1. Monster Mash / Monster Smash! (The Software Farm/Datamost, 1982-1984)
Written by David Eisler for the Apple II computers, and originally published by The Software Farm in 1982.
Converted for the Atari 8-bit computers by David Eisler, and published by Datamost, Inc. in 1983.
Converted for the Commodore 64 by David Eisler and Mark Riley, and published by Datamost, Inc. in 1984.
2. Mr. Robot and his Robot Factory (Datamost/Comptiq, 1983-1984)
Atari 8-bit version written by Ron Rosen with music by Gary Gilbertson.
Commodore 64 version written by Ron Rosen.
Both the Atari and C64 versions released by Datamost, Inc. in 1983.
Apple II version written by Ron Rosen with Robert "Wolf" McNally, and released by Datamost, Inc. in 1984.
NEC PC-88 conversion by Programmers-3, with title by M. Katuka, and released by Comptiq in 1984.
Fujitsu FM-7 conversion by Programmers-3, and released by Comptiq in 1984.
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INTRODUCTION AND GAME STATUS, PLURAL
Datamost was one of the earlier game publishers that focused on the Apple II, Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers for about four years before going belly-up, and they were based in Chatsworth, California, United States. Although they did produce some rather well-known games for their time, such as the Bilestoad, Ardy the Aardvark, Cohen's Towers, Cosmic Tunnels, Ankh and Polar Pierre, they haven't had their turn properly in the comparison blog so far. So, after my summer holiday and the recent Updates entry, I decided to take two of Datamost's classic games and deal with them in the same entry, since I talked about the possibility of a comparison of Monster Smash in my most recent C64 episode of My Nostalgia Trip Games on FRGCB's YouTube channel. Unfortunately, we're already in a bit of trouble, since there seems to be no readily available image file of the Fujitsu FM-7 version of Mr. Robot and his Robot Factory, and the only gameplay video I found of it anywhere was from twitch.tv, which has been deleted since starting to write this comparison. Hence, the FM-7 version is missing from the accompanying video until I can properly update both this comparison and the video, if I can ever bother to do so.
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DESCRIPTIONS & REVIEWS
Both Monster Mash/Smash and Mr. Robot are relatively simplistic, arcade-like games that require less than an average amount of brain activity to figure out what to do and eventually get good at them.
Monster Mash/Smash is basically a side-viewed version of industrial-sized Whack-a-Mole with moving targets and whacking hammers/flaps that move in groups. The challenge comes in the eventual inclusion of randomly appearing human visitors you are not supposed to whack down. If visitors are smashed or enough of monsters escape during a level, the game is over.
Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory is basically a variant of Miner 2049'er, Manic Miner and other such single-screen platformers, with the closest resemblance being to Miner 2049'er, thanks to the idea of having to walk over all the floor in the level to proceed to the next. The one great advantage in Mr. Robot is the in-built level designer.
In essentials, both of these games belong very much in the early 1980's timeframe, and rival any classic Atari 2600 game in their execution and addictability. Whether they can be considered to have any real longevity, though, is entirely a matter of nostalgia, personal taste and chance, since neither of these games really have any major importance in the history of gaming.
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MONSTER SMASH: PLAYABILITY
Having never before played the original Monster Mash on the APPLE II, I wasn't sure what to expect, although I felt confident that it wouldn't be too different from the C64 version that I grew up with. Upon exiting the title screen, though, you are presented with two options back-to-back, which basically set the difficulty level rather nicely. The first option gives you either the choice to smash all the smashers with one button, while another controls all the gates, or use each row of smashers with their own key from 6 to 9. Any key from 1 to 5 operates the gates. If you choose to have control of each smasher separately, it is worth noting, that you cannot use more than one row of smashers simultaneously.
The original Monster Mash is played in sets of four rounds per level, which get you slowly used to some kind of a speed progression, as well as that of the rate of enemy appearances. The first four levels bring out the most important elements in the game: two basic types of monsters that can be killed in one smash, one monster enclosed within an egg (a snake) that needs to be smashed twice to kill it, and a human visitor, which should not be smashed, or else the game will end immediately. Here, the visitors get stuck for an undetermined amount of time at the second smasher, whereupon you need to wait until the visitor decides to move along and try not to get him killed by a monster while waiting. Annoying, particularly considering the controls aren't immediately responsive.
