with a generous shot assist) and what's nice is that you can choose a Putter from outside the green.

+ Clear voice clips, four-player ComLynx support, and an overhead map that shows off the console's scaling capabilities.

- Power metre needs to scroll for you to see the full bar, which makes it a challenge to strike the ball with complete accuracy.

- Club distance isn't displayed in-game and having to consult the manual for guidance before every shot is a drag.

- Can often feel eerily quiet, as crowd sound effects and ambient noises are almost entirely absent.

Gordo 106: The Mutated Lab Monkey (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Tenth Planet Software
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1993

Gordo 106: The Mutated Lab Monkey is a platformer that's exclusive to the Atari Lynx handheld.

+ Settings feature many unconventional locations for the genre and the ability to swing from objects opens up the level design.

+ Falling down a hole sees you challenged to a dungeon escape rather than losing a life, which is a neat second chance idea.

+ Dazzling visuals with amazing parallax scrolling and background animation, as well as enormous enemy sprites.

- However, the flashy graphics come at the expense of a stuttering frame-rate that makes precise platforming a nightmare.

- Proceeding through the game relies almost entirely on memorisation which can be tediously off-putting.

- Mastering the sprinting jump is key, yet executing it via a d-pad double tap is often extremely finicky and unreliable.

Dirty Larry: Renegade Cop (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Knight Technologies
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1992

Dirty Larry: Renegade Cop is a side-scrolling beat-em-up that's exclusive to the Atari Lynx.

+ Rhythmic quality to the action and quickly recognising enemy types and their attack patterns is strangely hypnotic.

+ Graphics are outrageously detailed (particularly in the backgrounds and flooring) and the cut-scene animation is terrific.

+ Recognisable locales like the Subway help to create a dark, gritty battleground for your missions.

- Ammo is in extremely short supply and the times where you need to resort to your weak fists results in unavoidable damage.

- Each stage features a small handful of enemy types which quickly makes each level feel repetitive.

- Only affords you a single life and if you see the Game Over screen the action locks up until you power off/on!

Chip's Challenge (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Epyx
Publisher: Atari
Released: 1989

Chip's Challenge is an action-puzzle game that was a launch title for the handheld.

+ Includes a whopping 148 stages that cleverly fuse expansive brain teaser puzzles with more action-based challenges.

+ Excellent tutorials and full of inventive ideas whereby figuring out the solution to a tough puzzle is immensely satisfying.

+ Often mixes things up to surprise players, such as Pac-Man (1980, Arcade) style collect-a-thon levels against incoming foes.

+ Unlimited lives feature helps to alleviate frustration and a handy password system is also included to continue your game.

- Trial-and-error quickly becomes the order of the day, which might turn off some gamers who prefer to see continual progress.

- Mercifully the music can be switched off, but those who want the full experience will have to endure its ear-piercing sounds.

Switchblade II (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Optimus Software
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1992

Switchblade II is an action game and the sequel to the 1989 original (Atari ST, Commodore Amiga).

+ Level design is exceptional with a mix of indoor/outdoor locales and some great verticality that caters to your super jump.

+ Weapon shops encourage you to try out new ways of tackling individual stages, in turn enhancing replayability.

+ Need to constantly top up your ammo for long-range attacks evokes a mild survival element that ups the tension.

+ Boss fights are a real treat with their gigantic sprites and compelling attack patterns that act as a great end of stage pay-off.

- Quite a few instances where blind jumps are required, and the homing missiles often circle their intended target.

- There's no music during the stages, which stifles the intensity and leads to a rather lifeless atmosphere.

Blockout (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: California Dreams

Publisher: Atari

Released: 1991

Blockout is a puzzle game that was first released in the Arcades in 1989.

