| Laser Squad | |
|---|---|
 Original cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Target Games |
| Publisher(s) | Blade Software MicroLeague(MS-DOS) |
| Designer(s) | Julian Gollop Ian Terry |
| Programmer(s) | Julian Gollop Mike Stockwell |
| Composer(s) | Matt Furniss |
| Platform(s) | Amiga,Amstrad CPC,Atari ST,Commodore 64,MS-DOS,MSX,ZX Spectrum |
| Release | 1988: Spectrum, C64, MSX 1989: CPC, Amiga, ST 1992: MS-DOS |
| Genre(s) | Turn-based tactics |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Laser Squad is aturn-based tactics video game, originally released for theZX Spectrum and later for theCommodore 64,Amstrad CPC,MSX,Amiga,Sharp MZ-800 andAtari ST and PC computers between 1988 and 1992. It was designed byJulian Gollop and his team at Target Games (laterMythos Games andCodo Technologies) and published by Blade Software,[1] expanding on the ideas applied in their earlierRebelstar series.Laser Squad originally came with five mission scenarios, with an expansion pack released for the8-bit versions, containing a further two scenarios.
Reaction from gaming magazines was positive, gaining it high review rating and several accolades. The legacy of the game can be seen in other titles like theX-COM series, especially the acclaimedUFO: Enemy Unknown which was also created by Julian Gollop and was initially conceived as a sequel toLaser Squad.
Laser Squad is aturn-based tactics war game where the player completes objectives such as rescue or retrieval operations, or simply eliminating all of the enemy by taking advantage of cover, squad level military tactics, and careful use of weaponry. The squad's team members are maneuvered around a map one at a time, taking actions such as move, turn, shoot, pick up and so on that use up the unit'saction points. More heavily laden units may tire more easily, and may have to rest to avoid running out of action points more quickly in subsequent turns. Morale also plays a factor; a unit witnessing the deaths of his teammates can panic and run out of the player's control.
The original Target Games 8-bit release came with the first three missions with an expansion pack offered via mail order for the next two. The subsequent Blade Software 8-bit release included these as standard; the mail order expansion pack now offered was for missions six and seven instead. Both offers covered cassette and floppy disk versions. As well as featuring new scenarios, the expansion packs included additional weapons as part of the scenarios.
Including the expansion pack, there are seven scenarios in total, each one with its own difficulty settings and squad allocation:
| Publication | Award |
|---|---|
| Amstrad Action | Mastergame[2] |
| C+VG | Hit |
| CU | Screen Star |
| Amiga Format | Gold |
| Your Sinclair | Megagame[3] |
Computer and Video Games, reviewing the original ZX Spectrum version, awarded it a near-perfect 97% score and a 'C+VG HIT!', stating that "Laser Squad is one of the hottest games I've ever played."[4] Other Spectrum reviews included an 89% inSinclair User,[5] whileYour Sinclair gave the game a 9/10, calling it "a sophisticated strategy wargame...on a par withElite for thinking warmongers."[6] The game was voted number 16 in theYour Sinclair's Readers' Top 100 Games of All Time.[7]
The Commodore 64 version also fared well withCU Amiga-64 giving a 'CU Screen Star' award with a 92% rating.[8]Zzap!64 gave the game a score of 83%, stating that the game was "an absorbing and very fresh approach to man-to-man combat."[9] In 1993,Commodore Force ranked the game at number two on its list of the top 100 Commodore 64 games.[10]Amstrad Action awarded the CPC version with 91% and an 'AA Mastergame' accolade.[11] TheExpansion Pack 2 received an even higher rating of 93% when it became available for review, as "two excellent additions to a game that was already excellent."[12]
The Amiga version also received positive reviews.Amiga Format awarded a 'Gold Award' for a 93% rating explaining that it "is a terrific game that is superbly playable and can definitely be recommended."[13] Other Amiga reviews given byZero andCU Amiga-64 gave the game their scores of 88%[14] and 87%,[15] respectively. It was ranked the 25th best Amiga game ever byAmiga Power in 1991.[16]
In 2004, readers ofRetro Gamer votedLaser Squad as the 63rd top classic game.[17]
Rebelstar andLaser Squad are among the earliest examples of turn-based unit-level wargame video games. In 1990, Mythos Games released a fantasy gameLords of Chaos, which had many similarities toLaser Squad but was a follow-up to Gollop's earlier ZX Spectrum gameChaos: The Battle of Wizards. TheLaser Squad franchise has been revived by Gollop'sCodo Technologies in 2002 with the play-by-email gameLaser Squad Nemesis, although this departs from the turn-based action point system and does not have customizable weaponry.
Many of theLaser Squad mechanics were re-used in the laterX-COM series of games, created also by Gollop and Mythos Games but published byMicroProse. Notably, the firstX-COM game,UFO: Enemy Unknown, began its development asLaser Squad II. Some of the name choices for characters and organizations in the games of Mythos and Codo are a thread connecting all theLaser Squad andRebelstar games.[18] The cover art forXCOM: Enemy Unknown,Firaxis Games' and2K Games'remake ofX-COM: UFO Defense, pays homage toLaser Squad.