Sabre Wulf

Infobox VG| title = Sabre Wulf


developer = Tim and Chris Stamper
publisher = Ultimate Play The Game
designer =
engine =
released = July 1984(Spectrum)
October 1985 (Amstrad CPC)
genre = Arcade adventure; Maze
modes = Single player
Two player (Spectrum and Commodore 64 only)
ratings = N/A
platforms = ZX Spectrum
BBC Micro
Amstrad CPC
Commodore 64
media = Cassette
requirements = 48K RAM (Spectrum)
32K RAM (BBC)
64K RAM (Amstrad CPC)
input = Keyboard, joystick

"Sabre Wulf" is a ZX Spectrum video game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1984. The game is the first in the Sabreman series. It was written originally by Tim Stamper and Chris Stamper, and later ported to many other computer platforms. In 2004 a new "Sabre Wulf" game, with completely different gameplay, was released for the Game Boy Advance.

Introduction

Typically for an Ultimate release, players are given a tantalising and cryptic introduction :

:"Down and down I plunged, through Rocky Glades, Steep Ravines and Shady Hollows ... No grip, no footholds, slipping, tumbling, spinning, darker and darker, deeper and deeper.

:Glinting eyes, clutching hands, clasping claws, clawing my all, as I swiftly twist and tumble onwards.

:Darker and darker, deeper and deeper. It is the end that I fear, of this untrodden voyage ... to where I do not know ... AARRRGGGG ... THUDD ...

:Fall and end meet on soft mossy soil ... with weapons drawn and senses full I move quickly and quietly around the mounded clearing ... All safe except a message ... An ancient warning etched deep into the lifeless stone.

::THE WARNING

::THY PATH IS LONG SO TREAD WITH CARE
::BEWARE THE WULF AND PASS HIS LAIR
::DANGER THREATENS ALL AROUND
::SO TAKE YE FROM THIS HIDDEN MOUND
::TO FREE THEE FROM THIS SUNKEN GATE
::BY WAY OF CAVE OR MEET THY FATE
::AN AMULET TO SEEK THY WILL
::`TWAS SPLIT BY QUAD AND HIDDEN STILL
::PASS THE KEEPER WROUGHT WITH HATE
::TO GAIN AN ENTRANCE TO THE GATE
::THE PIECES LOST MUST THEE AMAS
::FOR IF NO CHARM THEN NON SHALL PASS

:I edge through the shady mounded clearing and on through the dense thickets of hot house rain forest undergrowth, of sorts I cannot tell, and wait ... and listen ... Distant rumblings of heavy feet crashing, large animals leap from the damp green stubble, to fight and kill.

:I stay hidden ... The rumblings grow louder and louder, as a huge Goliath animal crashes past, horns swiping and tail lashing, still I hide as its thunderous noise dies away.

:All was clear as I leapt over the clumps and onto the well trodden pathway, its deep ruts and prints reveal the multitude of life forms inhabiting this hollow. Danger threatens so I should move quickly ... But Where???

:Wide eyed, I stare, as the dense surroundings reveal their hidden secrets ... Strange food orchids suddenly bloom, their staining toxins, strong on the air, then, in an instant, are gone. Hunters, killers, vampire bats and huge beasts spring forth from the very ground, swimming, slithering, diving and crawling ... I must hide ... Stay safe ... With weapon strong and cunning nature, I will survive ... "

Gameplay

Taking on the role of Sabreman, players must navigate a flip-screen jungle maze (256 screens) to recover four pieces of a lost amulet (which depicts the titular Wulf). Once all four have been collected, the Keeper guarding the maze exit can be safely passed. However, between the entrance and exit, Sabreman must fend off a large number of tropical foes with his trusty sabre. Some enemies such as scorpions, snakes and spiders are easily dispatched, but larger adversaries such as hippos, rhinos and natives can only be intimidated by fencing. Furthermore, if the player remains in one screen for too long, an invincible bushfire appears and stalks Sabreman until he leaves. Along the way, the player also encounters the Wulf itself (albeit rarely). An invincible and persistent foe, it is better avoided than confronted.

As well as searching for the amulet, players can collect treasure for bonus points and extra lives to prolong their jungle adventure. Also available for the player to collect are jungle orchids that periodically grow and flower in forest glades. There are several varieties of these, each in a different colour and with a different effect on the player. Some confer immunity or increase movement speed, while others cause negative effects such as paralysis or disorientation (reversed controls). Collected wisely, they can make progress through the jungle much more easy.

Trivia

* The title music is a primitive realization of a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach [ [http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=85625 "Sabre Wulf"] at Eurogamer.net. Retrieved on 30 October 2007.] , the Prelude in C major from book 1 of "The Well-Tempered Clavier".

* The colourful, stylised vegetation making up "Sabre Wulf"'s maze bears a strong resemblance to the many jungle landscapes painted by the French post-impressionist artist, Henri Rousseau.

* "Sabre Wulf" is referenced in Rare's fighting game "Killer Instinct" which includes a werewolf character named Sabrewulf.

* The tape loading noise of "Sabre Wulf" was used on Aphex Twin's "Corn Mouth". [cite web | url=http://matt.west.co.tt/spectrum/csi-miami | title=Forensic criminology, the ZX Spectrum way | author=Matthew Westcott | accessdate=2006-07-29]

* Sabreman makes a cameo in the game "Banjo-Tooie" in the level Hailfire Peaks, where he can be seen frozen holding the lost amulet right outside the train station on the icy side. Also, the combination for Superstash's safe is 1984, the year "Sabre Wulf" was released.

* There is a common glitch in Spectrum emulators where the hippos in the game appear to run backwards.

References

External links

* [http://www.ultimate-wurlde.com/games/sabrewulfintro.shtml "Sabre Wulf"] at Ultimate Wurlde
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* [http://www.icemark.com/spectrum/sabrewulf/map/index.html "Sabre Wulf" map]
* [http://www.crashonline.org.uk/06/sabre.htm "Sabre Wulf" review] at "CRASH" magazine
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7728312758847827740 A walkthrough video of "Sabre Wulf" on the ZX Spectrum] at Google Video
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