PrinceWatercress plays Bionic Commando (GB) - Part 5 of 9

In this video, we not only get through Area 12 to keep the Doraize Army away from some missiles, but we also open up some shortcuts to some of the neutral zones.

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Area 11

When you head over here, enter the first door. You'll meet Mac, the leader of the resistance. He will tell you that there is a nuclear launchpad with missiles in Area 12 and that you'll need to stop the Doraize Army from using the missiles. He will also ask you to come back after you complete Area 12.

The second door contains a capture Doraize soldier. He will tell you to come back later. Swing over to him, and you'll get two secret tunnels: one between Areas 9 and 11, and another between Areas 14 and 15. This will make it easier to get around on the overworld map, especially since you'll need to head back to Area 15 eventually.

Area 12

First Section (by Kishi)

Second Section (by Kishi)

At the start, you'll want to make your way down the gap, then swing your way to the right and enter the door at the end, which is easier said than done given all the swinging around that you're going to have to do to avoid falling into a bottomless pit. The big men take three hits to defeat with the Rocket Launcher or Hyper Barrel, and if they get close enough, they will hit you. Halfway along the path to the door you need to enter, there will be a health refill in case you need it.

To take out the turrets with the two cannons that are stuck to both the ceiling and the floor, you'll need to shoot them in the middle. That way, you can get to the communications room. Contacting the Federal Army will reveal that the Albatross is about to fire a missile, and tapping into enemy communications will reveal that the Doraize Army are on the Albatross and are about to fire a missile. Once you're done here, you can go back and enter the door from just earlier that was closed off to you.

You'll then be able to head back to the start. Get on top of the platform above the spike pit to get an extra life before swinging back to the start. From the underground area, you'll need to swing to the left and enter the door that is there to get to the launchpad.

At the launchpad, swing on the undersides of the missiles to get to the upper-right corner. Take out the soldiers at the consoles to get rid of both them and the drones that fly towards you. If you swing into the drone summoners, that will also destroy them. You'll soon reach the power reactor. Beating Area 12 gives you the Vulcan M274, which is a rocket launcher with the three-way shot of the Wide Range Rifle. The shot may not go as far, but you have a three way shot that travels both up, down and forward, and you can do things with it that you can't do with the Rocket Launcher. I consider it the best weapon in the game.

Area 11

Back in Area 11, talk to Mac again. He will give you a helmet that you can equip for more protection against bullets, and he will tell you to use the Vulcan M274 to destroy things that the Grenade Launcher cannot. 

Enemy Encounter - Secret Tunnel (by Kishi)

If you run into enemy helicopters in the secret tunnels, you'll be in an underground tunnel. The man manning the cannons will have the continue icons; just get onto the turrets from above to grab them.

Area 5

Shoot down the barrier with the Vulcan M274, then leave the area and come back, as enemies will still parachute in if you fire in this area like with all of the other neutral zones. There will be another barrier that you will have to destroy, but you'll need to do so to get the Delta Receiver nearby. Get it and equip it; you're going to need it for the rest of the game.

PrinceWatercress plays Bionic Commando (GB) - Part 4 of 9

In this entry, we finally get to meet the main antagonist, and we also get ourselves into a bit of a bind.

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Area 9

Area 9 is another neutral zone. Unfortunately, you'll need the Permit to enter, and to get the Permit, you'll need to beat Area 8.

Area 8

First Section (by Kishi)

Second Section (by Kishi)

The first part of Area 8 is an upwards climb to the top of a tower. You'll have new enemies to worry about in the form of ceiling turrets that fire lasers in two directions, soldiers with backpack copters that fire a short-range laser downwards while moving to the side when they see you, and Donkey Kong barrels that roll forward at you from out of nowhere.

You'll need to enter the communications room to continue. Communicating with your army will reveal that Super Joe has been taken elsewhere, while tapping into enemy communications will reveal audio of the Doraize army breaking a door open.

Above the communications room is a series of spring blocks you'll need to use to spring upwards and latch onto the next platform with to enter the second section. You'll also see another briefcase. Sadly, it only gave me another cartridge.

In the second section, you'll be defeating a ton of enemies as you make your way to the power reactor room at the top. There is a full health pick-up off to the side at the start, and there is an extra life you can get from leaping from a high place. Enter the communications room here to continue; you'll find out from your side that Director Wiseman (the leader of the Doraize army) is upstairs, and tapping enemy communications will reveal that General Rile knows you are here.

The power reactor is at the end. You'll see General Rile and Director Wiseman, and you'll fight the former. Line yourself up with Rile, duck down and keep shooting. That will be enough to take him down. Once Rile is out, destroy the power reactor. Beating Area 8 will net you the Permit, which will allow you to enter Area 9.

Area 9

Equip the Permit in the Tool menu so you can enter. The first door will contain the Gamma Receiver, which you'll need for Area 10. By talking to the people here, you'll find out that Area 10 is the capital of the Doraize Empire, and that other FF Corps members are there. The final door contains an extra life.

Enemy Encounter (Sea) (by Kishi)

Later on in the game, you'll find yourself in this area when you run into the enemy on the overworld map. Destroying the cannons on the two submarines will net you continues for each one. As for the enemies you'll encounter, you'll see guys with guns and later, guys with parachutes. You'll need to swing to get across the submarines.

