Overkill is a vertical scrolling shooter that was released by
Epic Games and Precision Software Publishing in 1992. The game was
designed and developed by Tech-Noir Productions and Ste Cork. Overkill
was Epic's first vertical shooter. The game was lacking some of the
technology that other top shareware games of the time had, such as Jill
of the Jungle, ID Software's Commander Keen, and Apogee's Duke Nukem. It
boasted EGA graphics, PC speaker sound effects, support for a joystick,
and a General MIDI musical track. While the game did sell a considerable
amount of copies, it was quickly overshadowed by later vertical shooters
such as Raptor: Call of the Shadows, Major Stryker, and Tyrian. There
are two versions of the game, the shareware version, and the commercial
version. Because of certain business practices, in less than a year from
the original release date the author took legal action against Precision
Software Publishing (PSP), who immediately lost the right to publish the
game or collect payments for it from any other distributors throughout
Europe, and PSP's name was removed from all screens within the game for
the 1993 re-release, and replaced by references to Epic UK ( now closed
down? ). Nothing else was changed between the 1992 and 1993 versions.
The shareware version allows the user to play planets one and two, while
the commercial version grants access to all six planets. Ste Cork
declared the registered version freeware on July 23, 2008.
Story
Overkill has a very brief and bland storyline. You are a pilot who has
been handed a very difficult assignment, you must destroy the menacing
alien forces that have captured six planets in a neighboring allied
solar system. The aliens have enslaved all of the inhabitants of the
planets, and must be killed.
Gameplay
The objective in Overkill is to destroy all enemies on a planet, thus
restoring order. Your ship, has some basic necessities such as fuel,
shields, and a weapon, but, it must be upgraded if you are to complete
the mission. To upgrade your ship, you must pick up various goodies. You
should be extra careful to not hit enemy ships, projectiles, or the
walls, as this will destroy your shields. Once all of your shields run
out, your ship explodes, and you lose a life. Once you lose all your
lives, the game ends.
Goodies
Goodies are vital to the success of your mission. There are four
different types of goodies; fuel cells, extra shields, smart bombs, and
power-ups. Goodies can be acquired by destroying certain enemies and
collecting the goody that it releases. Below is a brief description of
each of the goodies.
Fuel Cells - Fuel cells replenish your fuel tanks.
Smart Bombs - Smart bombs destroy all enemies in range, activating when
you pick it up.
Extra Shields - Extra shields restore some of your shields. This helps
to ensure that your ship is not destroyed.
Power Ups - Power-ups can be used to upgrade your weapons, missiles,
gadgets, and ship type. More information on power-ups can be found in
the following section.
Power Ups
Every time you collect a power-up, the red bar on the right of the
weapons indicator moves down one slot, allowing you to select the
upgrade that is available to you. There are four different categories
that you can upgrade with power-ups; your weapons, your missiles, your
gadgets, and your ship type. If you do not wish to upgrade the category
that is high-lighted in red, simply collect another power-up and the red
bar will move down one slot. Depending on your ship type, more or less
upgrades may be available. For example, the battleship cruiser can be
equipped with drones, while the fighter cannot.
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