Benefactor (video game)
| Industry | Video game development |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Sweden |
| Products | Benefactor |
Benefactor is a video game developed for the Amiga platform by the Swedish studio Digital Illusions CE (DICE) and published in 1994 under the Psygnosis label.
Gameplay
Benefactor merges aspects of puzzle game and platform game genres, bearing conceptual resemblance to Psygnosis's earlier success Lemmings.
The player assumes control of Ben E. Factor, a former soldier turned protagonist, whose mission is to liberate the "Merry Men" held captive throughout 60 different stages. Unlike conventional puzzle titles, Ben E. Factor is maneuvered directly as a platform character, tasked with evading adversaries that diminish his health and operating switches to alter the level's layout. Keys discovered within levels unlock cells containing Merry Men, who then execute predetermined tasks to assist in freeing additional captives and advancing through the level. Upon rescuing all Merry Men, Ben E. Factor must return to his initial position to complete the stage. It is important to note that Merry Men are unaffected by enemy attacks.
The game includes three difficulty modes: easy, normal, and hard. On easy mode, enemy attacks cause reduced damage; hard mode increases damage severity and carries health loss across levels. Players accumulate points by collecting bonus items and preserving health upon completing stages.
Advanced levels introduce "evil" Merry Men characterized by their grayscale appearance. These units proceed forward without regard for dangers, akin to the behavior seen in Lemmings. To rescue these characters, players must first transform them into "good" Merry Men by dropping paint buckets onto them.
Benefactor allows unlimited retries without a lives system and provides passwords after each level for progress continuation. Although the game was built with expansion pack support in mind, no official add-ons were released; however, an unofficial seven-level expansion exists on Aminet.
In keeping with Psygnosis's tradition of referencing their previous works, Benefactor contains a level named Lemmings? where players guide twenty "evil" Merry Men across pillar structures—serving as a direct homage to Lemmings, including its soundtrack. This is the sole stage where "evil" Merry Men can exit without prior conversion.
Development
Frederick Lilligren from DICE acknowledged that Benefactor’s gameplay was frequently likened to Lemmings. The May 1993 issue of Amiga Power anticipated its release for September that year.
Release
A version for the Mega Drive was planned but ultimately never launched.