For the ATARI, and subsequently the C64, the game was somewhat redesigned. Firstly, the only thing you can adjust in the title options is the starting level between 1 and 6, although the game can go up to 9. Apart from having a pause key in Option on the ATARI and F1 on the C64, the game is played entirely on a joystick in the port 1 (both ATARI and C64), on which the fire button smashes all the smashers, left and right use their respective halves of the screen's smashers, and up and down control the gates - mind you, you do need both directions. Unfortunately, the inclusion of both the halved smasher controls and full screen smasher controls do take some value away from the idea of having them, since it would be more of a challenge to have the full smasher controls disabled. However, the controls in the ATARI and C64 version have been adjusted so you are better able to use one and the other half of the smashers in much quicker succession than you do in the APPLE original.
All three versions have the speed progression somewhat in common, although it is the most obvious in the ATARI version, since it starts the slowest from all three. There are less stages within levels in the ATARI and C64 versions compared to the original, which makes for a much more sensible rate of progression. Eggs start appearing already in the second level, and the third level is very quick indeed, with up to four monsters on the screen simultaneously. Similarly to the APPLE original, the fourth level introduces the human visitors, but they don't get stuck in the second row, and you can kill three of them accidentally before your game is over, instead of just one.
The most important difference between the ATARI and C64 versions is, that the enemies are dropped into the screen in considerably more random intervals. This helps somewhat with your accidental visitor kills, but also reduces the amount of multiple monster kill bonuses. Speaking of which, the APPLE original does not feature. What the C64 version does better than the ATARI version, however, is the open and closed gate value detection in monsters, whose movements look cleaner and less buggy on the C64 than they do in the ATARI version, which makes the results of your actions a bit uncertain. However, it's not something that would ruin the experience as such, and I am firmly of the opinion that the ATARI method and rate of monster spawning is better. Therefore, we have a clear winner here, and the APPLE II version is just a bit too unfriendly and finicky to properly be able to contest the other two here.
1. ATARI 400/800
2. COMMODORE 64
3. APPLE II
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MONSTER SMASH: GRAPHICS
Since we skipped the Loading section entirely for this two-for-one entry, due to both games having been primarily released on floppy disk, we shall start the Graphics section with loading screens, where available.
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| Loading screens, left to right: Apple II, Atari 400/800, Commodore 64. |
The ATARI loading screen is less surprisingly just a bit of text in a couple of different fonts, with the only bit of graphical design put into the letter 'P' of the word 'Paradise', which I suspect is a handle used by Gary Gilbertson, the musician credited for the game at Atarimania. The C64 loading screen seems to be an alternative take on the cover art, as you can now see the big hairy monster from the front, whereas the cover art depicts the monster from behind. I cannot in all honesty say that it's a nice looking picture - none of the loading screens are - but the C64 screen is easily the most designed.
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| Title screens, left to right: Apple II, Atari 400/800, Commodore 64. |
The ATARI and C64 title cards are more stylized as title cards, with only a little bit of fenced area from the game built around the highest score of the day display - from which the C64 version is lacking the possibility of having your name displayed. The C64 version has a slightly more customized font in use, but the game title itself doesn't differ in size from all the other text, like it does in the ATARI version. Also, the ATARI title screen feels slightly easier on the eyes, with just a little bit more space between text lines. But it's barely an issue. The only real trick up the ATARI version's sleeve is the highest score line being displayed in the usual multi-colour format, that is so often seen in early Atari 400/800 games.
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| In-game screenshots from the Apple II version of Monster Mash! |
The monsters themselves have no more than two colours in use, and most of them are monochrome. The visitor sprite, rather oddly, uses two colours when standing up, and three when killed. The in-game animations are a bit choppy and simplistic, but gets the job done. One funny little detail worth noting is, that at the end of each stage, the three pumpkins at the top right corner jump in place until you decide to proceed.
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| Apple II version's text screens. |
While these text screens offer nothing of graphical value whatsoever, they do have a point in being something that neither the ATARI or C64 versions have, because the options are more complex here, the high score table is designed very differently, and the text screen between each level allows you to continue on the same level or proceed to the next level, which I thought was a bit odd, but unique.
For the ATARI version, the graphical design was simplified somewhat, with most of the shading colours and ornaments taken away from the fences and smashers - even the escapees indicator at the bottom has been monochromized. Any of the special graphical elements, such as the visitors' safe passage indicator of the three pumpkins (now changed to simple smiley faces in the top left corner) and the dead visitor indicators (skulls and crossbones in the top right corner) only appear upon the event occurrence. What I consider vast improvements over the original are: actual animation of the gates opening and closing, visible scores given by smashed monsters, smoother animations for the monsters and smashers, and much more colourful monsters.
In-game screenshots of the Atari 400/800 version of Monster Smash!
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| In-game screenshots of the Commodore 64 version of Monster Smash! |
Overall, though, I think it's really a matter of preference, how do you want Monster Mash/Smash to look, because the ATARI version does look slightly darker overall, while the C64 version has more variety in colour. Then again, the APPLE version has more details. Personally, I have to choose nicer animations and the correct mood, which the ATARI version is equipped to provide here.
1. ATARI 400/800
2. COMMODORE 64
3. APPLE II
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MONSTER SMASH: SOUNDS
Perhaps a bit oddly, what I have always loved about Monster Mash/Smash is the game's seemingly random and glitchy sound effects, which wouldn't be completely out of place in a musique concrète composition. But what I didn't know about until a few weeks ago, is that the ATARI version features an exclusive theme tune that plays in the title screen, while the other two versions only feature sound effects. Gary Gilbertson's title track for the ATARI version is a ghoulish swing piece, not irreminiscent of the classic Addams Family theme, and fits the game's mood rather nicely. It is not available in the tape version of the game, for whatever reason, but everything else is the same in the tape version.
Of course, the sound effects were designed as they are for the APPLE II original, and they remained largely the same across all three versions. In the ATARI version, the sound effects have perhaps a little more dynamic range, and therefore, feel even more glitchy than they do elsewhere. In the C64 version, the sound effects feel to have more solidity, though, so again, it's a matter of preference, how glitchy do you want the sounds to be, since there are very little other differences. The APPLE II original has these glitchy sound effects even in the title screen, though, which kind of set up the weird tone of the game with unapologetic determination and immediacy, which I admire immensely. However, a good title tune does give the game a bit more value.
1. ATARI 400/800
2. APPLE II
3. COMMODORE 64
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MR. ROBOT: PLAYABILITY
Yay, it's time for that game with no relation to a recently popular TV show. If some of the online sources are trustworthy, Mr. Robot and his Robot Factory was originally written and first published for the 8-bit ATARI computers, but I haven't been able to find any details on the publication dates for the ATARI and C64 versions, other than they were both released in 1983.
At any rate, the game starts off with a title screen with clearly depicted options. What it doesn't say, is that you can use these keys while you're in the game, so if you're playing the C64 version, pushing F1 to start a game from scratch means that you can also restart the game while in-game; F3 doesn't do anything in the title screen, but with F3, you can skip to the next level while playing; F5 enters the level designer, whether you're in the title screen or in the game; and F7 pauses the game. If you want to get back to the title screen for whatever reason, you need to press Restore. In the ATARI version, the Start key starts and restarts the game, Select jumps to the next level while playing, Option enters the Factory mode, and Reset... well, it resets the game. Apart from the APPLE version's two given keys for starting the game with Space bar and entering the Factory with Return, I found Esc to be used for pausing the game, but was unable to find a key for level-skipping. The only scanned instructions I was able to find online that was supposed to be for the APPLE version, was for the ATARI version instead, so I'm a bit stumped on that one. For the NEC PC-88 version, the given keys for starting the game and entering the Factory are G and E, respectively, and the undisclosed level-skip key is S. Esc pauses the game, and moving the joystick in any direction continues the game.
As you might recall from the opening paragraphs of this blog entry, I have not found a disk image of the Fujitsu FM-7 version, nor do I ever expect to do so, thanks to the way the Japanese game historians seem to like to keep their stuff safely locked behind closed doors in a cupboard under the stairs of a crumbled-down office building's spare basement, so I cannot speak of that version with any real expertise or certainty, but I suspect the NEC PC-8801 version is quite close to the Fujitsu version in its controls, because it was written by the same team. Speaking of the NEC version, I suppose now is as good a time as any to make note, that Mr. Robot needs to be run in 4MHz mode, otherwise it will not even start. Or maybe it's just an emulation-related problem, I cannot say for sure.
Controlling Mr. Robot is fairly simple, and largely similar to most versions. In the usual manner, you walk by going left and right, up and down will make you climb ladders, and you can jump either in place or left or right by pressing the fire button either while standing still or while moving. In the NEC PC-88 version, you need to use up-diagonals to jump left or right, but fire button will make you jump in place, while up and down only move you on ladders, as they should. The diagonals are a bit illogical, though, I have to say. If this has been handled the same way in the FUJITSU version, it will be given an equal penalty, and as it is, I am forced to consider the two similar.
The main thing is to walk over bits of floor that have little dots inside them to pick them up. When all dots are cleared, you proceed to the next level. There are no other score items to pick up, which is sort of refreshing for a game of this sort, but there are shield items that make you harmful to the roaming flames while making yourself invulnerable. Also, the levels can feature small teleports, that can be activated by pressing the fire button while on them; one-way escalators, bombs that activate upon walking on them and explode after a couple of seconds; and trampolines that can be a bit tricky to deal with, since they will not bounce you off just by falling on them from a short height, but you need to jump into the middle area of them instead.
Here are a few rules worth remembering. Firstly, the flame monsters can only travel through ladders and solid floors. Secondly, your maximum drop distance is five blocks, but you can bounce off trampolines from any height. Third, shields will not pass through teleports. Fourth, the one-way escalators work a bit oddly, since you need to jump on the ones that go upwards, but for the ones that go downwards, you merely need to walk into them, so keep in mind that you can actually jump on the escalators from any point in their near vicinity.
For most versions, the rules are very much the same. However, the NEC version, and I would hazard a guess the FUJITSU version follows this anomaly, makes the trampolines immediately activated upon falling from a short distance, or even walking on them. What is more, the flame monsters move around at a considerably slower pace in the NEC version, and the escalators take you to their destination in a nano-second, and perhaps most annoyingly, the shields last for a shorter time than in the other versions. As if having a bit wonky controls wasn't enough difficult already. The final nail in the coffin is, that the screen's left and borders have a bug that allows sprites from the other end appear from the other, making it possible for a fire monster to kill you from the other end of the screen if you're standing too close to the border.
There also seems to be a bit of a debate regarding the number of levels. I found out online, that the APPLE II version might only feature 20 levels, while all the other versions feature 22 levels, but I cannot say for sure. The attract mode in the APPLE II version doesn't show more than the first ten levels, but the furthest I have been able to get is level L (12), but if there's anyone out there who knows the number of levels for certain, please do write a comment below. Also, if you know if there is a level-skipping key for the APPLE version, that would be helpful.
The Factory, which should have been an essential part of the game, has been made a bit awkward to work with. Not the level designing part - that's ridiculously simple once you know what all the building blocks are. There are some minor differences between the building blocks used in different versions, but it's really the saving and loading and incorporating your custom levels into the main game, that makes it a bit of a mess. Firstly, you need to have an original disk version of the game, because tape versions have the storage options omitted. And still, storing a finished level happens by choosing a letter-based slot on the disk. Once you have done that, there is no guarantee, that the level will actually work as intended. For example, in the APPLE version, I ended up having a completely garbled up level after loading the saved level design and trying to play it. The C64 version decided not to save my design at all, and started playing the game from the first default level, and it wasn't stored elsewhere in the run of 22 levels, either. The NEC version was the only one that I couldn't figure out how to even build a level with, since the usual keys didn't work as intended, and there is even a new feature called "pen down", which I'm assuming could mean that the drawing cursor is active or not, but I couldn't figure out how to control that.
However, I'm assuming everything works as they should in all the original disk versions of Mr. Robot, because some of these problems could easily be due to faulty cracks used for this comparison (if no better version was found), or strictly emulation-related problems that I have yet to understand. Still, I have to make the conclusion, that the NEC version of the Factory is the most convoluted one to work with. And with the previous assumptions regarding the FUJITSU version, I can only assume the problems are present there as well.
Taken everything into account, the ATARI and C64 versions are equally good, have everything in their correct places and play just about as smoothly. The APPLE version is slightly less fine-tuned and clunky in places, and has slightly less building elements in it, as well, but it's not all that far from the previous two. The NEC PC-88 version, and very likely the FUJITSU FM-7 version as well, is playable, but much more awkward in many ways.
1. ATARI 400/800 / COMMODORE 64
2. APPLE II
3. NEC PC-88 / FUJITSU FM-7
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MR. ROBOT: GRAPHICS
If you are new to Mr. Robot, then consider the connection to the much wider-known Miner 2049'er from 1982 as a reference point as much for gameplay as for graphics. It is not exactly a game you can do too much enhancements on before the atmosphere is ruined, so in order to get a similar feel to Mr. Robot, the graphical approach had to be not too evolved from Miner 2049'er.