Area 10

Equip the Gamma Receiver. You'll need it here and for the next couple of areas.

You'll land in the city. Enemies will parachute into the area ad nauseum, and you can keep defeating them over and over to stock up on cartridges for the next hit point. You can run past the helicopter to get past it.

First Indoor Section (by Kishi)

Once you're inside, you'll need to swing your way to the left across the ceiling below where you start, so you won't have to deal with even more parachuting soldiers. Once you make your way down, you'll need to get to the communications room. Thankfully, you don't have to swing across the ceiling to get there; you can hook up to the platform where the room is from underneath and pull yourself up from there. Once you're inside, your side of the war will tell you that the Gamma Receiver can be used in Areas 10, 12 and 13, and that you'll need to find the Delta Receiver. Tapping into enemy communications will reveal that the enemy is ready for you here.

To take out the enemies strapped to the ceiling, you'll need to hook onto the ceiling, drop back down and fire before you hit the ground. If you do it right, you'll hit the enemy as he is about to pull himself to the ceiling.

Once you enter the next door, you'll move right into an ambush and be thrown into a cell. Another FF Corps member will bust you out, and you'll need to use her wire (which she gives you) to get to your weapons and get to Area 11.

Second Indoor Section (by Kishi)

You'll need to grapple to the second doorway from the top, and you'll also need to ride up the laser cannons that slowly move up and down the walls to get there. The cannons will fire if they are lined up with you, but if you are pulling yourself up a platform, the laser will miss you on your way up. Keep that in mind as you go up the next room and get to the second door from the top, which will be the only door on the right.

Third Indoor Section (by Kishi)

From here, get up to the ceiling and swing your way to the right, and watch out for the laser cannon. Run past the ceiling guns so you don't get hit, then enter the door on the other side.

Fourth Indoor Section (by Kishi)

Get on the platforms when you are able to walk off the edges and land on them. Use your hook to get to the door at the bottom so you don't fall into the spike pit. Thankfully, you can latch onto the moving platform at the bottom to save yourself if you fall in.

Fifth Indoor Section (by Kishi)

Use your grappling hook to get past the rovers. You may be able to destroy one by kicking as you swing. You'll then have to swing across the ceiling to get to the armory, and if you mess up, you're doing this whole section over just to get back to the final part. Once you enter the armory, you'll get all your equipment back. Just move right when you're in the room and you'll have all your stuff again.

After that, head back to the beginning, then go all the way to the top. The door that was there will now be open, and you can now go in. You'll have the guy with the drill head again, but this time, there will be a gun that shoots at you at the top of the power reactor. Focus on shooting the center down as much as you can, and you won't have a lot of problems. Beating Area 10 unlocks the Hyper-Barrel, which gives the normal gun a rapid fire ability that allows you to shoot three bullets with the normal gun at once. Unfortunately, we're going to be finding better guns rather soon.

PrinceWatercress plays Bionic Commando (GB) - Part 3 of 9

This video took more time to make than it should have.

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Area 5

Be sure to equip the Shield Goggles to protect yourself from damage.

Area 5 is another neutral zone, and in one of the doors, you'll find the Beta Receiver. Equip it before you enter Area 6.

You can only talk to certain people. If you don't get a dialogue box when you approach people, they don't have anything to say.

If you latch onto a ceiling from the ground, you can simply move forward with the D-Pad to start swinging.

Area 6

First Section (by Kishi)

Second Section (by Kishi)

Equip the Beta Receiver! You're going to need it for the communications room, which is right after the start. If you don't have it, you won't be able to get anywhere. Get on the mine cart to get through the second section faster, and make sure it doesn't hit you from the side, as it can damage you.

The animated platforms you see throughout the stage are actually Game Boys turned 90 degrees to the left. Your side will reveal that the Doraize are making mutants out of human beings, and that tapping into enemy communications will confirm it.

There is a chance that when you tap into enemy communications, an alarm will sound and enemies will flood the room. Fight your way out and get out of the room immediately, as there will be no end to the number of enemies parachuting in. 

In the second section, some of the platforms will fall down. You'll have to use the platforms that the game throws at you to get further into the section and make it to the end here.

Near the end, you'll need to watch out for the slimes, especially near the gap you'll need to swing across to get to the power reactor. If you fall down, you're doing quite a bit of the area over just to get back to where you were.

To take out the mutant cyborg with the grappling hook, duck down near the edge and keep firing the Wide Range Rifle. You'll eventually shoot it in the head enough times to destroy it. The power reaction will be fair game from here.

Beating this area will net you the Grenade Launcher, which is one big projectile instead of three smaller ones. It also takes out enemies in fewer hits. You'll want to equip this, as it is going to be helpful. (Sadly, it will not destroy the barrier in Area 15.)

Area 7

First Section (by Kishi)

Second Section (by Kishi)

The rocket launcher will, however, take out the barrier at the beginning of Area 7, so getting it in Area 6 and equipping it before entering Area 7 is an absolute must. Even the soldier at the start will tell you this. From here, you'll have to swing on hooks to get to the other side. Remember that pressing forward when you've swung all the way forward throws you further than pressing Down, so make sure you press the right direction as you're swinging your way through to ensure you don't miss a hook and fall down the pit. Thankfully, the first section is mercifully short.