The objective is to drop 3D cube blocks into a deep pit without them reaching the top; each time these blocks fill up an entire layer (with no holes) that section disappears from the playfield and the rest of the cubes drop down to create more space. Blocks can be rotated on their X, Y or Z axis using button combinations, and once you've moved one into position, pressing A drops it into the pit. Each game can be customised in terms of which block types you want to appear (Flat, Basic or Extended), their rotation speed (Slow, Medium, Fast) and the pit dimensions (Depth, Length and Width). Three predefined setups are also available that basically amount to Beginner, Advanced and Expert levels. Things start off well in the easier difficulties, with plenty of time to adjust to the block rotation, and it's enjoyable filling in the last hole to remove a whole layer. Each layer has a different colour which is handy for distinguishing how deep your block will fall and the outer grid works well for at-a-glance placement. The controls are fine, and some initial problems were alleviated by holding the B button before rotating a piece. While the 3D perspective is fun for a while, it gets unwieldy when you reach later levels or include anything other than Flat blocks; that's because the top-down angle obscures your view and makes it hard to see an accurate picture of the pit. The gameplay issues are similar to 3-D Tetris (1996, Virtual Boy), but at least the playfield rotated around there to give you a better view. As the speed increases, the controls become cumbersome and you'll spend more time wrestling the block into the correct position / axis; this stops you from being fully immersed as you're rarely in the moment, reacting and trusting your instincts.

Blockout is certainly innovative and can be moderately enjoyable if you play it on the easier settings where the gameplay is more manageable. Overall though, it just doesn't work as well as a 2D version, and it's tough to feel completely in control when the pit is only partially visible and you're always overthinking how to rotate each piece!

 

 

Random trivia: A prototype ROM of the unreleased NES port was recently leaked online.

Xybots (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Atari Games
Publisher: Atari Games
Released: 1991

Xybots is a 3D maze-shooter that was originally released in the Arcades before being ported to numerous home computers.

You control a Federation Warrior and your mission is to reclaim a space station that's been taken over by Xybots. The A button fires your gun while B turns 90° and the objective in each level is to find the exit while shooting enemies. Your energy metre constantly depletes and once it's empty the game ends. Orbs are scattered around though to replenish it and you'll also find Keys that open Warp Exits so you can quickly reach higher levels. The game reminds me of Gauntlet (1985, Arcades) as you wander around destroying enemies, finding items and keeping an eye on your energy metre while hunting for the exit. Where Xybots differs though is that you can collect money to spend at the end of each level; items include Monster Mapper (shows all enemies on a map) and a Second Shot (fire two shots at once). The mazes start off simple but eventually expand and you'll need to rely on your map to guide you quickly through the level without losing too much energy. This constant rush creates a high sense of anxiety and it's as much about survival as it is shooting everything that moves. A great deal of strategy is involved and at first the number of options available can be overwhelming. However, only purchasing the Slow Energy Loss and Second Shot power-ups will keep you alive for a long while, especially if you use the map to collect Orbs. The shooting action is responsive, accurate and tons of fun; likewise, the level design is excellent and navigating each maze is addictive with lots of hidden areas if you're brave enough to explore. The scrolling, animation and sprite scaling is fantastic and really shows off the power of the Lynx. There are a few boss battles but they're repetitive and a bit of a let-down.

Xybots is a very unique game and it does a great job of utilising the handheld's strengths while creating a highly playable experience. Unlike some other titles on the Lynx (namely Batman Returns) it has solid gameplay to back up its flashy visuals and there's also tons of depth to keep you coming back for more.

Random trivia: Ports of Xybots were also planned for the NES and Sega Mega Drive / Genesis but were ultimately cancelled.

Joust (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Shadowsoft
Publisher: Williams
Released: 1992

Joust is an action game that was first released in the Arcades in 1982 before being ported to the Atari Lynx a decade later.

The main objective is to fly your bird upwards and then bounce on enemies from above to defeat them. If you're lower than your opponent when making contact you'll lose one of your five lives. When you win a joust your enemy turns into an egg which you can collect for points. Fallen eggs can't be left unattended for too long; if you don't collect them they'll hatch and a stronger, more powerful bird will emerge! After each enemy has been defeated and their eggs picked up you move onto the next wave with tougher A.I. The premise is simple but there is a small amount of variety. For example, the second round is a Survival Wave where you earn 3,000 bonus points for clearing the screen without losing a life. The third wave sees the removal of the safety barrier at the bottom of the screen and it exposes lava with Trolls that grab your bird if you get too close. Round 5 is an Egg Wave where you must quickly collect all the eggs before they hatch and Round 8 is a Pterodactyl Wave with much faster enemies. The control scheme is slippery making it tricky to make precise movements and your bird has a tendency to wander off under its own accord. The action is solid with some fast-paced gameplay but it does get rather mundane after a while as you're basically doing the same thing repeatedly with minor tweaks. After two minutes you've pretty much seen everything it has to offer and the only reason to continue playing is to replay levels for a high score. In my opinion, this was acceptable in the early 1980s but not in a 1992 release as nothing has been added. The game can be extremely unfair in later levels as on one occasion I respawned right on top of an enemy and quickly lost my remaining three lives!