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| Loading screens of Mr. Robot. Bottom row: NEC PC-88. Top row, left to right: Atari 400/800, Commodore 64, Apple II. |
The NEC PC-88 and, from the few screenshots I have seen, also the FUJITSU version feature an additional loading screen for showing the publisher logo, but the actual loading screen's design is fairly similar to the originals. There are more colours in here and the graphics are sharper in higher resolution, but I'm not completely sure it's any better for it. If for no other reason, then because the animation is missing, and you only see the loading screens for a couple of seconds.
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| Mr. Robot title screens, left to right: Atari 400/800, Commodore 64, Apple II, NEC PC-88. |
Apart from the chosen colour, the design of the game title is the same in the ATARI and C64 versions, while the other two versions have a very different looking title. The C64 version has a completely different font for every other bit of text, though, which is a bit odd, since the APPLE and NEC PC-88 versions use a similar font to the ATARI version. The text colouring is different in all versions, but whether any of this has any correlation to the in-game graphics, remains to be seen. I do prefer the two originals for different reasons, but mostly because of the title logo.
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| In-game screenshots from the Atari 400/800 version of Mr. Robot. |
Despite being a rather basic ladder-based single-screen platformer, the ATARI version manages to weave a little bit of magic into its graphics by simply using the machine's massive palette into the structural elements. As an interesting little detail, the numerals in the info panel use the same colour as the topmost platforms in any given level, which is always randomized, as are the colours of the flame monsters and the treadmills, but all the other platforms and ladders always use the same colour gradient. Mr. Robot himself is simple in appearance, with a white body and blue visor in the helmet part. Whenever you pick up a shield, electric blue sizzling parenthesis surround you; picking up a magnet makes you change colours for a while until the effect ceases; and using the teleport fades you out and back in wherever the teleport takes you. The white escalators scroll up and down very smoothly, as do the treadmills, and the flame monsters do their own jittery crawl with appropriately flamesy animation. Between each level, a set of four screen-sized rectangles make a wormhole effect that take you to the next level.
In the C64 version, Mr. Robot's visor is not black, but see-through, which gives the character an odd look. Instead of a logical colour gradient, the flames, ladders and escalators have a randomized colour, the regular platforms and treadmills use a solid order of colouring (from bottom to top: turqoise, purple, green, blue, yellow, white, red and then loops), and everything in the info panel is white. Mr. Robot's teleporting and magnetized colour animations are pretty much the same, and makes the game feel slightly cheaper than the ATARI version. Also, the screen is a bit lifted from the bottom, as if there is something missing, but it's just that the info panel uses a smaller area. The wormhole effect between levels is included here as well.
In-game screenshots from the Commodore 64 version of Mr. Robot.
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| In-game screenshots from the Apple II version of Mr. Robot. |
The APPLE version is, understanding the machine's restrictions, more simplistic in appearance than the rest. All the colours are basically designed solid for the entire game, with no exceptions. The levels' colour gradient goes orange-green-blue-magenta from top to bottom, including ladders and trampolines, but all the escalators are white, and flames are orange and white. As for Mr. Robot, his visor changes colour according to your vertical location in the level, unless you are teleporting, and the shield and magnet visual effects are garbled weird messes of colours and lines. The info panel looks more akin to the one in the ATARI version, but has solid colours of white for texts and orange for the numerics and level indicator. The wormhole effect between levels has been taken off, leaving no visual effect for the level changes.
Although not particularly monochrome in presentation, the NEC PC-88 version is the closest one we have to having a ZX Spectrum version of the game, at least in terms of graphics. Mr. Robot and the flame monsters are all much more detailed hi-res sprites, although Mr. Robot himself is multicoloured. Here, his parenthesis shields are red instead of blue, his teleportation animation is similar to that in the APPLE version, and the magnet animation is more akin to the C64 representation. Too bad all the animations are incredibly flickery, which is why the best screenshot I could take of the trampoline in screen 7/G in action is still missing a couple of pixels. The platforms' colourings are similarly organized as in the C64 version, this time following the looping order: white-yellow-cyan-green-magenta-red-blue-green. This only highlights the overabundance of green, since all the escalators, teleports and shield items are green as well. Then again, the treadmills are all red, which is a similarity shared by the ATARI version. At least all the ladders are yellow, so it's not as if it's too unbalanced in any way. The info panel takes on a similar appearance to the C64 version, but has two colours in use, instead of just one. In screenshots, I do like the look of this version quite a lot, but in action, the animations are cheap and flickery, and the weird border-looping effect (shown in level 1 screenshot) makes this version look uncommonly amateurish. The visual effect between levels is a curtain effect from top to bottom, first to blank out the completed level, then to draw in the new one.