The big guys who throw projectiles take two shots with the grenade launcher (and a lot more with the other weapons), so it's a good thing you have the weapon now. When you enter the second section, enter the communications room before you do anything else; you'll need to do this to unlock the exit. Contacting headquarters will reveal that General Rile, who is believed to be Super Joe's kidnapper, is waiting for you in Area 8. Tapping enemy communications will reveal that the Beta Receiver will be useful in Areas 6, 7 and 8, and that you'll need a Gamma Receiver when you enter Area 10. 

The orbs on the background can be hooked onto, but if you stand on them, you will slide off.

You'll need to use the hooks at the top in the second section to get to the power reactor room. Be mindful of the enemy that's waiting for you near the door; you can leap into him and get knocked back down to the beginning on the final stretch.

There is a life replenishment and an extra life below the power reactor entrance, but be prepared to go around the second section again if you grab them.

The power reactor room is easy; you just have an enemy commander and parachuting enemies being the only obstacles to the reactor. Beating this area will net you Leg Armor, which acts as even more protective armor.

PrinceWatercress plays Bionic Commando (GB) - Part 2 of 9

Now that we've learned how to do things in the game, let's make some progress.

First | Next | End

As you travel through the map, you may run into enemy aircraft and therefore face a bunch of enemies. You'll need to go from left to right and take out the enemies.

Enemy Encounter (Land) (by Kishi)

The most dangerous enemy in this entire area are the heavily armored ones. They are only vulnerable when they do not have their shield out in front of them. If you can destroy them, they will drop an eagle emblem. Collect these for continues. You can have up to nine, and you're going to need all the continues you can get your hands on in order to make this game easier.

You'll also start seeing enemies parachuting in after the first armored enemy. Watch out for them, especially as you take on the second armored enemy. After the second armored enemy, it won't be long until you reach the end.

Area 3

Map (by Kishi)

Before you enter this area, equip the Flare! Make sure you get the flare from Area 2 and equip it here before going in. You can make your way through this place without it, but it's not exactly advised, especially with all the spike pits that take off two units of health at a time. That's not good, especially when you do not have a lot of post-damage invincibility frames in this game.

Once you enter the cave, the cave will go dark. If you have the Flare equipped, you can press the Start button to use the Flare and light up the area. Use your grappling hook to swing over the spike pits. Press A by itself to shoot the hook up and forward, and when you're all the way forward, press Down or Right to move forward. Keep in mind that pressing Right launches you further than pressing Down. Once again, make sure you don't fall into them, as landing in a spike pit takes off two units of health and can cause you to lose all your health in seconds if you can't get yourself out in time.

Midway through the cave is the communications room. By contacting your fellow men, you'll find out that there are four types of video receivers: Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. You only have the Alpha Receiver, which works only in Areas 1, 3 and 4. Past Area 4, you're going to need the Beta Receiver. By tapping into enemy communications, you'll find out that the Doraize forces are pretty tight-lipped about the Albatross project and that only the higher-ups really know anything about it.

The enemy with the blade will run straight for you. Shoot at him and take him out immediately before he runs into you.

There is a big open area where you can get some more experience with the grappling hook. If you can get to the top, you can get an extra life. Just watch out for the spike pit, as there is not much room between that and the ceiling. Make sure you keep your swing arcs small and tight by hooking up to the ceiling while you're very close to it, and you should be able to come out of it without much trouble.

You'll eventually reach the power reactor. There is only one human enemy in the room: a soldier who runs across ground level shooting a hook out of his head. All the hook does is stun you and knock you back, as the hook actually does not damage you. If you touch him, however, you'll lose health from the contact damage. If you get knocked into the power reactor, you'll take even more damage! Get this guy near the power reactor, facing left. Keep holding Right on the D-Pad and keep firing your weapon. You'll keep getting knocked back, but you'll also keep firing at the power reactor, making this a good loop to be in. You can still fire while you're stunned, so make use of that. It won't be long until you clear Area 3 and get the Wide Range Rifle, which gives you a better shot than the gun that you have. Equip this immediately; this gun has a three-way shot and is much better than the one you begin the game with.

Area 15

If you enter Area 15 now, you'll be stopped by a wall. You won't be able to get rid of it until you're nearing the end of the game, so remember this spot for later.

Area 4

Map (by Kishi)

Since you won't need the Flare for the rest of the game, switch back to the Bio Protein.

This is the first area in the game where your grappling hook skills are going to be put to the test. Be ready to grapple and swing a lot just to get where you want to go.

Slime will come out of the pipes in the background, and it will push in the direction that it is traveling. If you're not careful, you'll be pushed into a pit and forced to lose a life in the process. Thankfully, hooking upwards onto the ceiling stops the slime from pushing you around.

Some of the tiles on the floor are springs, and if you walk onto them, you'll hop forward in the direction you're facing. Use this to hook onto some ceilings and get further into this area.

