Hydra for the Atari Lynx
The random selector is smiling on me today. I adore the Atari Lynx; it's a beautiful beast of a thing and it's small catalogue has a ridiculously high ratio of really good games. It's always an absolute joy to find a reason to fill it with 6 AAs and get playing!
As I write this we in the UK have just started our fourth week of what was originally supposed to be a 3 week lockdown (although, to be fair, no-one actually believed it would be that short). Given the types of storylines videogames lean towards I'm surprised that a plot foreshadowing current events hasn't come up in one of the 23 previous days. But fear not, Hydra, a simple arcade game about a heavily armed flying boat is here to put that right. Each level sees our be-mulleted hero taking on swarms of enemies as he races to deliver sensitive packages to a couple of bikini clad girls who live in a shack on the river (obviously). The contents of the very first package: Mutated Virus! Spooky, right?
One of the things I love about the Lynx is the quality of it's coin-op conversions. It's incredible that a handheld unit in 1992 was able to create the feel of these arcade games so accurately. Granted the games chosen were on the simpler side, but there's no denying that the Lynx ports of A.P.B., Xenophobe, S.T.U.N. Runner, Rampage, and the like are among the best out there. The most accurate of them all was probably Roadblasters, the game that I fondly remember being tucked down by the counter at Mr Pool in Bedford for years on end was brought to the Lynx in almost arcade-perfect condition.
I mention this because Hydra, a far less well known game, is both another very accurate Lynx arcade port and basically Roadblasters on water. The reliance on fuel, the temporary power-ups, the on track orbs. All present and correct.
Hydra does add a couple of tweaks of its own. There's a shop between levels where the aforementioned power-ups can be purchased along with extra fuel. There are bonus levels after each stage too, taking place in an enormous geodesic dome, and, finally, there's Hydra's big gimmick: As well as attacking enemies on the water you can launch into the air to grab cash balloons and attack helicopters and other flying enemies before gliding safely back to the river - it may not sound like much, but it does add an extra little dimension to the gameplay.
Despite these, not insignificant, additions to the Roadblasters formula, Hydra is never quite as fun as it's obvious inspiration. It's absolutely worth playing for fans of this kind of arcade immediacy and as you can pick up boxed copies for about £15 it's more than worth than worthy of a place in your Lynx library.
As I write this we in the UK have just started our fourth week of what was originally supposed to be a 3 week lockdown (although, to be fair, no-one actually believed it would be that short). Given the types of storylines videogames lean towards I'm surprised that a plot foreshadowing current events hasn't come up in one of the 23 previous days. But fear not, Hydra, a simple arcade game about a heavily armed flying boat is here to put that right. Each level sees our be-mulleted hero taking on swarms of enemies as he races to deliver sensitive packages to a couple of bikini clad girls who live in a shack on the river (obviously). The contents of the very first package: Mutated Virus! Spooky, right?
One of the things I love about the Lynx is the quality of it's coin-op conversions. It's incredible that a handheld unit in 1992 was able to create the feel of these arcade games so accurately. Granted the games chosen were on the simpler side, but there's no denying that the Lynx ports of A.P.B., Xenophobe, S.T.U.N. Runner, Rampage, and the like are among the best out there. The most accurate of them all was probably Roadblasters, the game that I fondly remember being tucked down by the counter at Mr Pool in Bedford for years on end was brought to the Lynx in almost arcade-perfect condition.
I mention this because Hydra, a far less well known game, is both another very accurate Lynx arcade port and basically Roadblasters on water. The reliance on fuel, the temporary power-ups, the on track orbs. All present and correct.
Hydra does add a couple of tweaks of its own. There's a shop between levels where the aforementioned power-ups can be purchased along with extra fuel. There are bonus levels after each stage too, taking place in an enormous geodesic dome, and, finally, there's Hydra's big gimmick: As well as attacking enemies on the water you can launch into the air to grab cash balloons and attack helicopters and other flying enemies before gliding safely back to the river - it may not sound like much, but it does add an extra little dimension to the gameplay.
Despite these, not insignificant, additions to the Roadblasters formula, Hydra is never quite as fun as it's obvious inspiration. It's absolutely worth playing for fans of this kind of arcade immediacy and as you can pick up boxed copies for about £15 it's more than worth than worthy of a place in your Lynx library.
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