Light Force ZX Spectrum

Description

Light Force ZX Spectrum

Light Force is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter designed by Greg Follis and Roy Carter, developed by their company Gargoyle Games, and published under their Faster Than Light imprint. It was released for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum platforms.

The player controls a spaceship which must defeat waves of attacking enemies in five different levels. Light Force received positive reviews from video games critics, later being ranked as one of the best games for the Spectrum by multiple gaming magazines. The game was a commercial success, with the Spectrum version debuting at number two in the UK sales charts.

Light Force ZX Spectrum

Light Force is a vertically scrolling shooter. The player controls a “Light Force” flight craft in the Regulus system, tasked as the only fighter in the area to fight off a species of aliens taking over the peaceful system. The game spans five levels, ranging from a jungle section, an asteroid belt, an ice planet, desert planet, and ends at the aliens’ factories. Every level has the player tasked with shooting down multiple waves of enemy spaceships to progress to the next level.

Weapon upgrades and a shield for your ship can be acquired as you progress. After completing the last level, the game loops back to the first. The game has a high score feature, where the player can get point bonuses for completing optional objectives, like destroying all alien buildings. Light Force is the first game published under Gargoyle Games‘ Faster Than Light label. The company’s co-founder Greg Follis explained that Faster Than Light was originally the title of the game, but he considered it “too good to waste”.

Light Force ZX Spectrum

The game was the first to use “Lasermation” for the graphics, which was described by Gargoyle director Ted Heathcote as “a new technique for showing really vivid high speed animation”. Rob Hubbard was the composer for the Commodore 64 version. It was released in 1986 for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum computers.

Another great retro game available at Escapist Gamer – VU-3D (ZX Spectrum)