Don't forget to enter the communications room before going into the rest of the level, as you'll need to go in there to open the power reactor room. Your side of the war will tell you that there is a leak in Area 6 that is soaking through the wall. Enemy communications will reveal someone named General Rile, who commends Super Joe on being a good fighter.

There is an extra life near the end, but you'll need to drop down from the communications room entrance, face right, swing your way in that direction, and not bop into the walls on the way there.

The robots with the crane arms can only be destroyed from behind. This is where the Wide Range Rifle comes in, as you can pull yourself right up to a ceiling and hit them from below with the three-way shot as they go under you. The smaller soldiers that bail out of the robots when they explode have to be hit with a crouching attack, but they still leave cartridges, so take them down, too.

The power reactor in this area is guarded by a guardian system: a small flying robot that hovers up and down and fires at you. Stay close and duck, and keep firing with the Wide Range Rifle to destroy it. You'll get the Shield Goggles, which acts as extra armor and protects you from random shots sometimes. 

PrinceWatercress plays Bionic Commando (GB) - Part 1 of 9

This may not be the NES version that everyone knows and loves, but this version is still a whole lot of fun.

Next | End

The Doraize Empire has started attacking the world as part of the Albatross project. Super Joe was sent in to investigate, but the Federal States have lost contact with him. The FF Corps and the Bionic Commandos have now stepped in, and Rad Spencer, the strongest commando, has snuck into the Empire to look for Super Joe. The final battle is about to begin...

When you start the game, your mission is clear: sneak into the main base, rescue Super Joe, and destroy the Albatross project. You'll then fly into the in-game map. The white numbers are the action stages, while the black numbers are neutral zones. Descend lets you enter the current area, while Transfer will let you move forward, assuming you've cleared the area you're currently flying over.

Area 0

Map (by Kishi)

You'll start the game with a basic pellet gun and the Alpha Receiver. Just press A to go through the equipment screens for now; you'll get more stuff to equip as you go through the game.

Left and Right let you move Left and Right, Down ducks, B shoots, and A fires the hook. You can hold Up to aim the hook upwards. While hanging on a ceiling, you can press Down or forward to jump forward, with forward (Left or Right, depending on where you're facing) lets you go further than down does. Pressing A will allow you to scurry up to the surface of whatever you're hanging on. Up and A will allow you to pull yourself to the top of the platform, assuming the platform will allow you to do that.

Shooting enemies will cause them to leave cartridges. Pick up the cartridges to get closer to increasing your health, which is on the lower-right corner of the screen. You start out with three hits, but you'll be able to get as many as eight by the time the game is over. Pressing the Select button will allow you to see your current equipment, the current amount of cartridges that you have, the current amount of lives that you have, and the current amount of continues that you have. You'll be able to get a few extra lives along the way, and you'll also more easily be able to get up to nine continues. This will be explained later. By collecting enough cartridges, your maximum health will increase by one unit, and you'll also refill your health along with the extension.

Your first order of business is to get to the door with the antenna at the top, which indicates the communications room. With your currently equipped receiver, you can communicate with the Federal States army, but you can also tap into the communications network to overhear what the Doraize army have to say. You'll be able to get some hints doing both of these things, as well as open doors elsewhere in the current area. You can also re-equip items in the middle of the stage whenever necessary.

There is a chance that if you tap into the computer to overhear Doraize communications, you'll trigger an alarm once you select "End" to get off the computer. Enemies will endlessly parachute into the room until you leave.

If you see a briefcase parachuting downwards, shoot it down to get the contents, which will be random.

The POW item gives you a shield that revolves around you and only lasts for a limited time, but the shield can take down any regular enemies that it touches. Don't expect to see this item very often. The tiny Rad Spencer doll gives you an extra life, but these are few and far between.

The doorway with the eagle above it usually signifies an important place to go. If one of these doorways is closed, look for the communications room and contact the Federal States army. That should usually unlock it.

You'll soon enter the room with the power reactor, which you'll learn about if you tap the enemy communications. The enemy captain just stands there and points, and can be shot down rather easily; the enemies that parachute in and chase after and shoot you put up more of a fight. To take out the power reactor, shoot at the middle of it until it explodes.

Completing a stage will net you ten cartridges, which will get you a tad closer to your next unit of health. You'll also get a password in the form of a 4x6 rectangle with circles, squares and triangles, which is something that the NES game did not do. Be sure to write these passwords down.

Area 1

Once you beat Area 0, you can descend into Area 1.

Entrance (by Kishi)

Inside Base (by Kishi)

At the start, you'll need to enter the communications room. Use Com. and Tap. to open the door at the bottom level and find out about the elevators, one of which is a trap. You can stand on them and press Up and Down to move the elevators up and down. As for which one is a trap, it's the one on the left; the one on the right actually works and doesn't fall down when you stand on it.

Swinging forward off the ceiling will let you get past the barrels that are in your way. Since you can't actually jump forward by pressing a button like in every other platformer, using the hook and swinging forward is how you're going to hop past pits and obstacles.

You'll find the communications room halfway through the base, off to the right past the spike pits. Be sure to do the usual things that you do in there to open the exit. You'll learn from the Federal States army about the neutral areas, where you can move freely without being attacked, but if you fire any weapons while you're in them, you will be swarmed by peacekeeper soldiers. Keep your thumb off the B button while in those areas. Tapping will reveal that the enemy knows you are in the base.

