Do any of you remember the good ol’ days of gaming where games like Duke Nukem 2 blew your mind away and 3D games like Wolfenstein were still in their infancy stages? Back then, games weren’t measured by graphics or storylines, they were measued by playability and “fun level.” However, as the maniacal forces of DOOM came into existance, the days of the sidescroller became history. One company with 2D roots would soon befall this fate. Its name was Apogee. But before it abandoned the genre, it released one last game. StarGunner…
Deep within the Andromeda Galaxy, a peaceful race known as the Amdarans colonized entire systems. In time, their economic power in space was unrivaled, and the Amdarans became unperturbed in their own decadence. That was, of course, before a gigantic fleet of hive vessels arrived, known simply as the Barakians. Lacking foresight into such a large migration of creatures, the Amdarans showed a lackluster interest in their colonization attempts and jokingly gave them a single planet far out of reach of their influence.
This sole mistake cost billions of Amdaran lives, for the Barakians were a race of locusts, rapidly spreading from one system to another, using up all resources available, and leaving spheres of lifeless rock in their wake. As time went by, the Barakians turned their planet into a fortress, complete with space stations, bases on the surface, and underwater shelters. While the Amdarans lived comfortably, the Barakians forged an unstoppable war machine. They made their planet their new home world, renamed it Zile, after their god of deliverance, and took on the name Zilions. Their goal: to take over Amdaran space, the richest area in the galaxy.
Without warning, thousands upon thousands of ships eradicated Amdaran cities and lives. Merely a few days after the initial attack, the Amdaran death toll was tallied over ten billion. Finally, the Amdaran industrial power was set into motion. But it was too late for them. Lacking an army sufficient to repel the invasion, defeat was imminent. Their last hope was to send their best forces around the invasion force and attack the Zilions’ world. This offensive was led by elite pilots known as “StarGunners”.
After many battles, only a single StarGunner remained. It was this pilot who flew into the core of Zile destroyed the Zilions’ massive fusion reactor, obliterating their planet. The Amdarans praised their new hero, and declared victory. But they were sorely mistaken…
The original game left off here, but was discontinued. It still stands as the last game Apogee has ever made. I always wanted to see what would happen next, how they would expand on the once popular genre. Now, there is a chance I will carry it on myself. I present to you, StarGunner: Zile’s Revenge:
Following the destruction of Zile, the remaining Zilion space fleets evacuated. They passed the threshold of the Andromeda Galaxy and traveled through the vastness of space for many, many years.
The Amdarans underwent a millennium of prosperity, carefully avoiding their previous opulence. Still, their space fleet was decimated and they lacked their previous industrial power. But to them, there were no worries; the Zilion menace was defeated.
Again, the Amdarans had made a fatal mistake. As they rebuilt their shattered civilization, the remaining Zilions ventured into the far reaches of space. Within that very millennium, they returned to the Andromeda Galaxy with their hive mother ship. Considering the Amdarans a threat to their species, the new Zilion menace quickly moved into Amdaran space and began their rampage once more. Their mothership had the power to destroy entire worlds, and that was exactly what they planned to do. Amdaran space was no longer worth the cost of the hive. Instead, it was subject for termination.
Before anyone knew what happened, five Amdaran planets were decimated, another ten would disappear within a year. Next on the Zilion’s list was Amdara, the Amdaran home world. If the planet was destroyed, all hope for a reprisal would be diminished.
As the fierce battles wage on, and over, the Amdaran home world, the last StarGunner takes flight one last time, his target: the entire Zilion species…
STARGUNNER: ZILE’S REVENGE PROGRESS STATEMENT:
Storyline: 100%
Overall Design: 35%
Sprites: 0%
Engine: 0%
POSITIONS:
Game Designer - Gold Leader
Model/Sprite Designer(s) - Gold Leader
Background Designer(s) - (Open)
Game Programmer(s) - (Open)
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