''Game Over'' is an

action video game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform g ...

developed by

Dinamic Software Dinamic Software was a Spanish video game producer and publishing company. It was founded in 1983, and its activity ceased in 1992, comprising the Golden Era of Spanish Software. One year later, a part of its owners founded an independent compa ...

and published by

Imagine Software Imagine Software was a British video games developer based in Liverpool which existed briefly in the early 1980s, initially producing software for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20. The company rose quickly to prominence and was noted for its polished ...

in 1987. It was released for the

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the S ...

, Commodore 64,

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 ...

Thomson TO7 Thomson may refer to: Names * Thomson (surname), a list of people with this name and a description of its origin * Thomson baronets, four baronetcies created for persons with the surname Thomson Businesses and organizations * SGS-Thomson Mi ...

, and

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

. The game includes some

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...

elements. A prompted unrated sequel, ''

Game Over II ''Game Over II'' (known as ''Phantis'' in Spain) is a combination scrolling shooter and platform game developed and published by Dinamic Software in 1987 for the ZX Spectrum, MSX, MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and Atari ST. Gameplay ''Game ...

'', was released in 1987.

Plot

Arkos, a former loyal lieutenant of the beautiful but evil galactic empress Queen Gremla, became a rebel dedicated to end her cruel tyranny. The first part of the game takes place on the prison planet Hypsis, from which Arkos must try to escape. In the second part, Arkos arrives in the jungle swamp planet Sckunn to infiltrate the queen's palace, defeat her Giant Guardian robot, and assassinate her.

Reception

Controversy arose around the presence of a visible nipple on the advertising and inlay artwork, which had originally appeared on the cover of '' Heavy Metal'' (May 1984 - Vol.8 No.2) called ''Cover Ere Comprimee'' and is attributed to

Luis Royo Luis Royo (born 1954) is a Spanish artist. He is best known for his fantasy illustrations published in numerous art books, magazines such as '' Heavy Metal'' and various other media including book and music CD covers, video games and Tarot cards ...

Oliver Frey Oliver Frey (; 30 June 1948 – 21 August 2022) was a Swiss artist, who was based in the United Kingdom. He was known for his book and magazine illustrations, especially for British computer magazines of the 1980s. Under the pen name Zack, he b ...

, the art editor for ''Crash'' magazine, painted over the original bare-breasted image with a thin grey corset so that it could be printed, but retailers demanded that logos be placed over the nipple. ''Game Over'' won the awards for best advert and best inlay of the year, according to the readers of ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch s ...

''. The game itself was mostly well received. ''Computer & Video Games'' awarded it 8/10 for the ZX Spectrum and 7/10 for the Amstrad CPC versions. The MSX version was rated an overall 8/10 by ''MSX Extra'', and the Commodore 64 version was given a score of 68% by ''

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 magazi ...

''. ''

Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', or ''YS'' as it was commonly abbreviated, was a commercially published and printed British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was in circulation between 1984 and 1993. History Th ...

'' rated the ZX Spectrum version 9/10, but the 1990 re-release edition from

Alternative Software Alternative Software is a British software developer and publisher founded in 1985. From the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, the company published well over a hundred games, primarily for the 8-bit computer formats in the budget (£1.99 to £3.99) ...

, which featured a sanitised version of the original cover described as "tragically modified", was given only 52% for its very high difficulty level.

Legacy

''Game Over'' was followed by ''

'' (also known as ''Phantis'' in its native Spain), which was developed and published by

in 1987.

Plot

Reception

Legacy

References

External links