Landing in spike pits will take off two hits when you touch the spikes, and you'll want to use your grappling hook in order to get out of them. 

Shoot down the machines on the ceiling producing the force fields to get rid of the force fields.

The men with the rocket launchers take two hits with the default gun, and the explosions that they create when they are destroyed can also do damage to you if you're too close.

In the power reactor room, the soldier with the shield can be easily avoided if you stay off ground level. He can be easily taken out from behind, but you're better off just ignoring him entirely. Destroying the power reactor in Area 1 allows you to access Areas 2 and 3. You'll also obtain the Bio-Protein, which acts as a free heal with the Start Button if you equip it before entering an area.

Area 2

Area 2 is a neutral area, and you are prohibited from firing weapons from here, lest you want to be surrounded by an endless flood of parachuting soldiers. for best results, keep your thumb off the B button while in neutral areas.

Some of the rooms in the neutral areas will contain items. You won't get much here, but you'll get more stuff in future neutral areas. Watch out for the floor spikes, and use the item rooms to get used to the grappling hook controls. Keep in mind that if you swing into a wall, you'll let go of the ceiling and you'll get knocked back.

Near the end of Area 2, you'll find the flare. You can equip it and press Start in a dark area to light a dark area up. 

PrinceWatercress plays Alien Jailbreak - The Longplay

...and now, the whole game, minus commentary! Enjoy!

Let's Play

Alien Jailbreak is a text adventure from the BBC Micro that was originally started in the 1980s yet stayed dormant and incomplete for years until it was found and completed by Lurkio in the 2010s. It's a rather short text adventure, and while the sci-fi setting makes for a nice change of pace (compared to the other text adventures that I've played), it does end on a cliffhanger that will, sadly, never be resolved.

When you start the game, you'll get a short list of some of the commands that the game understands: L, LOOK, I, INVENTORY, X, EXAMINE, N, S, E, W, U, UP, D, DOWN, GET, DROP, OPEN, CLOSE, ON, OFF, SAVE, LOAD, ABOUT, HELP. (The game does not understand "TAKE," so don't use it.)

It was all going so well...

You had just hauled a massive cargo of food and liquor (plus a mindfuggering stash of narcotics) to the homeworld of the notorious Synn system, which was on the very edge of Stellafed-controlled space.

Not only had they given you an unusually generous payout for your trouble, but they'd even invited you to join the party. The more the merrier, they'd said. Those crazy guys! How could you refuse?

Hours - or was it days? - had passed in a rush of toxic ecstasy. You'd indulged in all the pleasures that Synn had had to offer, till your brain and body were screaming for mercy.

And it was in this befuddled state that you decided to stumble back into your ship and head for home, even though you could barely walk in a straight line, let alone navigate half-way across the galaxy in a Stellafed trading vessel.

So perhaps you shouldn't have been altogether surprised to wake with a start and realise that (a) you'd fallen asleep at the controls of your ship, and (b) its defence systems were sounding a red alert.

Now, as you desperately try to wrap your pickled head around the computer's sensor readings, it slowly dawns on you that an astonishingly powerful tractor-beam appears to have locked on to the ship, which is hurtling towards the surface of an alien planet at homicidal speed.

You have no idea how you got here. Where the hell is "here," anyway? Is someone trying to kidnap you? Or kill you? Or, worse, steal your ship?

You're just about to start cursing Vog for creating drink, drugs, the people of Synn, interstellar travel, space, and life itself, when the ship suddenly crash-lands on the alien planet, hurling you across the cockpit with what you can't help thinking is cruel and unnecessary force.

Reeling from the impact, not to mention several nights in Synn, you're only dimly aware of the shadow figures that come aboard and steal the ship's power booster.

It's at this point that your addled brain finally admits defeat and you slip into sweet oblivion...

STELLAFED COMMUNCATIONS LOG

"This is listening station Ebdu, with an urgent report for Stellafed Communications HQ."

"This is SCHQ. Go ahead, Ebdu."

"One of our citizens appears to have been kidnapped by target QUAKE."

"Please repeat that, Ebdu."

I repeat: QUAKE has kidnapped a Stellafed citizen."

"Please identify yourself, caller."

"This is Intel Officer Gruntt."

"Officer Gruntt, I would remind you that target QUAKE is currently at the top of the Galactic Governmental Threat List. All comms regarding QUAKE must be taken extremely seriously. This is no time for jokes, Officer Gruntt."

"No joke, SCHQ. This is Grade-A intelligence."

"Please ID the kidnapped citizen."

"He's already a Subject of Interest to us: a petty smuggler codenamed SIDETHORN."

"SIDETHORN?! Trust that jackass to land himself in deep skakk. He'll keep."

"Er, with respect, SCHQ, I don't think he will. We had an implant on SIDETHORN's ship and managed to record a brief snatch of conversation between QUAKE agents when they came aboard. Transmitting recording now..."

"Take the intruder to the interrogation room."

"Yes, Commander. But what if he refuses to talk?"

"In that case, terminate him."