Lots of people seem to enjoy Joust and although the gameplay is decent I just didn't think it was anything special and boredom set in after 10-15 minutes. It's certainly a good arcade title and perfect for high score chasers but I expected more enhancements rather than a straight port of a ten-year-old game.

Random trivia: The Arcade game was so popular upon its release that a pinball version of Joust was made and distributed in 1983!

Ms. Pac-Man (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Namco
Publisher: Atari
Released: 1990

Ms. Pac-Man was ported to the Atari Lynx eight years after it first appeared in the Arcades.

There's a total of 25 mazes on offer which include different layouts as well as multiple grid sizes and tunnels. The main objective is simple as you must gobble up all the dots scattered around the level while avoiding ghosts; touching one of them makes you lose one of your three lives. Each corner has an Energizer though and if you collect one you'll be temporarily invincible and be able to eat ghosts for bonus points; the more you eat in a row the bigger your score. Other items occasionally appear around the maze and as soon as you see fruit and pretzels it's worth grabbing them as they also add to your point total. Even on the easiest setting the difficulty in classic mode is sky high as enemies move quickly and the A.I. is smart in reacting to your movements. This is a shame as it's not very accommodating to new players by easing them in for the first few levels. The sprites are very small and it can be tricky keeping up with your character, especially when the action is clustered to one part of the screen. The controls are responsive though and I love the different maze layouts as it keeps things fresh. Pressing the Option 1 button on the title screen reveals a series of more complex mazes that have a unique power-up called the Lightning Bolt. If collected you can activate it with A or B and it makes Ms. Pac-Man zoom around the level at high speed for 15 seconds! This is a great idea as you can rack up some big scores by using it in conjunction with an Energiser. It actually leaves you wanting other power-ups to see how they would affect the gameplay. The A.I. is still brutally tough in this mode but at least the expanded mazes are more interesting and engaging.

Ms. Pac-Man should be a perfect fit on the Atari Lynx but the difficulty is just too high; as a result most people probably will only play for a few minutes before becoming disheartened. It's a real shame too as the gameplay mechanics are generally enjoyable.

Random trivia: When the game was being developed for the Arcades it underwent several name changes including Pac-Woman, Miss-Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man. The final name was decided because it apparently flowed better!

Double Dragon (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Knight Technologies
Publisher: Telegames
Released: 1993

Double Dragon is a side-scrolling beat-em-up game that first launched in the Arcades in 1987.

You play the role of Billy Lee who is on a mission to rescue a girl called Marian from the Black Warriors gang. All four of the original's levels are present although they've been scaled back for the handheld. The in-game weapons include a bat, knife and whip and unlike the NES version you can actually carry them throughout the level. This is handy as the baseball bat in particular does some serious damage and it's useful when you're surrounded as it knocks down enemies in one hit. Picking weapons up can be problematic though as you need to be positioned perfectly - not the easiest thing to do in the heat of battle! The action is slow and it feels like you're wading through treacle at times. Many times when you're punching your character will just randomly stop responding during a combo and it leaves you wide open to a sucker punch. Like the NES port there's still a major problem with enemies interrupting your combos and instead of being stunned they'll start attacking you out of nowhere so it can feel a bit cheap. Each enemy seems to take forever to beat and the already slow action starts to become very monotonous after a while. Your character's jump is extremely floaty and even if you manage to land a flying kick the enemy will be back on his feet before you've even reached the ground! At the end of each level you'll face a boss but to be honest I didn't even realise I was fighting one as they look like regular enemies. The camera is too zoomed in for my liking and it makes the levels lack any personality as you can't properly see your surroundings. The graphics look fantastic with huge, chunky sprites and some good animation. The music is weak though and sounds haphazard.

