Nebulus (computer game)

Infobox VG| title = Nebulus


developer = Triffix Entertainment Inc.
publisher = Hewson, U.S. Gold
designer = John M. Phillips
engine =
released = 1987
genre = Platform game
modes = Single player
ratings = N/A
platforms = Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, C64, Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari 7800, Acorn Archimedes, Wii Virtual Console
media = Floppy disk, Cartridge, Audio tape, built into controller, online download
requirements =
input =

"Nebulus", also known as "Castelian" and "Tower Toppler", is a computer game published by Hewson in the late 1980s for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST and Acorn Archimedes platforms. A version for the Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System and Atari 7800 was also released. The US version, which was published by U.S. Gold, was released under the title "Tower Toppler". The Nintendo versions were released as "Castelian", in which the character is called Julius. There is also an unfinished version for Atari XE/XL computers. In 2004 it was re-released on the C64 Direct-to-TV, and on June 20, 2008 the same version made its comeback on the Wii's Virtual Console download service.

"Nebulus" is a platform game with some distinctive unique features. Your character, a small green creature called Pogo, is on a mission to destroy eight towers that have been built onto the sea.

The actual game play happens at each tower in turn. Pogo starts from the bottom and has to find his way up to the top. The towers are cylinder-shaped and have ledges on their outside, either horizontal, forming stairs or connected by elevators. Because of the cylindrical shape, the towers have no "left" or "right" edges, instead allowing Pogo to walk all around the tower.

A graphical innovation, and perhaps the most notable feature of the game, is that when Pogo walks left or right, he always stays in the centre of the visible screen. Instead of the Pogo sprite moving, the tower behind him turns clockwise or counterclockwise with a convincing sense of depth. This was featured favourably in reviews of the game.

Along his way to the top of the tower, Pogo encounters many different enemies, mostly shaped like basic geometric shapes. Pogo can shoot some of the enemies, while some are impervious to shooting. Contact with an enemy knocks Pogo down to the ledge below. If there is no ledge below, Pogo falls into the sea and drowns.

Once he has reached the top of the tower, Pogo needs to enter a door to trigger the tower's destruction mechanism. After that, the tower crumbles to the sea. Pogo then boards his submarine and enters a bonus stage (in some platforms, but not for example in the ZX Spectrum version), where he can shoot various kinds of fish to score bonus points.

The games original 8-bit release came to some critical acclaim, in particular the Commodore 64 release, which garnered a Gold Medal award from UK magazine ZZAP!64. "Nebulus" was followed by a lesser-known sequel, "Nebulus 2", on the Amiga and Atari ST in the 1990s.

A clone featuring penguins has been ported natively for Linux systems.

creenshots

External links

*
* [http://toppler.sourceforge.net/ Toppler - a very accurate Nebulus remake]
* [http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,27,1100 GP2X Port]
*WoS game|id=0003377|name=Nebulus