Masters of the Universe

Copyright : Gremlin Graphics | Reviewed by : Ritchardo

Slipping through a Vortex in time the key has fallen into the hands of an unsuspecting American College student. Little does he realise the awesome power he holds. Thinking it to be a musical instrument he fails to realise that every note he plays attracts the ruthless SKELETOR and his devilish army led by the frighteningly powerful EVIL-LYN. With the key in their possession who can stop them escaping downtown America and returning to create chaos in Eternia?

Based on the Dolph Lundgren/Courtney Cox movie that divided fans of the franchise, Masters of the Universe was always going to have a tricky time appealing to the masses

Graphics

From the blocky loading screen onwards, you just know you?re in for trouble. He-Man is a passable attempt at Dolph Lundgren in an eyes half closed kind of way but the Skeletor lurking in the background is feint almost to the point of not being there at all?

When the game itself kicks off, you?ll find that your He-Man looks as if he?s wandered in off the set of the latest Commando knock-off (which it soon becomes apparent he has). Your tiny sprite is soon swamped in other, equally tiny blue sprites and both sides fire red pixels at one another to substitute for gunfire.

Unfortunately, you?re going to have to get used to it as this makes up the bulk of the game although there is the occasional cutscene of a communication device where you?re friends? faces will appear and pass on vital information to you - while not startling, it is an improvement and one which carries on into some of the sub games at least when the action changes perspective and you view a side on beat-em-up. Again this is no great shake in itself but when compared with what?s gone before it takes on delusional qualities.

And that?s pretty much you?re lot, apart from the odd crosshair scene (which doesn?t have a patch on the looks of games like Prohibition, The Untouchables or even Crossfire).

Marred by tiny sprites for the most part, Masters of the Universe, although varied, is not at all pleasing on the eye and largely uninspiring.

Sound

Now here is a missed opportunity and no mistake! How many tunes were more iconic and instantly recognisable in the playgrounds and swing parks of the Western world than the He-Man tune? Not many, I`d wager and yet Gremlin have failed to capitalise on that in-built market by not creating a version, even if it was heavily disguised, for their computer game. Listen instead to the weird tones fading in and out on the title screen before the proper tune kicks in? rubbish.

As if to add insult to injury, the sound effects that are included in the game are tinny and of little consequence.

Gameplay

In what, in retrospect, appears to be a prototype for the Ocean film licences of the latter years of the 8-bit era, Masters of the Universe is actually five mini-games based on various scenes from the film - the streets, the scrap-yard, Charlie`s shop, the disk battle and the final confrontation - in which you must collect all eight segments to the key of time or some such plot device.

The majority of your time will be spent plodding around the streets of 80s America trying to figure out where the other sections are and shooting at Skeletors minions. You are given a compass to assist you in your task but it isnt static and quite often will change the position of where North is on the map - a little confusing until you get the hang of it.

Unfortunately things dont pick up to any great degree when you do stumble upon the other sub-games: the scrap-yard is a simplistic combat game where you have to kill two of Skeletors goons; Charlie`s shop is a target shooting game and the disk battle is a shoot-em-up.

Although relatively faithful to the plot of the movie, Masters of the Universe is a lacklustre game and one that even devoted fans of the movie (if these people exist) and the series will be sorely disappointed. What could have been a neat licence instead turns into He-Mans slaughter of Skeletors troops. Particularly disappointing is the lack of any sustained swordplay considering thats what He-Man traded on, instead Eternias favourite son is equipped with a standard blaster gun.

Trust me, however much you like He-Man not even he can save this game from its startling mediocrity.