"Oh. I see. But SCHQ's decision remains unchanged: We shall continue to monitor the situation. No immediate action."

"So a citizen of Stellafed has been kidnapped by Public Enemy Number One, who might be about to execute him, and we do nothing?!"

"Firstly, you would do well to remember your place, Intel Officer Gruntt - if you wish to carry on being Intel Officer Gruntt, that is."

"I'm in no way tryi-"

"Secondly, we don't want to take any action that might reveal that we routinely bug our own citizens."

"I understand, but-"

"And thirdly, what exactly would you have us do? Vog knows what'll happen if we actually try to engage with QUAKE - and the last thing we need now is a war with a mysterious and powerful enemy whose mere existence we dare not make known for fear of causing mass panic across the galaxy."

"Of course, I fully suppo-"

"This conversation is terminated, Officer Gruntt."

"But-"

"SIDETHORN will have to look after himself."

TOP SECRET PRATS 3 SECURE CHANNEL

You are "Sidethorn." You are stuck on a planet you do not even know, and not only have you been kidnapped, but your ship's power supply has also been stolen. You need to get out of this place.

You start in a dingy prison cell with no doors or windows. You are strapped to a hard metal couch, connected to a mindprobe. EXAMINE MINDPROBE to find out that it is a Neurocellular Matrix Scanner Mark X111, which is banned due to requiring the subject's brain be removed. You'll also find out that wires lead from the ceiling down to a circular blade. PULL WIRES to stop the mindprobe and release the fetters holding you to the couch. If you EXAMINE WIRES, you'll find out that they still buzz with electricity as they hang down from the ceiling. If you GET WIRES, you'll shock yourself to death and you'll have to start over.

From here, STAND UP and TAKE BLADE. If you EXAMINE BLADE, you'll find out that the blade has a shuriken-like appearance. If you LOOK, you'll notice there is an air vent. OPEN AIR VENT, then ENTER VENT. You'll enter the air ducts, unable to see. The game will tell you where cool air is blowing from, so go in the direction it blows from with the first letter of NORTH, SOUTH, EAST or WEST where necessary. You'll eventually feel it blowing from below if you keep going in the right direction. You can use either D or DOWN to go down. In the next room, which is the central cooling complex, you'll find a torch. TAKE TORCH, then TURN TORCH ON before you go UP so you can see while in the air vents. (If you EXAMINE TORCH, you can see if the torch is on or off.)

From here, you're left to your own devices to map out the vent system, which is actually pretty big and makes up the majority of the game's map. After getting the torch and turning it on, go UP, then E, S, E, E, S, S, W, S, and then DOWN. This will drop you into the junk room with the remains of robots ready to be re-used. You'll find a metal hand. TAKE HAND. If you EXAMINE HAND, you'll find out that the robot hand is hollowed out and that you can wear it like a glove.

Go UP, then go W, N, W, S. When you're able to go down, DROP TORCH and DROP HAND. Go DOWN to land in a chemical plant, and take the Dacanium crystal. You'll need this to power your ship back up. (If you came down here with the torch and the hand in your inventory, the magnet that is picking up the ore will pick those two items up and drop them into the furnace, making the game unwinnable, as you'll need the hand to complete the game.) Go UP, then TAKE TORCH and TAKE HAND. Thankfully, the torch will still be on.

From here, I split the directions into groups of four, since you'll need to go a bit of a distance for what you need to do next:

NESE

NENN

WNNN

WNEE

SEEE

SESD

When you're able to go down, you'll find out that a closed vent is in your way. OPEN VENT before you go DOWN. Once you go down, go south twice. Going south once, leads to a passage leading to a plaque with useless information as well as two store rooms with nothing useful in them. After going south twice, go west to enter a computer room. EXAMINE MONITOR, and you'll find out that whoever took you hostage is aware of your escape in what is known as "Dome 1" and and that they want you - as well as someone named Xandros - executed.

Go back east, then go south again. Follow the junction west, then go west again. You'll come across a robot. If you stay around this room for two turns, the robot will kill you. THROW BLADE at the robot to kill it, then go north. You'll end up in a teleport with a control column in the center. EXAMINE COLUMN to find a touchpad on the column. EXAMINE TOUCHPAD to find out that it is a control pad for a teleporter. WEAR HAND, then TOUCH TOUCHPAD to teleport. (If you do not WEAR HAND to put the android hand on first, the teleporter recognizes you as an intruder and kills you.) Once you teleport safely, you'll get the ending. Sadly, it ends in a cliffhanger. Nevertheless, you just beat Alien Jailbreak!

You've escaped the mindprobe, found your ship's power booster, and teleported out of Dome 1, where you'd been imprisoned, and you're now in transit to Dome 2.

But you don't think you can relax just yet. For one thing, your captors seem to know that you're free and are probably looking for you. For another, you're far from certain that Dome 2 will be any better than Dome 1.

But surely it can't get any worse, what with all the killer robots and deadly mindprobes lurking round every corner?

But what if killer robots and deadly mindprobes are de rigueur on whatever planet this actually is? You still haven't figured out where you are, nor do you know why you were captured, or what the robots were trying to probe your mind for...

