Zamzara Commodore 64 game

Zamzara is a platform and shooter video game released in 1988 for the Commodore 64 by Hewson, under its budget line Rack-It. The protagonist is a humanoid alien who must navigate through a futuristic horizontally scrolling complex. At the time, Zamzara was highly praised by the European press, especially in relation to its low price. The player controls a green alien with a conical head who must escape from a complex made up of numerous two-dimensional horizontally scrolling levels, with various platforms and obstacles. The goal of each level is to reach the exit on the other end, usually by going from left to right, and there is an overall time limit of 15 minutes.

The alien can run left and right and jump. When in the air, the jump command can be repeated to make it float without ever falling to the ground. As a basic weapon, the alien shoots horizontal beams, while various more powerful weapons with limited ammunition can be selected using the appropriate buttons. The selected secondary weapon is fired by holding down the fire button for the short time necessary to fill a charging bar, and then releasing it. There are three types of multidirectional beams that bounce off walls, rapid fire, and horizontally traveling missiles.

Enemies consist of different types of large monstrous creatures in fixed positions that launch projectiles with various movement patterns, groups of smaller flying creatures, and mechanical firing positions. When the alien is hit, it loses some energy. When the energy is depleted, a life is lost, and the level restarts from the beginning. Occasionally, icons can be collected to recharge weapons and vials that greatly increase the score. Additionally, collecting 10 vials awards an extra life.

Zamzara was designed and programmed by Finnish developer Jukka Tapanimäki (1961-2000), except for the music (by the Maniacs of Noise) and the title screen. At the time, the author was known for his previous Commodore 64 successes Octapolis and Netherworld. However, the development of Zamzara was much more troubled. Initially, Tapanimäki had designed it as a more complex adventure game for Hewson's main label. He had to modify it twice because the publisher, with whom he had a contractual obligation, was not satisfied and wanted something simpler, ultimately resulting in a linear low-cost shooter released under the Rack-It label. A preliminary version of Zamzara, which worked, has been recovered and released as abandonware. It features a human protagonist in a space suit instead of an alien and a complex scenario to explore, complete with a map.