

A surreal and very original game by Geoff Crammond The game plays out on a 3D landscape with hills and valleys made up of several levels. At the highest vantage point stands The Sentinel, a statue-like being with an energy draining stare, you begin at the lowest. "Energy" plays an important role, there's a constant amount in the game world and each object is worth a certain number of units - including you. The object of each level is to absorb The Sentinel and Hyperspace to the next from his vantage point. The Sentinel scans further round the landscape every few seconds - if you're caught in his gaze, or rather the square you are standing on can be seen, you'll have about 5 seconds to teleport to another location (or hit a key to teleport to a random location - which will never be higher, and may be lower than your current level) before the Sentinel begins absorbing your energy, when it reaches zero you will be destroyed. To travel a "robot hull" must be created on a visible square then teleported to, making sure you absorb your old hull to avoid losing energy. Boulders and trees can also be created, trees to block The Sentinels view and boulders can be stacked to gain higher ground. There are a few other elements to the game - on later levels there will be other Sentries positioned around the landscape. If only part of you can be seen i.e. not the square you are standing on, a nearby tree can be changed into a "Meanie" which will ultimately force you to teleport. There are 9999 levels in the game but the next level number is based on the current level + how much energy you have remaining.
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Plot-driven, cool, grave and earnest.
- character-ledplot-driven
- cooloverwhelming
- gravecomic
- earnestironic
- effortlessdemanding
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is this Firebird Software's best work?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is it the best puzzle game of its decade?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is the difficulty the point?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
About the game
- Platforms
- BBC Microcomputer System, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST/STE, DOS, Amiga, Amstrad CPC
- Developer
- Firebird Software
- Publisher
- Firebird Software
- Released
- December 31, 1986
- Modes
- Single player
- Perspective
- First person
IGDB rating 9.0/10 from 1 ratings.
Screenshots
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
Both plot-driven, grave, earnest.
Tunic 202267% alikeBoth plot-driven, grave.
Noita 202066% alikeBoth plot-driven, grave, earnest.
Hacknet 201565% alikeBoth plot-driven, grave, cool.
Rogue 198065% alikeBoth plot-driven, grave, cool.
10000000 201263% alikeBoth plot-driven, cool, grave.
Hand of Fate 201563% alikeBoth plot-driven, grave.
Small Radios Big Televisions 201662% alikeBoth plot-driven, grave, cool.
Lady in the Lake 194659% alikeFilm · Both cool, plot-driven, grave.
The Prisoner 196757% alikeTelevision · Both grave.
Often played with
Similar games per IGDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds










