Conan: Hall of Volta
| Conan: Hall of Volta | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | SE Software[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Datasoft[1] |
| Designer(s) | Eric Robinson and Eric Parker |
| Platform(s) | PC-88, Apple II series, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 |
| Release date(s) | 1984 |
| Genre(s) | action[1]/platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Conan: Hall of Volta is a 1984 action-platform computer game, designed by Eric Robinson and Eric Parker, and published by Datasoft.[2] It is based on the character Conan created by Robert E. Howard.
Released in 1984, the game's launch coincided with the debut of the sequel to the 1984 feature film Conan the Destroyer. The game's box featured a painting of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the muscle-bound warrior with his new costume for Destroyer. Despite this attempted tie-in, the game has little to do with the movie series except that it features the Cimmerian in the title role. This is due to having originally been designed without the Conan tie-in, as a boomerang-throwing game titled Visigoth. One of the screenshots on the back of the packaging is from a prototype version, and shows a boomerang instead of a sword.[3]
Description
The player controls Conan as he attacks the evil Volta in his castle fortress. Conan is armed with 10 boomerang swords. From time to time, Conan may be aided by an "Avian Ally" as he attempts to defeat Volta's sinister hordes, which included bats, scorpions, giant ants, fire-breathing dragons and floating eyeballs.
The game includes seven diverse levels requiring the player to navigate lava pits, geysers, spike pits, and floating platforms. Along the way the player often needed to collect magic gems or keys in order to progress.
In the game, Conan does not simply jump, he somersaults. If he falls, he launches into a full-scale dive. These effects, along with the diverse levels and detailed animation, made this game popular.
Though seven levels is considered short by today's standards, since the game did not include any facilities to save, the seven levels usually kept most players occupied for some time. The players needed to conquer each level anew while attempting to defeat Volta.
One original feature of the game's time was a close-up picture that would be shown upon the player's last death. For example, dying in the first level might show a close-up picture of a bat with the caption "bats in the belfry". Deaths in other levels would yield a picture of a hazard unique to that level.
Ports
This game was originally written for the Apple II and ported to the Commodore 64 and Atari 400/800.[2] The Apple II original offers more control (thanks to its 2-button joystick), though lacks the soundtrack found in the ports.
A PC remake was also completed in 2004 for a competition at Retro Remakes (www.retroremakes.com).
Localizations
In Bulgaria, where Conan the Barbarian was generally unknown, the Apple II version was translated into Bulgarian and distributed by ZMD Pazarjik under the name "Добрия рицар" (The Good Knight).