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My purpose here today is to solve the 18 year old riddle that has been gradually sending all of you insane. Why the hell did they call the game “Silkworm”? How did a videogame, featuring a helicopter and a jeep fighting in a war zone, get compared to a lazy, virtually immobile, larvae creature? Well, I lied to you; there is no definitive answer to the puzzle, but in my search for the truth I’ve been able to draw a distinct parallel between these two seemingly discordant things. For both Silkworm the animal and Silkworm the videogame ooze quality from every orifice…
Essentially Silkworm is a classic side-scroller in the same vein as R-type; you’re one vehicle pitted against innumerable waves of bloodthirsty enemies. The main feature that sets Silkworm apart from the legions of R-type clones is its marvellous cooperative 2 player mode. Player one commandeers a helicopter that, while being highly manoeuvrable, lacks the ability to shoot behind and directly above it. Player two drives a jeep that is decidedly less agile but overcomes the limitation by having a full 180 degrees worth of fire. Separately these vehicles are vulnerable to certain enemy attacks but together, and in the right hands, the two could become a deadly combination.
This translates into some awesome “work-as-a-team-or-we’ll-both-die” multiplayer action, which is a welcome change from the “I’m-just-gonna-watch-you-die-because-you’re-always-stealing-my-powerups” gameplay that I’m usually accustomed to. The 2 player mode is accessible for players of varied skill levels, because while the helicopter has an easy time in the sky, the poor suicidal bastard in the jeep has to dodge repeated death from all angles. (Never bring a jeep to a helicopter fight.)
You’ll soon come to realise that this is a game of pure reflexes, and while you can make your life easier by memorizing the different enemy types and their attack patterns, it won’t necessarily guarantee your survival. The game begins at a respectable difficulty level, but after a few stages things quickly turn nasty, and it’s not uncommon to find yourself dodging a dozen missiles, blasting away at an armoured goose-chopper, with kamikaze enemies missing you by the margin of a single pixel. This unforgiving difficulty is compounded by the fact that the Amiga version only allows you 3 lives in 3 credits, which kind of makes you wish the Amiga 500 was manufactured with a coin slot (my friends would have made me a millionaire by now).
Silkworm is an attractive looking game that is filled to the brim with originally designed, mechanized baddies that attack you in great sprite swarms. They move across the screen at a very decent frame rate, which is quite a feat considering how much mayhem is going on. There are some gigantic bosses that dwarf your vehicle with their immense size and create equally impressive explosions. The backgrounds are beautiful drawn and the hues and time of day change from level to level, which keeps the journey fresh and interesting.
There is a plethora of fantastic sound effects to please your ears here; missiles launching, ricocheting bullets on metal and the explosions, oh the explosions. Its official, this game sports some of the meatiest explosion sounds ever heard in a video game, whether it be making a force field reach critical mass, or when you deliver the killing shot to a boss. To hell with what your neighbours think, boot up Silkworm and turn it up loud. It should be noted that the title screen and demo mode sports quite a catchy theme tune but unfortunately you’ll press fire before you’ll ever really hear it.
Silkworm the game is easily one of the tightest arcade conversions ever ported to the mighty Amiga. This is a feat made more remarkable by the fact that it was done in the early year of 1988 (it makes you wonder why almost every other arcade port in the 90s sucked). There is still plenty of fun to be had here, so I suggest you go and get yourself some Silkworm action today, it doesn't matter if its game or animal variety. Both of them are a safe bet because your decision will result in either precious fabric or precocious fun (but not both).
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Arcade-tastic. Varied and beautiful. Moves at a blistering pace(not a metaphor, unfortunately) with bucket loads of enemies on screen.
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Explosions so good you'll crash your own helicopter just to hear them.
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A top class game, especially in two player mode. Difficult to finish because they stop the ability to continue after the 7th level (12 total). Which is just plain nasty.
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This game is the complete opposite of your ex-wife.
(After nearly 20 years it is still fun to play with) |
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Get Amiga Forever with pre-installed Workbench, games, applications, and much more.
It also contains the original Amiga ROM-files, 100% legally!
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