Datastorm
| Industry | Video game development |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | Søren Grønbech |
| Products | Datastorm |
Datastorm is a side-scrolling shooter developed for the Amiga and released by Visionary Design in 1989. Created by Søren Grønbech, the game draws inspiration from the arcade classic Defender as well as the similar Dropzone title on Atari 8-bit computers.
Gameplay
In Datastorm, players can engage in either solo or two-player modes, with options for simultaneous or alternating play. The gameplay unfolds across horizontally scrolling planets that loop continuously. Piloting a spacecraft, the objective is to safeguard and recover eight survival pods scattered across each planet's surface and transport them safely to a warp gate. Throughout the mission, players must defend against relentless enemy forces, including alien landers that abduct pods and carry them off-screen. Boss battles feature various motherships, such as rapid glowing fleets, a giant squid-like entity, or a vessel shaped like a skull.
A radar display located at the bottom of the screen offers a miniaturized map of the planet, showing positions of enemies and pods. Additional features include an autosave function, a leaderboard for high scores, on-screen guidance, and level selection capabilities. The player's arsenal consists of lasers, smart bombs, and a cloaking device that provides temporary invulnerability. Scoring advances with each completed level; at milestones such as levels 5, 9, and 13, players receive a fresh set of eight pods and their score resets.
Plot
After the destruction of planet Xerxes, its eight orbiting colonies become adrift in space. Each colony dispatches a survival pod tasked with finding a suitable new homeworld.
Release
Official announcement of the game occurred in May 1989.
Reception
Julian Rignall from Computer and Video Games acclaimed Datastorm as "the best shoot 'em up yet seen out of a coin-op cabinet," granting it a 95% rating. The publication C-lehti assigned the title a score of 4 out of 5.