Inferno (video game)

Inferno is a space combat simulator video game developed by Digital Image Design and published by Ocean Software in 1994 for the PC. It is a sequel to the 1992 game Epic. It was released digitally in a bundle with Epic on December 20, 2019 by Piko Interactive on GOG.com with support for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux pre-packed with DOSBox.[2]

Not to be confused with Dante's Inferno (video game).
Inferno
Developer(s)Digital Image Design
Publisher(s)Ocean Software
Designer(s)Shaun Hollywood
Programmer(s)Colin Bell
Artist(s)Robert Ball
Donna Chippendale
Shaun Hollywood
Writer(s)Robert Ball
Shaun Hollywood
Composer(s)Alien Sex Fiend[1]
Barry Leitch
Platform(s)DOS
Release1994
Genre(s)Space combat simulator
Mode(s)Single-player

Plot

The game is the sequel to the game Epic. It charts the further adventures of that game's main character as he seeks revenge on the evil Raxxons, an alien race who genetically altered him to become one of their own.

Development

Inferno used the game engine from TFX, the game Digital Image Design released the previous year.[3] Inferno was showcased at the 1993 Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada alongside TFX.[3] A version for the Commodore Amiga was trailed in early 1994, alongside TFX, however this version was not released.[4] Similarly, a port for the Atari Jaguar was also reported to be under development but never came to fruition.[5]

In 1994, Inferno was shown at the European Computer Trade Show in the Business Design Centre in London, England.[6]

Reception

A reviewer for Next Generation gave Inferno three out of five stars, commenting that "Although [the] controls and equipment are truly inspired ... the gameplay often has a tendency to be a little hard to follow. Those with the patience to stick with it will find a unique gaming experience, but one that never fully achieves greatness."[10] Dragon gave the game 2½ and 3½ out of 5 stars.[1]

German gaming magazine Aktueller Software Markt gave Inferno an overall score of 11/12, and named it an ASM Hit.[8] German gaming magazine PC Games gave an overall score of 80%.[9] Finnish gaming magazine MikroBitti gave Inferno an exceptionally high score of 97%, and named the game a Bit Hit.[7]

PC Gamer gave an overall score of 73%, and praised Inferno's gameplay due to its 'sense of scale', variety, and fast-paced action. PC Gamer however criticized the game's complex controls, but noted Inferno as a "state of the art" space opera shoot 'em up, despite having significant competition in the genre.[3]

Computer Gaming World gave Inferno one out of five stars, calling its plot "generic" and "cheesy", and the game as a whole 'glitchy' and "tedious". CGW noted a vast difference in graphic quality between the game's cutscenes as compared to the rest of the game, reducing the game's graphics down to "flat-shaded polygons in primary colors", further stating that Inferno is "terribly mediocre" and "impossible to recommend [to anyone]" due to the abundance of other similar, better games.[11] In 1996, CGW ranked it as the 44th worst game of all time, summarizing it as having a "Bad storyline, guttural voice acting, and way too many dull cinematics in a limp space shooter."[12]

References
  1. Jay & Dee (March 1995). "Eye of the Monitor". Dragon. No. 215. TSR, Inc. pp. 57–64. ISSN 0279-6848.
  2. "6 newly-released classic games that deserve your attention". GOG.com. CD Projekt. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  3. Wolf, Scott (May 1995). "Reviews: Inferno: The Odyssey Continues". PC Gamer. Vol. 2 no. 5. GP Publications. p. 113. ISSN 1059-2180.
  4. "Amiga Format Magazine Issue 056 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  5. The Ripper (April 1994). "Europa!". GameFan. Vol. 2 no. 5. Shinno Media. p. 136–137. ISSN 1070-3020.
  6. "ECTS '94: Neuheiten und Impressionen - Bunter, lauter, hektischer" [ECTS '94: Innovations and Impressions - More colorful, louder, more chaotic]. Aktueller Software Markt (in German). Tronic-Verlag. November 1994. pp. 64–68. ISSN 0933-1867.
  7. J. Piira; P. Piira (January 1995). "Games: Inferno CD". MikroBitti (in Finnish). Helsinki Media. p. 68.
  8. Trafford, Klaus (January 1994). "Highlight Des Monats: Rexxonisches Inferno" [Highlight of the Month: Rexxonic Inferno]. Aktueller Software Markt (in German). Tronic-Verlag. pp. 12–13. ISSN 0933-1867.
  9. Borovskis, Thomas (December 1994). "Inferno - The Odyssey Continues: Ein episches Werk" [Inferno - The Odyssey Continues: An Epic Work]. PC Games (in German). No. 27. Computec Verlag. pp. 42–44.
  10. "Finals - PC: Inferno". Next Generation. No. 4. GP Publications. April 1995. p. 92. ISSN 1078-9693.
  11. Dei, Vox (March 1995). "Can't Stand The Heat?". Computer Gaming World. No. 128. ZDNet. pp. 112, 114. ISSN 0744-6667.
  12. "50 Worst Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World. No. 148. ZDNet. November 1996. p. 98. ISSN 0744-6667.
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