Rambo (1985 video game)
| Company type | Video game |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | David Collier, Tony Pomfret |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Video games for Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum |
| Parent | Ocean Software |
Rambo (presented as Rambo: First Blood Part II) is a video game released in 1985, inspired by the motion picture Rambo: First Blood Part II. The game was created by David Collier and Tony Pomfret, with the ZX Spectrum adaptation handled by Platinum Productions. It was distributed by Ocean Software for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum systems.
The Commodore 64 edition includes a soundtrack composed by Northern Irish musician Martin Galway, featuring motifs from the film's score. Meanwhile, the Amstrad CPC version's music was performed live by James Edward Cosby, a programmer and musician at Choice Software, who used a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer connected through MIDI.
Other titles based on the same film include Rambo for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Rambo: First Blood Part II for the Master System.
Gameplay
Players assume the role of Rambo, following the narrative of the movie by retrieving lost gear, discovering a prisoner-of-war camp, rescuing captives, and making their way to extraction points while avoiding enemies that respawn. The player begins equipped with an unlimited supply of a Bowie knife and grenades and can acquire additional weaponry such as a Rocket Launcher, M16 Rifle, and both Explosive and Non-Explosive Bows and Arrows to accumulate points.
The gameplay mechanics are strongly influenced by Capcom's 1985 arcade title Commando.
Rambo garnered favorable critiques; Your Sinclair described it as "a thinking man's Commando," evolving into a competent shoot-'em-up experience. It reached the top position on the Gallup ZX Spectrum chart, supplanting Commando, and subsequently achieved number one on both the Commodore 64 and All Formats charts. The Amstrad CPC version attained the leading spot eight weeks later.
In 1986, the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum editions were featured in the compilation They Sold a Million 3, which also included games such as Fighter Pilot, Ghostbusters, and Kung-Fu Master.
Ocean re-released Rambo in 1989 within their budget label The Hit Squad, alongside titles like Daley Thompson's Decathlon and Enduro Racer. This reissue reached number four on the All Formats Budget Games chart.
External links
- Articles with short description
- 1985 video games
- Ocean Software games
- Amstrad CPC games
- Commodore 64 games
- ZX Spectrum games
- Rambo (franchise) video games
- Video games based on films
- Run and gun games
- Stealth video games
- Video games scored by Martin Galway
- Video games set in Vietnam
- Vietnam War video games
- Video games developed in the United Kingdom