Exolon

Exolon is a flip-screen, run-and-gun platformer with puzzle elements designed by Raffaele Cecco.

The game was released by Hewson Consultants for the ZX Spectrum in 1987. It was subsequently ported to the Commodore 64 in the same year, followed by an Amiga version in 1989.

In Exolon, players control a heavily armed space marine navigating through a series of hostile alien landscapes filled with deadly creatures and automated defense systems. The game employs a flip-screen format reminiscent of early platformers like Impossible Mission, where each screen presents a self-contained challenge that must be overcome before advancing. The protagonist can run, jump, and fire in multiple directions while collecting power-ups and grenades to deal with the increasingly difficult opposition.

The original ZX Spectrum version showcased Cecco's talent for creating visually impressive games within the system's limitations, featuring detailed sprite work and smooth animation that pushed the hardware to its limits. The Commodore 64 port maintained much of this quality, translating the graphics effectively while adding improved sound effects and music that enhanced the atmospheric sci-fi setting.

However, the Amiga version represents a significant disappointment and a missed opportunity to showcase the game on superior hardware. Despite the Amiga's advanced graphics and sound capabilities compared to its 8-bit predecessors, this port feels rushed and poorly optimized. The visuals, while technically higher resolution, lack the crisp detail and character of the original versions, appearing washed out and generic. Most problematically, the game suffers from a complete absence of sound effects despite credits suggesting their inclusion, creating an eerily silent and less engaging experience.

The gameplay issues in the Amiga version compound these technical shortcomings. The controls feel sluggish and unresponsive, making precise jumping and shooting frustrating when split-second timing is essential. Enemy respawning becomes a constant annoyance, with creatures reappearing almost immediately even as players approach screen transitions, creating cheap difficulty spikes rather than genuine challenge. The grenade mechanics are particularly broken, as these explosive weapons inexplicably fail to damage alien enemies while only affecting stationary turrets, rendering them nearly useless in most combat situations.

Exolon's core design shows clear influence from games like Green Beret and Contra, sharing their emphasis on constant forward momentum punctuated by intense firefights. However, where those games maintained tight controls and fair challenge progression, the Amiga version of Exolon stumbles through poor execution. Players familiar with similar flip-screen action games such as Barbarian or Shadow of the Beast will find Exolon's flawed Amiga incarnation particularly disappointing given the platform's capabilities.

The game's weapon upgrade system and varied enemy types hint at the solid foundation present in the original Spectrum version, but these elements are undermined by the technical and design problems plaguing this lazy conversion. For those seeking quality run-and-gun action on the Amiga, titles like Turrican or Alien Breed offer far superior experiences that actually utilize the system's strengths rather than seemingly ignoring them entirely.