In-game screenshots from the NEC PC-88 version of Mr. Robot.
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| The End and High score tables, where available; left to right: Commodore 64 (The End), Apple II (high score), Atari 400/800 (both) |
Oddly enough, one of the most interesting points of comparison in Mr. Robot's graphics is the Game Over and High Score screens, mostly because there seems to be an awful lot missing from some versions. The ATARI version has both, and the Game Over screen actually says "The End" with bombs aligned to form the letters and then exploding. The C64 version has "The End" as well, but no high score table. The APPLE version has a high score table, but no "The End" - more to the point, no Game Over screen at all. As you might have guessed from the screenshots above, the NEC PC-88 version has neither, and I suspect the FUJITSU version follows those design choices.
While the Factory doesn't actually feature any new graphical elements apart from the cursor you control, it does offer an easier look into whether there are any differences. Sure enough, the APPLE version's treadmill blocks are simplified to just two from the usual four, and they look very different, too. But then, the APPLE version seems to have the large magnets included in the Factory instead of the full treadmill pieces, while none of the other versions have them. 
Screenshots from the Factory. Top row, left to right: Atari 400/800 disk, Commodore 64 disk, Apple II.
Bottom row: Atari 400/800 tape, Commodore 64 tape, NEC PC-88.
When you sit down to consider all of this, all versions have their own specific look to them, although the ATARI, C64 and APPLE versions share the basic pixelation style for the most part. Mostly, it's all about each version's own colouring that brings out some different characteristics, but there is no denying, that the ATARI version is the most visually compelling and least problematic. The NEC version suffers from bad animations and flickering, the C64 version feels like a lower-budget version of the ATARI version, and the APPLE version is a seriously low-budget version of them.
1. ATARI 400/800
2. COMMODORE 64
3. APPLE II
4. NEC PC-88 / FUJITSU FM-7 (?)
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MR. ROBOT: SOUNDS
Similarly to Monster Mash/Smash, Mr. Robot's sonic output is not particularly excessive, but unlike the other game, neither is it too particularly designed. Also similarly to the other game, Gary Gilbertson has made another ATARI-exclusive theme song that fits the bill rather nicely, with its initially mechanical stomping rhythm, yet playful and surprisingly orchestral harmonies and melodies. With these two games, Gary Gilbertson has already become one of my favourite 8-bit composers of all time.
Unfortunately, the ATARI version is marred by the superbly annoying boinking sound effect of Mr. Robot's walking, which randomly changes pitch at every step and gobbles up 95% of the sonic real estate in the game, often overlapping other similar sound effects so that it all becomes a... massive boinky mess. Mind you, the sound effects can be turned off by jumping on the note icon right above you at the beginning of the first level, but then you wouldn't be hearing any of the other sound effects, either. Climbing ladders makes a nice metallic clanky noise, falling and jumping both make perfectly fitting sounds, having a shield makes a random spacey sound - similarly to the background noise that you hear constantly in the C64 version of Wizball, killing a flame monster makes a long explosion noise, bombs have a fuse fizzing sound followed by a less dramatic explosion and magnets have their own woozy noise. For the trampolines, your jumping noise was apparently enough to re-utilise there. But as I said, it is a shame most of these rather nice sound effects get overrun by the constant random boinky walking noise.
The C64 version has a considerably less hectic and noisy soundscape, which is not a completely positive thing, either. Again, no title tune of any sort, just a quiet title screen, but that is hardly shocking. The sound effects are presented in a somewhat sparing manner, which sort of works nicely to avoid heavy traffic in the sonic department. Walking makes a completely different, much more fitting "stch-stch-stch" noise, which changes speed on the treadmills. Going through stairs makes a more staccato and less swooshy noise, but has a similar timbre. Jumping and falling make no sounds at all, so neither do trampolines. Picking up a shield starts a slowly fading plastic ringing noise that alternates randomly between maybe four or five pitches, and the fire monsters' explosion noise - which is notably less prominent here - can be heard over the ringing, and so can the bombs' fuse sizzling and their slightly different explosion noises. Bonus counting plays a sometimes low, sometimes higher whirring noise, which is also considerably different from the ATARI's more traditional bleary noise, and if bomb noises are to be heard in the background while the bonus is counting, it is not uncommon. The teleport swooshes on and off in a similar way as it does in the ATARI version, so there is at least one similarity between the two.
