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- Peter G, from issue #4 (April 2008)
Merlin’s Walls (Atari 2600)
by Igor Barzilai (for Ebivision)
Available from AtariAge.com for $25
Any creative art, from movies to novels to video games (yes, I called video games “art”), has to move forward with new techniques and big ideas. And any designer who hits on something that’s never been done before will give it their all to make it happen. This is how innovation happens, giving us games that break rules and redefine the field from Doom to Myst, to The Sims. All these things were projects that people thought would never work, and they did. But there’s a trade-off to consider, and it’s that the results may only appeal on a technical level. It’s like the joke about the tap-dancing elephant – you aren’t amazed that it does it well, you’re amazed it does it at all.
Which brings us to today’s subject, Merlin’s Walls. Ebivision is Eric Bacher and Igor Barzilai. They started making Atari games with Alfred Challenge (no typo, that’s the actual name) and have five titles under their belt. They really are experts at the technical aspects of the Atari. Pesco is a maze game with three enemies and none of the flicker like in the Atari Pac-Man games (rumor has it the game was originally Pac-Man and a ROM exits of that version). Merlin’s Walls is the second effort from Ebivision.
People like me, when we first heard about Doom 2600, figured it was a hoax because there was no way the Atari could handle 3D graphics and environments (Battlezone, which actually seems to track you in a 3D matrix, is about as good as it gets). The chief obstacle is, there are only 40 background graphics pixels. Barzilai figured a way around that. Horizontally, you are limited to 40 blocks, but vertically, you have every scan line available. Much smoother scaling and rotation of the environment can be achieved this way.
This means, for those playing at home, that you have to jump through a hoop to experience the game. And it’s not an inconsiderable hoop – you have to spin your TV 90 degrees counterclockwise to get the correct view (the manual also mentions putting the TV on the floor facing up and that turning the TV isn’t recommended and other product liability stuff). So emulation isn’t going to help you here. My solution? I plugged my Atari into my VCR and ran the composite outs to my little pocket TV with a 2.5” screen. Still better than my N-Gage, and I didn’t have to unplug and mess with my 19” set.
The game proper puts you in a maze created by the wizard Merlin. You have a little over a minute to escape, as indicated by a bar that shrinks on the left side of the screen. You simply wander the maze, looking for the exit, and avoid touching the walls, since that saps time away from you. Only the first maze is mapped out in the book so you’ll have to trial and error your way through the rest of the game. At least, I think it’s only the first maze. I honestly couldn’t tell you if I was starting at different points in the same maze or truly in another maze. There is no compass or direction finding aid in the game.
Technically, the game is intriguing. The turning is amazingly fluid, and the scaling is quite impressive. However, technical skill does not necessarily mean a good game. Once you figure out the maze and get used to moving through it, you’ll fly to the exit and be done in no time. It’s simple memorization, and once you complete it, you won’t feel the need to do it again except to marvel at the graphics, and there isn’t enough variety to make you wonder what might be coming next. One of my personal faves on the 2600 is CBS’ Tunnel Runner by Richard K. Balaska Jr., which cooked up random mazes, goals, and enemies stalking you as you went. The 3D is very shallow compared to Merlin’s Walls, but the experience is far more exciting. There’s more game there.
Merlin's Walls - Atari 2600
I give this game a 3 out of 10 – Peter G