Double Dragon on the Atari Lynx is a classic case of style over substance. It might hook you in with its amazing graphics but they count for nothing when the gameplay is so weak and unpolished.

Random trivia: Telegames officially published seven other Atari Lynx games including Qix (1991), Desert Strike (1993) and Super Off Road (1993).

Pac-Land (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Namco
Publisher: Atari
Released: 1991

Pac-Land is a side-scrolling platform game that started life in the Arcades in 1984 before being ported to various systems.

The game consists of individual trips that are broken up into four rounds each and your mission is to carry a fairy to Fairyland and then return back home. Double tapping left or right forces Pac-Man into a sprint which means he can jump longer distances. The first three rounds in each trip play left-to-right and you move through the level while avoiding ghosts. If you accidentally touch an enemy you'll lose one of your three lives. However, collecting a power pellet gives you temporary invincibility and allows you to eat them for bonus points. Unlike the Famicom version this port features parallax scrolling which looks really impressive. The first trip starts off easy enough as enemies are scattered and pose little threat. Things ramp up dramatically in the second round though as more ghosts litter the screen and hide behind background layers. I was surprised by how quickly the challenge increased but luckily the levels are short so it doesn't get too frustrating. It's worth sticking with the game as it eventually adds moving platforms that try to push you off the edge, castle mazes where you need to collect keys to open locked doors and huge pools where you need to launch yourself off the ramp and mash the buttons as quickly as possible to clear the gap. The level design throughout is fantastic and it makes each round a joy to play. The final rounds give you access to magic boots that make you hover and this time the action takes place from right-to-left. It's a nice change of pace as the gameplay is faster and more frantic. The graphics have a brilliant cartoony look and the colours really pop. The SFX are amazing and it's like having like a mini-arcade in the palm of your hand!

While it's more challenging than some other versions Pac-Land's pick-up-and-play nature make it an ideal game for the Atari Lynx. The levels are short so it's never discouraging and there's a good amount of variety in each round to keep things fresh for a while.

Random trivia: Entering 33one as your name in the high score table will net you ten extra lives.

Jimmy Connors Tennis (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: HandMade Software
Publisher: Atari
Released: 1993

Jimmy Connors Tennis is one of only three officially released Atari Lynx games to use the larger 512K cartridge.

There's only a Singles or Doubles tournament mode on offer and you can choose to play on either grass or hard court. The shot selection isn't particularly deep as you can only perform a Forehand with the A button, a Backhand with B and an Overhead Smash with Option 1. Pulling them off is tough and you know there's something wrong when you have to consult the manual in a tennis game! Basically, when your opponent serves or returns a ball one of three squares appear; red is where you need to stand for a volley, yellow is where you should be positioned to hit the ball on first bounce and black highlights the location for a smash. It's not 100% accurate and many times you'll miss despite feeling that you were in perfect position. The camera angles are atrocious and as soon as you serve you can no longer see your player until the ball is returned! The shot indicators don't appear until the ball passes the net so you have little time to react and adjust your position. Getting used to the awkward controls is tricky but the CPU doesn't help as in Level 1 difficulty it has a tendency to wildly mishit shots and lets the ball hit the floor when attempting to serve! The same thing happens in the hardest level but here there's no indicators of where the ball will land; this makes it impossible as there's no depth perception. Before you serve you can move far away from the court and if you try to throw the ball up the game angrily beeps at you; why allow me to drift away in the first place! The graphics look fantastic with excellent animation and an accurate depiction of Jimmy Connors on the title screen. There's also some impressive speech samples including umpire calls throughout the matches.

Jimmy Connors Tennis is one of the worst sports games I've ever played. Sure, it has nice presentation and some excellent audio but the gameplay is totally unplayable and you're better off sticking to the decent NES version instead.

Random trivia: The game was also released on the NES and Game Boy in 1993 but these versions were developed by NMS Software.