Warhawk (DYNAMIC DUO) Commodore 64 game

Warhawk is a vertically scrolling shooter published in 1986 by Firebird Software. It was made available for the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit family, Amstrad CPC, and Atari ST.

The 8-bit versions of the game were budget-priced releases under Firebird's "Silver 199" sub-label.

Gameplay In the game, the player must navigate and eliminate obstacles along a vertically scrolling screen. Each level concludes with a swarm of ships approaching the player from various angles.

Reception A review by Computer and Video Games focused on the Atari version, drawing comparisons to Uridium. They praised the asteroid graphics but found the alien graphics somewhat lacking, although the aliens' agility added to the challenge. The game received a score of 7/10.

Commodore User provided positive feedback on the game's presentation, graphics, and enemy AI, which they considered superior to that of Uridium. They awarded it an overall score of 8/10.

Legacy The following year, Proteus Developments created "Tanium," published by Players Software in 1988. The Commodore 64 version was labeled "Warhawk II" on the title screen, as referenced in reviews, although this distinction was not made for versions on other platforms.

A reimagined version of the game was developed for the Nintendo DS, retaining the original game's graphical style and gameplay mechanics. Michael Ware, a member of the 1986 development team, also contributed to this project. Warhawk received a remake for the ZX Spectrum Next, featuring coding by Michael Ware and Jim Bagley. This version received a physical release in Spring 2020.