Archipelagos is a strategy game where the player has to clear islands of the poisonous “Blood of the Ancients”. In order to achieve this, the player has to find a certain number of stones on the computer generated islands which then must be destroyed. Once this is done, the player must find an obelisk and destroy it as well to bring about peace and tranquility again for the island.
There are quite a number of challenges which make this task rather daunting, especially in later levels, most importantly moving plants that spread the Blood of the Ancients across the island and are thus making navigating all the more difficult.
While the premise of the game is rather simple, it becomes quite addictive since every new level is just a little bit trickier than the last one. There’s always this "oh, just one more level (island)” feeling which is an important sign for any good game. Later levels are very tough with a lot of hazards throughout the island, so it’s all the more rewarding when you finally see the obelisk destroyed.
The game graphics are pseudo 3D and let you navigate fluently and freely across the island. While not necessarily super impressive, they are quite good for their time and definitely get the job done. So all in all, Archipelagos is an enjoyable experience and everybody who likes a strategic challenge should give this game a look. It’s worth it.
The game also came with a soundtrack on cassette that absolute catches the mood of the game and is very recommended when playing it. It really manages to transport the player to the world of Archipelagos so when you want to give this game a try, be sure to get the soundtrack as well. It will definitely enhance your gaming experience!
Thoughts by Mr Creosote (14 00 2016) – Amiga (OCS)
Sometimes, when I really think about it, it frightens me how old all these games I have sitting on my shelf are. Then I wonder where all this time went. It almost seems like it was yesterday, after all! But then, there are also those situations when it becomes painfully obvious that it wasn’t. Case in point: Archipelagos. Our user state_trooper reviewed this and sent in screenshots. I edited the text, processed everything and put it on the site. Routine work in auto-pilot mode, no brain involved. Only a couple of days later, I actually realized that I have the game sitting on my shelf, in a nice box! So basically, what happened was that I found a game I already own by chance on the site. Seems like my memory isn’t perfect, after all.
So let’s refresh it. Archipelagos is a fairly abstract game, likely inspired by The Sentinel. In speckled three-dimensional landscapes, you are floating just above the ground, moving more or less at will over land and water. The goal is to “disinfect” each level. For this purpose, you first have to destroy all the rocks and finally the ever-present obelisk. Both actions are as simple as a single mouse click, so easy, right? Of course, it isn’t.
First of all, rocks can only be destroyed if they stand on a square which has a land connection to the obelisk. So you may have to build some bridges first. For this, you need energy, which you gain either from shattering rocks or collecting small pods. Just be careful that your carefully constructed bridge isn’t just destroyed again by one of those floating eyes (“necromancers” according to the manual). Who, of course, are not the only type of enemy. Primarily, there are strange trees moving from one square to another infecting the ground. You cannot stand on or travel to infected tiles. You may also use your energy to disinfect such tiles again, but it’s a finite resource. Weather phenomena such as thunder and storm start appearing in later levels as well, and there is really no way to counter them…
These dangers always keep you on your toes. The basic task would indeed be easy but for them. All of it put together, it becomes quite a thrilling challenge: easy to grasp and pick up, but hard to execute due to time pressure and ever-changing surroundings. This is not a deep game, but a quick thinker’s one. Maybe not quite up there with The Sentinel and definitely not as groundbreaking anymore, but nevertheless still fresh & fun.
