''Vixen'' is a

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action game, action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform game ...

published by Martech in 1988 for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64,

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few oper ...

, and ZX Spectrum.

Plot

Vixen is the last human on the planet Granath, which is now ruled by a race of dinosaurs. Abandoned as a child and raised by magical foxes, she intends to follow through on a promise she made to her elders to wipe the dinosaurs out and restore the planet to humanity.

Gameplay

Vixen was based unofficially on the

Tecmo , was a Japanese video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or ...

arcade game '' Rygar''. Each level must be completed within a time limit, by progressing from left to right. The player's character is armed only with a whip, used to defeat enemies and to collect bonus items such as gems (for points), extra lives and time. The player's character can also collect fox head tokens. If enough are collected by the end of the level, she will transform into a fox, allowing the player to enter a special underground lair. Here she can collect gems, mega gems (which increase scoring potential above ground) and weapon upgrades (to increase the power of her whip). A notable feature in the game was that it used an early form of motion capture to generate the animation for the main character making it far more realistic than usual for a computer game of that era.

Reception

The various versions of ''Vixen'' received a wide range of review scores. '' ACE'' gave it a score of 452/1000 saying it had "nothing original to offer". '' Computer & Video Games'', praised the graphics, particularly on the Atari ST, but criticised the playability. '' The Games Machine'' rated the game from 42% for the "barely adequate" Amstrad version to 72% for the PC version. '' Your Sinclair'' awarded the game 6/10 stating that while the animation of the main character was superb, "the rest of the graphics suck". The cover of the game, featuring

Page Three girl Page 3, or Page Three, was a British newspaper convention of publishing a large image of a topless female glamour model (known as a Page 3 girl) on the third page of mainstream red-top tabloids. '' The Sun'' introduced the feature, publishing ...

Corinne Russell in the guise of the Vixen, caused controversy and high-street chain Boots refused to stock the game until Martech reissued the game with a less provocative cover. The May 1988 issue of ''Your Sinclair'' featured a similar image on the cover which was equally controversial and attracted a number of complaints.

References

External links

*
''Vixen'' on the Amstrad CPC
* *{{WoS game, id=0005589, name=Vixen 1988 video games Amiga games Amstrad CPC games Atari ST games Commodore 64 games DOS games Side-scrolling platform games Video games about foxes Video games about shapeshifting Video games featuring female protagonists Video games set on fictional planets ZX Spectrum games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Motion capture in video games Martech games Single-player video games