I knew before loading the APPLE II version up for the first time, that it wouldn't sound particularly good, but I was still positively surprised. Instead of random bleeps and bloops with an awful lot of continuous noise, the APPLE version of Mr. Robot sounds suspiciously like an early 48k Spectrum game. Pretty much all the sound effects could be traced to early Ultimate Play The Game arcade-style games and other 1982-1983 arcade-style games for the old Speccy, so it bears considering, why was Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory never converted for the ZX Spectrum? Anyway, no music, as expected, but there are plenty enough of ticks, farts, bips and bops, and a long bleary noise to notify that you are wearing a shield.
If you thought that was bad enough, the NEC PC-88 version doesn't have any other sounds but some uneven ticking noise when you are wearing a shield. Nothing more. Of course, without even any video footage available to see the game in action on a FUJITSU FM-7, I'm forced to continue assuming it even sounds the same as the NEC version, until proven otherwise.
It is unfortunate, that the C64 version doesn't have any music in it, otherwise it would have won this round quite clearly. Now, though, I can only give it a grudging tied spot at the top with the ATARI, due to that title track by Gary Gilbertson. The other versions are more clear, where they stand.
1. ATARI 400/800 / COMMODORE 64
2. APPLE II
3. NEC PC-88 / FUJITSU FM-7
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OVERALL, PLURAL & VIDEO
If you came to read this double-entry expecting a C64 win for both games, I would say you're suffering from rose-tinted delusion glasses. If you came to read this expecting an Atari win for both games, I would have probably said you're an Atari fan before I came to the finish line myself. The thing is, the 8-bit Atari computers were at the top of their game exactly around 1982-1984, before more people started figuring out what you could actually do with the C64. So, even though one of this double-entry's games was designed for the Apple II originally, the fine-tuning happened on the Atari, and the other game was just designed with the Atari primarily in mind.
MONSTER MASH/SMASH:
1. ATARI 400/800: Playability 3, Graphics 3, Sounds 3 = TOTAL 9
2. COMMODORE 64: Playability 2, Graphics 2, Sounds 1 = TOTAL 5
3. APPLE II: Playability 1, Graphics 1, Sounds 2 = TOTAL 4
MR. ROBOT AND HIS ROBOT FACTORY:
1. ATARI 400/800: Playability 3, Graphics 4, Sounds 3 = TOTAL 10
2. COMMODORE 64: Playability 3, Graphics 3, Sounds 3 = TOTAL 9
3. APPLE II: Playability 2, Graphics 2, Sounds 2 = TOTAL 6
4. NEC PC-88 / FUJITSU FM-7: Playability 1, Graphics 1, Sounds 1 = TOTAL 3
Of course, this is assuming the FM-7 version is actually equal to the NEC PC-88 version, which I cannot confirm at this point. Again, if anyone knows a place where to download the FM-7 version, do send me an e-mail or drop a comment below.
As for the rest of the versions, I have prepared a temporary video in the place of a full one, which either will be made whenever possible, or perhaps I will just upload a simple gameplay video of the FM-7 version as a quick update, linked to the original, whenever possible.
I have no knowledge of any modern remake existing of Monster Mash/Smash, but itch.io proved a good source to locate a PC remake of Mr. Robot, released by Rebel Android in 2016. Mind you, this is just Mr. Robot here, without his Robot Factory - in other words, you get no level designer in this remake, unfortunately. However, a new arrangement of Gary Gilbertson's title tune is included, as well as some properly new graphics and sound effects, and there's even a couple of new gameplay mechanics that require a bit of exploration to get used to. Overall, not bad, but can be a bit frustrating to fans of the original.
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| Screenshots of the PC remake of Mr. Robot (Rebel Android, 2016) |
That's it for this month, and I suspect I might have to take another month off to prepare for
this year's Ocean October, for which I'm planning to get no less than three games featured.
But let's see what happens. Until then, thanks for reading/watching, and keep on retrogaming!
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