Paradroid Review

By Kristan Reed Published 26 October, 2007

Rise of the robots.

Version tested: Retro

When beardy old farts bang on about how games were so much more original in the old days, they're not just wallowing in a misguided sea of addled nostalgia. Paradroid - a robot power-struggle game quite unlike anything else - is proof positive of this.

Set on board a multi-tiered spaceship, you got to play as weakling robot No. 001, with the aim to working your way up the robot 'food chain' and gradually shut down or destroy everything on each deck. As you approached other robots, you could sidle up to them and jack into their circuit board, setting in motion a quirky logic gate puzzle.

Choosing which side of the circuit board you want, the idea was to quickly plug in a certain number of 'power supplies', and aim to ensure that once the countdown has expired, you have more power (or colour, effectively) on your side than your opponent. If that sounds complicated, it really isn't, and provides an excellent tug o' war mini-game as you work your way up the ranks to No. 999.

'Paradroid' Screenshot 1

Of course, with higher robot rank comes better weaponry, from basic crappy lasers to area-effect smart bombs which shorted out everything in range.

But as superb as the concept was in Paradroid, it was never a game that really wowed visually. Depicted in a simple top-down environment, the background detail was minimal, and the sprites were simple circular droids with a number in the middle. Nevertheless, its minimalist style gave it a cool, futuristic feel totally in keeping with its otherworldly bleeping sound effects. Kraftwerk would have been proud.

Braybrook later expanded on the concept on the Amiga in Paradroid 90, but historians should definitely seek this one out as soon as possible to discover (or rediscover) a game of rich intelligence, and enigmatic grace.

9 / 10

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Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (10) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • JJKrista1 #1 4 years ago

    W00t paradroid. yeah! My fav C64 game!

  • hbunny #2 4 years ago

    It was great (and brick-hard) and no save-game feature! I only ever cleared the first ship (of 7?).

  • Stoatboy #3 4 years ago

    Yep. My fave 64 game too. Aces!

  • AOFanboi #4 4 years ago

    The German MMO Neocron "borrowed" the takeover mechanism for its hacking subgame. Sid Meier's espionage game for the PC also used something like it, but where you routed signals by placing switches instead of firing pulses.

  • Retroid #5 4 years ago

    \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/

    Such a shame this never got a proper sequel.... Paradroid '90 was too hobbled by being designed with the Atari ST's limits in mind.

    Going from 8-way scrolling to vertical only FTL :(

  • Blerk #6 4 years ago

    Aces. Just... aces.

  • Dermoth #7 4 years ago

    This is the greatest game ever made. Uridium? Don't make me laugh.

    "But as superb as the concept was in Paradroid, it was never a game that really wowed visually"

    Meh. For my money, it's one of the prettiest games of the 8-bit era. Simple, yes, but uncluttered and functional with some of the nicest C64 scrolling this side of Nebulus, and brilliantly designed the whole way through. One of the few games to overcome trhe C64's native blockiness and produce something that was actually pretty to look at.
    Edited by 1 at 23/11/07 @ 19:58

  • Liggur #8 4 years ago

    Like hbunny, I only ever managed to clear 1 ship

  • MGG #9 4 years ago

    I know this was the "original", but speccy Quazatron was the boy. I still think back to that game even now, and I haven't played it, since, errr, since possibly before some people on here were born!

    Any chance of a real re-make of either Paradroid or Quazatron anyone? And not 3D FPS crap either!

  • Matfink #10 4 years ago

    Best minigame ever.
    .