B.C.'s Quest for Tires
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Products | B.C.'s Quest for Tires |
B.C.'s Quest for Tires is a side-scrolling action title created by Rick Banks and Michael Bate, released in 1983 through Sierra On-Line. It became available on several systems such as the Commodore 64, IBM PC, Atari 8-bit computers, ColecoVision, ZX Spectrum, MSX, and Apple II. Inspired by Johnny Hart's B.C. comic strip, the gameplay is reminiscent of Irem's Moon Patrol (1982), featuring a caveman riding a stone unicycle who advances through horizontally scrolling stages, jumping and ducking to evade obstacles. The game's title is a pun referencing the movie Quest for Fire.
Both B.C.'s Quest for Tires and Moon Patrol incorporate early characteristics of the endless runner genre, despite consisting of distinct levels.
A follow-up game titled Grog's Revenge was launched in 1984.
Plot
Players assume the role of Thor, a caveman on a mission to save his abducted girlfriend, "Cute Chick," from a dinosaur. Thor navigates side-scrolling stages atop a stone unicycle, skillfully avoiding various dangers along the way.
Gameplay
Throughout sequential levels, Thor must leap over obstacles such as rocks and stalagmites while crouching beneath hazards like tree branches and stalactites. Interspersed between these levels are brief mini-challenges akin to early boss encounters: traversing lakes by hopping on turtles while dodging the Fat Broad, hitching rides on the Dookie Bird to cross lava pits, building momentum to leap across chasms, and stealthily evading the pursuing dinosaur.
Reception
According to Softline, although the gameplay follows a straightforward "point A to point B" structure, the recognizable comic characters provide motivation to complete the game. The publication characterized it as an "interactive cartoon" that presents a challenge despite its limitations. Antic praised the game's break from conventional "'shoot the aliens and save the world'" narratives and commended its "top-notch" animation but noted that players might only engage with it briefly before setting it aside. Compute! emphasized its "superb graphics" and animation quality nearing that of cartoons. In InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers, it was categorized as an enjoyable arcade experience. David Stone of Computer Gaming World remarked that the game focuses more on timing than strategy, introducing new challenges rather than new levels, yet remains entertaining.
The title achieved remarkable commercial success, with sales reaching one million units.
Awards
- Best Game For Youngsters – Critic's Choice Awards (Family Computing)
- Most Humorous Video/Computer Game – Arkie Award (Electronic Games)
- Colecovision Game of the Year – (Video Game Update)
- Best Use of Graphics and Sound in a Video Game – (Billboard (magazine))
- 1984 Golden Floppy Award for Excellence: Funniest Game of the Year in Video Games (Computer Games)
External links
- BC's Quest for Tires at Atari Mania