Thursday, February 18, 2021

PrinceWatercress plays BraveStarr (ZX Spectrum)


Believe it or not, BraveStarr had its own video game...in Europe.


Grab your joystick! Up jumps, Left and Right move and Down ducks, while the fire button fires!

Shaman has been kidnapped by Tex Hex, who wants to destroy the New Texas colony so that Stampede can revive the dinosaurs to the point that they take over the entire planet. (Yes, that's the plot here.) Marshall BraveStarr has eight days to save Shaman or else the planet is doomed.

At the top of the screen is the map, and to the right of that is the current time. If the time runs out, you lose, and you're forced to start all over again. 

You start your game in Fort Kerium. Your first place to go to is your saddle rocket, which is all the way to the left. As you go, there will be plenty of enemies that will rush at you, and if you get hit, you'll lose time. It is possible to be dead for a few seconds, which will cost you a lot of time, so don't get hit a whole lot; otherwise, you'll be incapacitated. Your best bet is to brute force your way to 

When you get to the saddle rocket and press Down on it, you'll be able to move a cursor along the map at the top of the screen. Your first place to go to is Starr Peak, which is all the way to the left on the map. Move the cursor over to it with the joystick, then press the fire button. The game will soon become a horizontal shmup. Take out enemies without getting hit yourself.

As you defeat enemies, they may drop sparkles or squares. These sparkles and squares slow down the timer, with the sparkles slowing it down more than the squares. Every little bit helps, so grab as many of these things as you can.

When you land, head left. You'll enter Shaman's hut. From here, you can use the joystick and the fire button to choose what action to perform. Examine the hut, and you'll find out that there is a green stone from the prairie mines and signs of a struggle. You now have some Kerium, and Shaman has indeed been kidnapped. Also, the mines between Starr Peak and Fort Kerium have been revealed on the map.

Leave, then get back on the saddle rocket and head to the mines you just revealed. In the mine, Examine. Untie the Prairie People who are bound and gagged, then Talk to them. You'll find out that Tex Hex stole their magical Kerium so that he could enter Starr Peak and capture Shaman.

Leave, then head back to Fort Kerium and enter the Exchange, which is indicated by the sign saying "Exchange" above it. Press Down at the door to enter. Talk to the guy at the counter and exchange the Kerium for money. Leave, then head to the Bar, which has "Bar" above it. At the bar, Talk. Pay for information, and you'll find out that Tex Hex was supposedly seen in Deadrock, which is now revealed on the map and is east of Fort Kerium. Get on the saddle rocket and go to Deadrock.

At Deadrock, you will have to power your way to the right. You will eventually come across a guy in what looks like a black sleeveless full-body suit who moves around the screen. This is Tex Hex. To beat him, duck down and stand in place, and shoot at him as much as you can. This will keep you from dying a whole bunch and losing a lot of time, and you'll more than likely lose more time here than you will anywhere else.

Once you beat Tex Hex, you will have to make the (seemingly) long trek back to the saddle rocket, then you'll have to make the (seemingly) long flight back to Fort Kerium. At Fort Kerium, enter the Jail and Talk. Release Tex Hex for information about Shaman. You'll find out that Shaman is being held captive in the Hexagon, which is on the far right side of the map, even further than Deadrock. This is your next destination. Get on the saddle rocket and get over there.

After dealing with all the enemies and trying to save as much time as possible on the long flight there, you'll eventually meet Stampede. Keep as far away from him as you can while keeping him on-screen and jumping and firing at him without getting hit by Stampede's bullets. You can sometimes get some time-stopping pick-ups, which can be a bit of a help at this point. If you're good, Stampede will explode, and you'll rescue Shaman and beat a pretty darn hard Speccy game.

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