Blood Money (video game)
| Industry | Video game development |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founder | David Jones |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Key people | David Jones, Mike Dailly, Tony Smith |
| Products | Blood Money, Menace, Lemmings, Walker |
Blood Money is a side-scrolling shooter from 1989, created by DMA Design and distributed by Psygnosis. Initially launched for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS platforms in 1989, it later arrived on the Commodore 64 in 1990. The game involves combat across four distinct planetary environments, each culminating in a challenging boss encounter.
The project commenced immediately following Menace, building upon similar gameplay mechanics while leveraging more advanced hardware to enhance visuals and technical performance. Drawing inspiration from Mr. Heli, its animation style subsequently influenced the development of Lemmings. Upon release, Blood Money was praised for its graphical quality and engaging gameplay, achieving commercial success with sales exceeding 40,000 units.
Gameplay
In Blood Money, players engage in a two-dimensional side-scrolling shooter experience spanning four diverse levels. Each stage features a unique vehicle: a helicopter navigating a metallic landscape, a submarine exploring underwater settings, an astronaut suit traversing icy terrain, and a fighter jet soaring through fiery surroundings. These vehicles are equipped with specialized weaponry that can be enhanced through power-ups such as support missiles and neutron bombs.
The energy meter functions as the vehicle's health indicator, diminishing when colliding with enemies or environmental hazards. Players begin with three lives and have the option to purchase additional ones at in-game shops using currency collected from defeated foes. At the outset, players can select either of the first two levels; after completing one, any remaining levels become available for choice. Each level concludes with a boss battle.
Development
Following the 1988 release of Menace, developer David Jones initiated work on Blood Money starting 4 January 1989, utilizing a 25 MHz 386-DX system provided by publisher Psygnosis. Jones regarded this title as a sequel to Menace and took creative cues from the "charming" aspects of Mr. Heli (1987). The cover art was adapted from British artist Peter Andrew Jones’s illustration originally created for Larry Niven’s 1973 novel Protector.
Jones aimed to exploit the full colour capabilities of the Amiga, choosing to use the blitter rather than hardware scrolling to achieve faster rendering speeds. Tony Smith, who had worked on Menace, contributed graphics for Blood Money, while Jones engineered a new scrolling mechanism. Simultaneously, Mike Dailly, during his work on Talisman, developed an efficient enemy movement system that Jones incorporated into this project. The game's animation style inspired Gary Timmons, leading to his recruitment at DMA Design and influencing animation techniques in their later game Walker (1993). The star field featured in the introduction was sourced from a demo created by Dailly.
The initial release for the Amiga occurred on 19 April 1989. An Atari ST version followed in September 1989, developed by Wayne Smithson, an associate of Jones. Later that year, in December 1989, Tim Ansell from Creative Assembly produced an MS-DOS port. Music composer Matt Furniss mentioned that although a completed version for the Sega Mega Drive existed, it was never officially released.
After the September 1989 Personal Computer World Show, Dailly began adapting the game for the Commodore 64, reusing code from his work on the Talisman demo and designing a new sprite system. He revamped multi-directional scrolling and implemented tape loading routines that enabled gameplay during loading sequences. While Smith managed graphic design for this version, he encountered hardware limitations such as a sixteen-colour palette and double-width pixels when using Deluxe Paint. The Commodore 64 port was finalized on 12 March 1990 and subsequently released in June of that year.
Reception
Blood Money was met with predominantly favorable critiques when it debuted. Gary Barrett from ST/Amiga Format hailed it as the premier shoot 'em up available on the Amiga platform. Stuart Wynne of Zzap!64 regarded it as the standout Amiga title of the 1980s, while ST Format positioned it as the runner-up for the best shoot 'em up in 1990. The game earned the Best Action/Arcade-Style Game award from Computer Entertainer and achieved sales of 40,000 units, doubling those of its predecessor, Menace.
Wynne commended the game's user-friendly design, and Robin Hogg emphasized its intricate visual detail. Brian Nesbitt from The One highlighted its technical advancement, whereas ACE described the experience as "captivating." On the other hand, Mike Pattenden of CU Amiga criticized the title for its challenging difficulty level and insufficient rewards.
Gary Whitta, writing for The One, applauded its "tongue-in-cheek approach" alongside Smith's artistic contributions. Paul Glancey from Computer and Video Games admired the introductory sequence and identified the sprites as some of the "most expertly crafted and smoothly animated" on the Amiga. The Games Machine praised the graphics for their sophistication, with Barrett labeling the game as "unique in its league," particularly noting the quality of sprite animations. Hogg also lauded both animation and background elements. Conversely, Pattenden felt that the visuals lacked dimensionality.
The audio design received mostly positive remarks. Phil King of Zzap!64 complimented the soundtrack, especially highlighting the opening music. The Games Machine described the sound as "superb," and Glancey pointed out extensive utilization of the sound chip capabilities. Barrett favored the sound effects over the musical score but considered them less impressive than those featured in Menace. Pattenden characterized the audio as "a weak melody accompanied by mediocre effects," while ACE referred to it as somewhat "underwhelming."