A DOS game was developed by Data Becker GmbH & Co. KG and then released by Parsec Entertainment Software in 1992, the game was called Freak Out. Now you can relive the memories by playing it online here.
The game, which is now presented before you, is a huge rarity. It is not just rare, no, it can be compared with the real artifact, after a long struggle, torn from the clutches of the voracious time. To find about it any information on the Internet is almost impossible, and playing it, you are touching almost disappeared part of the German games of the early nineties, you touch history. Worst of all, perhaps, that Freak Out was forgotten completely unfair – because it has all the elements of a wonderful project that brings the fun to this day. Look at what was happening, in more detail.
The first thing it will, of course, about the plot. In the attached to the game manual provides a detailed description of how recent and current events, which in brief are essentially lived the Terrans in the world harmony, engaged in many useful things, had fun and looked hopefully into the future... and just missed the alien invasion. Where and when on our planet landed alien, to learn anyone and failed. But soon these mysterious creatures appeared everywhere, capturing discos, casinos, city parks – all that was considered important. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the aggressors from space looked like... the funny colored balls, who has no arms or legs and moving only hop. Well, who really would expect trouble from such creatures? So people just stood and moved until the alien balls erected across the planet some one they understood the device and talked in his gibberish. Then the freaks (as they were labeled on the Ground) finished the creation of the laboratory of cloning, and then things took a threatening turn. Avalanche color kruglyashi filled almost all of the living space, and stop their seemingly became impossible. Then finally people got smart and called a special Council designed to find a way to save his home planet. And this method has been found! The price of Titanic efforts of the employees of the Council found out that geeks love more than anything – it turned out, these creatures do not think of life without bet, and the stakes can rise arbitrarily high. And people decided to fight. Aliens was challenged: fair competition for the future of the world. We developed a special program that emulates the course of the invasion, and from all over the world in random order were chosen candidates for the role of saving the planet, and you had day and night to train the computer to at the crucial moment to defeat the invaders in a virtual reality, and thus win the argument. A letter with the agenda of participation has come and to your house. So, whether you like it or not, the fate of humanity now rests on your shoulders. Start training!
The plot, of course, gives the impression of a child and even naive, but its main purpose is to create a relaxed environment where you could enjoy the game. Because Freak Out is a puzzle piece, and very unusual and not simple, calm and concentration is more useful to you. So, start the game and after a few setup screens and select difficulty, we see a warning message that the freaks went to grab some important complex of mines, and we are finally on the playing field. It is a square, on which there are two dozen interconnected cells. The cells are arranged so that they form three square, placed one in another. In the center of this design is placed a sort of hatch through which the field continuously fall our enemies-freaks. According to the rules of the bet these freaks can and should be destroyed – just so people have a chance to defend the Earth. This should be done by placing freaks of the same color in a row on one of the sides of any square. Once three balls are on the same horizontal or vertical line, they instantly evaporate in a cloud of smoke. Of course, on their place others will come, but with a certain amount of agility you will be able to survive long enough to protect the level of the threat. Freaks to move to arbitrary cells simply because it is impossible – it is necessary to rotate them in the right direction and to give a boost to jumps to the right place. That is, from the hatch to the inner square by the aliens reached in one jump, and to the outer for three. But to place the alien only on the inner box will not work, because then the new will have nowhere to freak out, and this will inevitably lead to the loss. All this is a fun action cool reminds the well-known "Color lines", but with a smaller playing field and complicated rules.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the new balls appear from the hatch with frightening rapidity, so that in the cells of the square periodically there are unpleasant surprises. For example, from time to time some cells will be painted in certain colors. This means that these cells can jump only freak of the corresponding color. After a while the paint will disappear, but to wait until it happens, usually once – it is easier and cheaper to remove it yourself, driving it is necessary to have a bun. The longer you play, the more the cells are "trouble": some of them are blocked by rocks (which, unlike paint, can't remove), additional freeze caught them on dough balls, thereby not allowing them to move some time. There is some good prizes – bomb, in particular, will destroy on the field all the freaks of the same color as the one that came on it.
On later levels it takes even steeper turnover – in the right part of the screen appears a small window with blocks, something reminiscent of the Tetris window. Once you consume a number of freaks, there appears another block of the same color that vaporized the aliens. This unit should be placed on the matching color, and then both blocks will disappear. Of course, for successful completion of level we can not allow the box was filled with a conglomeration of parts.
Each level of the game themed and tries to surprise you with something new. To describe all means to spoil the surprise, and to understand the rules is not difficult. What I want to praise the Freak Out - so it's a great visual and musical accompaniment. Freaks funny animated and leave a deceptively positive impression. The music is in tone with the active gameplay, not that it detracts from solving the puzzle.
Freak Out is not only a rarity, but wonderful in all respects the game. Warmly recommended to fans of antiquity, lovers of jigsaw puzzles and to anyone who wants a great time. And I can only wish you luck and hope that the old-Earth, there are many skilled defenders.
Want to play Freak Out online now, play it on your browser here.
Source: Archive.org, Mobygames.com
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