''Pastfinder'' is a

vertically scrolling shooter A vertically scrolling video game or vertical scroller is a video game in which the Player (game), player views the field of play principally from a top-down perspective, while the background Scrolling, scrolls from the top of the screen to the bot ...

David Lubar David Lubar (born March 16, 1954) is an author of numerous books for teens. He is also a video game programmer, who programmed ''Super Breakout'' for the Game Boy and ''Frogger'' for both the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy. H ...

and published by Activision in 1984 for the

Atari 8-bit The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...

and

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, then vice-p ...

home computers.

Plot

The year is 8878, and the player is a member of an elite legion of planetary explorers known as The Pastfinders. His job is to collect artifacts from a mysterious, irradiated planet and deliver them to bases distributed across the lifeless area. Searing radiation and a deadly, mechanized landscape defense are the player's obstacles: the only remnants of an extinct civilization.

Gameplay

The goal of the ''Pastfinder'' is to collect historical artifacts and deliver them to bases scattered around the planet. Two major obstacles stand in the way of this mission. The first is the planet's automated defense system, consisting of multiple hovering barriers, rising and falling columns, opening and closing doors, fixed obstacles, and drones. Some of these can be destroyed, others simply bypassed or jumped over. The other obstacle is the land itself, large areas of which are intensely radioactive. The player is equipped with a radiation meter and alarm, as well as anti-radiation devices. At the beginning of the game, the player has access to a very small portion of the planet map, which will be revealed as exploration progresses. After selecting a square of the map to explore, the player is presented with a weapons screen and can choose their equipment. To replenish supplies, the player can collect spare parts that are scattered around the planet. The game ends when a player loses all their ships. Additional ships can sometimes be found on the planet's surface and are also earned every 5000 points.

Development

David Lubar began work on ''Pastfinder'' with a simple top view. Then one of his colleagues suggested that he try a more 45-degree back view. At first, it was a view of just the main character, but then Lubar began adding obstacles in the background. Using a unique Atari 8-bit hardware feature, he was able to make the 3D collisions very accurate. The program checked to see if the player was in collision with an object and if his shadow collided with the shadow of that object. Lubnar wanted the game to be titled "Shadow Walker" but Activision did not agree. ''Pastfinder'' was released about the same time as David Crane's ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and ...

'' and Activision focused all of their advertising efforts on that title.

Reception

''Pastfinder'' received fairly positive reviews. ''

Zzap!64 ''Zzap!64'' was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 (C64). It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact. The magazine ...

'' in its inaugural issue praised the graphics and presentation, but also criticized the game's sound, giving it an 85% overall. The reviewer praised the game's lastability: " ..it has plenty in store and it takes quite a while to appreciate its more subtle touches." ''

Commodore Computing International ''Commodore Computing International'' was a magazine for the Commodore range of computers, including the Commodore 64, Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mi ...

'' found the game "a good traditional style arcade skirmish with some great graphical effects." Bill Kunkel reviewed the game for ''

Electronic Games An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other common ...

'' and warned: "Once the novelty of the perspective, a sort of vertically-scrolling Zaxxon, and a leaping fighter craft wear off, it's just another mindless shootout."

References

External links

*{{MobyGames, id=/pastfinder
Review
in Antic 1984 video games Activision games Atari 8-bit family games Commodore 64 games MSX games Post-apocalyptic video games Vertically scrolling shooters Video games set in the future Video games set on fictional planets Video games developed in the United States