Who are these frukking robots anyway? As far as you knew, sentient robots that were capable of building a complex civilisation like the one you appear to have sleepwalked your way into are unknwon to Stellafed.

So where are you, and what are the robots up to?

Perhaps the mysterious "Xandros" they were so frightened you might speak to can tell you - if the two of you ever meet, that is. The problem is that you've never heard of Xandros before, so how will you recognise her? Is Xandros human or robot?

Is she in Dome 2?

Why is this teleport taking so long?

Perhaps you'll discover the answers to these and other fascinating questions in the second, scintillating part of Alien Jailbreak...

Map by unknown user, "rainbow color edit" made by PrinceWatercress. Original map can be found here. 

PrinceWatercress plays Alien Jailbreak

At long last, I finally play a text adventure with a sci-fi theme. It's a shame this game never had a follow-up, but at least the game has finally been unearthed and made available to play.

Longplay

Alien Jailbreak is a text adventure from the BBC Micro that was originally started in the 1980s yet stayed dormant and incomplete for years until it was found and completed by Lurkio in the 2010s. It's a rather short text adventure, and while the sci-fi setting makes for a nice change of pace (compared to the other text adventures that I've played), it does end on a cliffhanger that will, sadly, never be resolved.

When you start the game, you'll get a short list of some of the commands that the game understands: L, LOOK, I, INVENTORY, X, EXAMINE, N, S, E, W, U, UP, D, DOWN, GET, DROP, OPEN, CLOSE, ON, OFF, SAVE, LOAD, ABOUT, HELP. (The game does not understand "TAKE," so don't use it.)

It was all going so well...

You had just hauled a massive cargo of food and liquor (plus a mindfuggering stash of narcotics) to the homeworld of the notorious Synn system, which was on the very edge of Stellafed-controlled space.

Not only had they given you an unusually generous payout for your trouble, but they'd even invited you to join the party. The more the merrier, they'd said. Those crazy guys! How could you refuse?

Hours - or was it days? - had passed in a rush of toxic ecstasy. You'd indulged in all the pleasures that Synn had had to offer, till your brain and body were screaming for mercy.

And it was in this befuddled state that you decided to stumble back into your ship and head for home, even though you could barely walk in a straight line, let alone navigate half-way across the galaxy in a Stellafed trading vessel.

So perhaps you shouldn't have been altogether surprised to wake with a start and realise that (a) you'd fallen asleep at the controls of your ship, and (b) its defence systems were sounding a red alert.

Now, as you desperately try to wrap your pickled head around the computer's sensor readings, it slowly dawns on you that an astonishingly powerful tractor-beam appears to have locked on to the ship, which is hurtling towards the surface of an alien planet at homicidal speed.

You have no idea how you got here. Where the hell is "here," anyway? Is someone trying to kidnap you? Or kill you? Or, worse, steal your ship?

You're just about to start cursing Vog for creating drink, drugs, the people of Synn, interstellar travel, space, and life itself, when the ship suddenly crash-lands on the alien planet, hurling you across the cockpit with what you can't help thinking is cruel and unnecessary force.

Reeling from the impact, not to mention several nights in Synn, you're only dimly aware of the shadow figures that come aboard and steal the ship's power booster.

It's at this point that your addled brain finally admits defeat and you slip into sweet oblivion...

STELLAFED COMMUNCATIONS LOG

"This is listening station Ebdu, with an urgent report for Stellafed Communications HQ."

"This is SCHQ. Go ahead, Ebdu."

"One of our citizens appears to have been kidnapped by target QUAKE."

"Please repeat that, Ebdu."

I repeat: QUAKE has kidnapped a Stellafed citizen."

"Please identify yourself, caller."

"This is Intel Officer Gruntt."

"Officer Gruntt, I would remind you that target QUAKE is currently at the top of the Galactic Governmental Threat List. All comms regarding QUAKE must be taken extremely seriously. This is no time for jokes, Officer Gruntt."

"No joke, SCHQ. This is Grade-A intelligence."

"Please ID the kidnapped citizen."

"He's already a Subject of Interest to us: a petty smuggler codenamed SIDETHORN."

"SIDETHORN?! Trust that jackass to land himself in deep skakk. He'll keep."

"Er, with respect, SCHQ, I don't think he will. We had an implant on SIDETHORN's ship and managed to record a brief snatch of conversation between QUAKE agents when they came aboard. Transmitting recording now..."

"Take the intruder to the interrogation room."

"Yes, Commander. But what if he refuses to talk?"

"In that case, terminate him."

"Oh. I see. But SCHQ's decision remains unchanged: We shall continue to monitor the situation. No immediate action."

"So a citizen of Stellafed has been kidnapped by Public Enemy Number One, who might be about to execute him, and we do nothing?!"

"Firstly, you would do well to remember your place, Intel Officer Gruntt - if you wish to carry on being Intel Officer Gruntt, that is."

"I'm in no way tryi-"

"Secondly, we don't want to take any action that might reveal that we routinely bug our own citizens."

"I understand, but-"

"And thirdly, what exactly would you have us do? Vog knows what'll happen if we actually try to engage with QUAKE - and the last thing we need now is a war with a mysterious and powerful enemy whose mere existence we dare not make known for fear of causing mass panic across the galaxy."

