| Brataccas | |
|---|---|
 Cover art byRoger Dean | |
| Developer(s) | Psygnosis |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Platform(s) | Amiga,Atari ST,Classic Mac OS |
| Release | 1985 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Brataccas is ascience fictionaction-adventure game released in 1985[1][2] for theAmiga,Atari ST, andMacintosh.[3] It was the first game published byPsygnosis.Brataccas is built on the remains of the much-hypedvaporware projectBandersnatch, which was partially developed byImagine Software.[1] The storied tale of the game's development led to close press attention in the UK computer market. WhenBrataccas finally shipped, this attention resulted in considerable coverage in the computer press. It was generally reviewed poorly due to significant control problems, although the graphics were widely praised.
The player controls Kyne, agenetic engineer who has developed technology for creatingsupermen. The oppressive government of the day desires this research to create a breed ofsupersoldier, but Kyne refuses to assist. In retaliation, the government frames him for treason, claiming that he is seeking to sell his work to the underworld. At the same time, the government secretly offers a reward to anyone in the underworld who turns Kyne over to them. With both the forces of law and lawlessness aligned against him, Kyne is forced to flee Earth.[4]
During his escape, Kyne learns that evidence needed to clear his name can be found on the distantasteroid of Brataccas. Brataccas, first of the asteroids to be colonized, is a backwater mining colony with a "wild west" feel of lawlessness and corruption. Kyne has to find the evidence in order to win the game, obtaining it from the in-game characters. The manual gave no indication of who held the evidence, suggesting that everyone was equally corrupt and dangerous to talk to.[4]
Brataccas displays the game world inflip-screen format, with the map divided into rooms that are drawn into the display as the character moved through the habitat. The screens flip when Kyne passes from room to room, typically through doors. Most movement is horizontal, with automatic elevators providing vertical movement between floors where required. Occasionally, labeled doors in the rear wall orteleportation booths with the appearance of cylindrical shower stalls lead the player to different sets of rooms. A small number of rooms are outdoor areas.
The player can move, pickup and drop objects, and talk tonon-player characters (NPCs). These NPCs pursue their own objectives, sometimes even engaging in combat with other NPCs. All of the game's characters use swords in combat.
Interaction between characters is carried out through dialog bubbles. The player can only respond to statements, at which point a menu of possible responses appears. The selections are fairly limited, and the outcomes often seemingly random. Additionally, a number of loudspeakers located in some rooms announce events, like fights breaking out. If more than two characters are talking the screen can fill with dialog bubbles, rendering most of them unreadable.
The control system is an early example of agesture-based interface. The mouse is moved in the direction the player wants to walk, and the speed of the motion of the mouse controls how fast the character moves – flicking it causes Kyne to run.
Interaction with objects is limited to picking them up and dropping them, at which point other characters might interact with them as well. For instance, one can buy information by dropping money, bags of which are scattered around the world. If Kyne falls from one level to another, he drops whatever he was holding, and another character might pick it up.
Brataccas had its origins inBandersnatch, one of a pair of ambitious "Megagames" planned byImagine Software. Along withPsyclapse, another proposed Megagame,Bandersnatch was eagerly anticipated by teaseradverts placed in the computer press in1984.
Bandersnatch was originally intended for release on the 8-bitZX Spectrumhome computer, and would have set a new price point for computer games (£39.95 vs. the standard rates of the time of between £5.95 and £11.95). It was intended that the game would have required a cartridge ordongle to support the demands of the game.
However, before any of the Megagames had been completed, Imagine Software went bankrupt owing to financial mismanagement, with the spectacular demise being shown in aBBC documentary namedCommercial Breaks.[5]
Finchspeed, a company created by former Imagine directors, Ian Hetherington, Mark Butler and Dave Lawson,[6][7] attempted to acquire the assets of the failing company but this was unsuccessful and the rights to the games were sold by the receivers.[8] In October 1984,Sinclair Research paid a rumoured £100,000 for the rights toBandersnatch and contracted a new company set up by Hetherington and Lawson, Fire Iron, to produce the game for theSinclair QL[5] for release in early 1985.[9][10][11]
Sinclair withdrew funding in 1985 when the QL version never appeared and the directors then formedPsygnosis with their first titleBrataccas launched at the 1985Personal Computer World show.[2][12]Brataccas featured many of the concepts originally intended forBandersnatch and was released on theAtari ST,Amiga, andMacintosh.[13]
On the Amiga and Atari ST, the game runs in 4-color, 640 × 200 resolution, a high resolution mode little used for games. On the Atari ST, it was one of few games to support the monochrome 640 × 400 high resolution which required Atari's monochrome monitor. The Mac version uses unchanged graphics from color versions, and runs inside a small, vertically compressed area in the center of the monitor.
The box cover art forBrataccas is by fantasy artistRoger Dean, who would provide artwork for many Psygnosis titles. It was later used as the album cover forUriah Heep's 2001 albumRemasters: The Official Anthology.
Long expected, and already the subject of considerable pre-release press, the game received mixed reviews. Reviewers generally liked its sophisticated setting and story and ambitious graphics, but almost all complained about the control system.[1]
Commodore Horizons started its Amiga review by noting that the concept appeared excellent but the early implementation they received was difficult to enjoy. They were highly critical of the mouse controls, noting that even slight movements like re-positioning the mouse on the desk could be interpreted as commands that would have consequences. But they reserved their primary complaints for the manual, and noted that after playing it for some time they still had no idea how to win the game.[14]
Antic's review of the Atari ST version was similar, noting that "The authors say theirinterface 'implies action,' which means that the game tries to sense what you want to do and will proceed to do it for you. Most of the time for me, it meant running into walls at full speed." The reviewer added, "Controlling Kyne reliably ... in a critical situation is nearly impossible."[15] The review concluded that "for all its impressive graphics and hi-tech,Blade Runner plotline, I really can't say Brataccas is one of my favorites", and "On a scale of 1 to 10 I would have to give it a 5."[15]
Compute! expressed similar concerns, stating "Usually, your character behaves in a predictable fashion, but it can be frustrating to see him run and crash into a wall when you were merely trying to rotate to face a door." Then go on to state that "The only negative factors arise not from the game concept, but from its implementation." They conclude, in a section titled "Unrealized Potential", that the game's primary advance is to demonstrate what sort of games might be expected on the platforms in the future.[16]
In contrast,ANALOG magazine's firstST-Log edition reviewed the game favourably. Although it touches on the control problems, it passes these off as an issue of having too many possible options. It concludes, "Psygnosis should be congratulated on a fine effort... What can I say? Buy it."[17]
A similar note was offered byPopular Computing Weekly, who called it "very good indeed" and rated it 4 out of 5.[18]
TheBlack Mirrorinteractive filmBandersnatch, released in 2018, alludes to Imagine Software and the failed work to produceBandersnatch. The film starts on 9 July 1984, the date of Imagine's closure, and includes a shot of the cover ofCrash reporting on the closure. Within the film, the fictional software company Tuckersoft, which had developed both Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum games, places its financial future on the attempt to produceBandersnatch, and in some scenarios falls into bankruptcy after the game fails to appear.[19]