The Games - Review of T'n'T

T'n'T stands for Ted 'n' Tam, not Trinitromethylbenzene as I had expected, and it's a Bombjack clone. Well, I hate to use the word clone, as it expands upon Bombjack and adds many diverse features not found in the original, but the fact is the central gameplay has been ripped mercilessly from the heart of the arcade classic, leaving it to bleed in an unpleasant carpet-staining puddle of red.

For people who have were kidnapped by aliens in 1985 and only returned recently the idea of Bombjack was to leap about platforms all over the screen collecting bombs and avoiding enemies spewed from invisible portals about the screen. Once they had all been collected, it was time for the next screen, albeit pretty indistinguishable from the previous one.

In T'n'T the difference is that the bombs have been replaced by little Smilies, which you detonate by flying into, and enemies do not appear on the level, but start already in place. And there are a lot less of the enemies, but the game still remains difficult, thanks to the high degree of intelligence given to the little buggers that ensures that they are either:

1. Just above you when you jump.
2. Just below you when you land, or...
3. Hovering by the last Smily on the board, just as your final seconds tick away.

Every two or so levels, there is a chance to gain a life, by flying up to a heart bonus as it escapes off of the top of the screen. This is very easy, and since the changes in the levels design alters only in it's colour, it reeks of an attempt to pad out the game. A load of normal levels without the fancy backgrounds would have been better I feel.

I just mentioned fancy backgrounds, didn't I? I know this as I just typed it and I feel I should explain myself. Well, okay then. A lot of the backgrounds to the levels are made of screens, with portions painted over to form the platforms. A good example of this is the first level, which has the Mona Lisa as the background, and a pair of spectacles, a fake moustache, and a cigerette (which gradually burns down, a good example of the game's nice little touches) as platforms.

Unfortunatley I had built this up to be the best SAM game ever in my mind, and it isn't. It is very good, but I feel that the lack of levels (a problem that could have been easily remedied by losing some of the massive backgrounds) lets it down, but as Matt told me, he was having severe memory problems when writing the game. Pity, as what there is, is very playable.

Graphics       : 92% - Great backgrounds, great sprites and very clever use of
                       colour on some levels. Let down slightly by the garish
                       schemes of some levels.
Addictivity    : 81% - Until you complete the game, you'll find yourself being
                       drawn back to it every 5 minutes, after that though...
Instand Appeal : 85% - The simple gameplay, and accessability ensures that it's
                       easier to get into than a builing being protected by
                       Group 4 security.
Sound          : 87% - A georgous intro tune by TomKin, and inventive spot FX.
Overall        : 84% - Great game, just too easy.

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