Game of the Day 3/30/2016: Cybernoid
Cybernoid is not a game I probably would have picked out for myself. Probably better known for its Commodore 64 version, it is a sort of screen-by-screen puzzle/shooter in which you must navigate your ship, the Cybernoid, through three increasingly difficult stages using an interesting set of weapons. When my parents' friends unexpectedly gave us a new NES game for Christmas, though, back in those days when new games only csme about sparingly... well, of course I played the crap out of it!
The main hook in Cybernoid is the weapons payload. You have bombs, bouncers, seekers, shields, and genocides to use, all in limited quantities, to help navigate the perils of each of the levels, and you can also pick up extras like spiked protective orbs and a rear-firing gun. There are some differences in the weapons in the various computer versions, but my experience goes deepest on the NES. Anyhow, each of these can destroy different enemies and obstacles better than others, so conserving your armaments for the appropriate screens is the key to victory.You must act quickly, though, as you are on a strict time limit.
Navigating the hazards is pretty fun, and your ship controls pretty well with nice gravity effects and responsive firing snd movement, and the three levels provide a reasonable challenge, if a tad brief. The NES version is unfortunately buggy as hell, as sometimes your bombs won't destroy things they ought to, enemies might appear immediately on top of you when switching screens, and sometimes missiles will fire anyway even after you've destroyed their turrets. Still, I can't say Cybernoid didn't eventually win me over with its more cerebral focus and creepy sci-fi feel. It's no masterpiece, but the computer versions were popular enough to garner a sequel, and the NES version feels quite unique on the system, offering a nice change of pace when you want a different kind of challenge.
Played this one? Prefer it on ZX Spectrum or Amstrad, or maybe Atari ST?
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