"Of course, I fully suppo-"

"This conversation is terminated, Officer Gruntt."

"But-"

"SIDETHORN will have to look after himself."

TOP SECRET PRATS 3 SECURE CHANNEL

You are "Sidethorn." You are stuck on a planet you do not even know, and not only have you been kidnapped, but your ship's power supply has also been stolen. You need to get out of this place.

You start in a dingy prison cell with no doors or windows. You are strapped to a hard metal couch, connected to a mindprobe. EXAMINE MINDPROBE to find out that it is a Neurocellular Matrix Scanner Mark X111, which is banned due to requiring the subject's brain be removed. You'll also find out that wires lead from the ceiling down to a circular blade. PULL WIRES to stop the mindprobe and release the fetters holding you to the couch. If you EXAMINE WIRES, you'll find out that they still buzz with electricity as they hang down from the ceiling. If you GET WIRES, you'll shock yourself to death and you'll have to start over.

From here, STAND UP and TAKE BLADE. If you EXAMINE BLADE, you'll find out that the blade has a shuriken-like appearance. If you LOOK, you'll notice there is an air vent. OPEN AIR VENT, then ENTER VENT. You'll enter the air ducts, unable to see. The game will tell you where cool air is blowing from, so go in the direction it blows from with the first letter of NORTH, SOUTH, EAST or WEST where necessary. You'll eventually feel it blowing from below if you keep going in the right direction. You can use either D or DOWN to go down. In the next room, which is the central cooling complex, you'll find a torch. TAKE TORCH, then TURN TORCH ON before you go UP so you can see while in the air vents. (If you EXAMINE TORCH, you can see if the torch is on or off.)

From here, you're left to your own devices to map out the vent system, which is actually pretty big and makes up the majority of the game's map. After getting the torch and turning it on, go UP, then E, S, E, E, S, S, W, S, and then DOWN. This will drop you into the junk room with the remains of robots ready to be re-used. You'll find a metal hand. TAKE HAND. If you EXAMINE HAND, you'll find out that the robot hand is hollowed out and that you can wear it like a glove.

Go UP, then go W, N, W, S. When you're able to go down, DROP TORCH and DROP HAND. Go DOWN to land in a chemical plant, and take the Dacanium crystal. You'll need this to power your ship back up. (If you came down here with the torch and the hand in your inventory, the magnet that is picking up the ore will pick those two items up and drop them into the furnace, making the game unwinnable, as you'll need the hand to complete the game.) Go UP, then TAKE TORCH and TAKE HAND. Thankfully, the torch will still be on.

From here, I split the directions into groups of four, since you'll need to go a bit of a distance for what you need to do next:

NESE

NENN

WNNN

WNEE

SEEE

SESD

When you're able to go down, you'll find out that a closed vent is in your way. OPEN VENT before you go DOWN. Once you go down, go south twice. Going south once, leads to a passage leading to a plaque with useless information as well as two store rooms with nothing useful in them. After going south twice, go west to enter a computer room. EXAMINE MONITOR, and you'll find out that whoever took you hostage is aware of your escape in what is known as "Dome 1" and and that they want you - as well as someone named Xandros - executed.

Go back east, then go south again. Follow the junction west, then go west again. You'll come across a robot. If you stay around this room for two turns, the robot will kill you. THROW BLADE at the robot to kill it, then go north. You'll end up in a teleport with a control column in the center. EXAMINE COLUMN to find a touchpad on the column. EXAMINE TOUCHPAD to find out that it is a control pad for a teleporter. WEAR HAND, then TOUCH TOUCHPAD to teleport. (If you do not WEAR HAND to put the android hand on first, the teleporter recognizes you as an intruder and kills you.) Once you teleport safely, you'll get the ending. Sadly, it ends in a cliffhanger. Nevertheless, you just beat Alien Jailbreak!

You've escaped the mindprobe, found your ship's power booster, and teleported out of Dome 1, where you'd been imprisoned, and you're now in transit to Dome 2.

But you don't think you can relax just yet. For one thing, your captors seem to know that you're free and are probably looking for you. For another, you're far from certain that Dome 2 will be any better than Dome 1.

But surely it can't get any worse, what with all the killer robots and deadly mindprobes lurking round every corner?

But what if killer robots and deadly mindprobes are de rigueur on whatever planet this actually is? You still haven't figured out where you are, nor do you know why you were captured, or what the robots were trying to probe your mind for...

Who are these frukking robots anyway? As far as you knew, sentient robots that were capable of building a complex civilisation like the one you appear to have sleepwalked your way into are unknwon to Stellafed.

So where are you, and what are the robots up to?

Perhaps the mysterious "Xandros" they were so frightened you might speak to can tell you - if the two of you ever meet, that is. The problem is that you've never heard of Xandros before, so how will you recognise her? Is Xandros human or robot?

Is she in Dome 2?

Why is this teleport taking so long?

Perhaps you'll discover the answers to these and other fascinating questions in the second, scintillating part of Alien Jailbreak...

Map by unknown user, "rainbow color edit" made by PrinceWatercress. Original map can be found here.