Collapse

Copyright : Firebird | Reviewed by : Malc Jennings

Now Firebird are pretty much well known for different types of games that simply couldn?t be pulled off by other developers and Collapse is one of those titles. Taking on the roll of a walking teddy bear you must activate/deactivate platforms to find your way through each level and collect the diamonds, all of which has to be done while avoiding those nasties.

Graphics

Collapse is without a doubt a very strange platformer even for the time it was released and the graphics reflect this quite well. The style of the game doesn?t call for a great deal of colours to be used as you are simply activating ledges and jumping from one to the next but Firebird have done a pretty nice job with the CPC version. Those that are thinking the C64 version is better should head on over to Lemon64 and take a look at the shots, while the colours are a little richer the game is pretty much the same on all platforms.

There are no graphical glitches in the game and nothing that will stop you from playing, no slow down is evident and although basic it certainly does the job.

Sound

Sound is very basic indeed, we have no music to listen to either at the front of the game or during play and the in-game sound effects are almost non-existant. Having not checked any other version of the game to any extent I can?t tell you if we are missing anything other platforms had but I?m certain Firebird could have done better than this.

Gameplay

The idea of the game is jump from ledge to ledge without hitting any of the nasty monsters that patrol each room. You do this by activating ledges and pushing up and fire on the joystick, once you get there collect the diamonds and climb back down.

It might sound like a simple game but it can be a little hard for younger players and infuriate older players. The replay value has also dropped quite a bit since the 1980s and we would much rather play a game of Batman or Hunchback by Ocean Software than spend time activating ledges and jumping around.

Not a bad little platformer but we have seen better from Firebird and other developers, grab it and give it a go at the least.