Captive (video game)

Did You Know?

• Trill is judged guilty for a crime he did not commit and sentenced to 250 years in a space cryogenic prison.
• 248 years later Trill awakes without memory of who he is, where he is, or why he was imprisoned.
• In his cell the prisoner finds a briefcase computer that gives him control over four droids on a space ship.

Gameplay

The player, as the prisoner Trill, directs droids to visit bases on several planets. On each base the droids locate space probes that reveal the locations of subsequent bases, blow up the generators powering the prison station's force field, and find the exit before the base collapses. The droids begin in a spaceship with vector-graphics interface, then land on a planet via capsule. They must find the base entrance and explore dungeons containing puzzles and enemies. A full mission comprises ten bases followed by the space station; entering the room holding Trill lets the player choose to free him and end the game or let the enemy recapture him for another mission. Shops allow buying, selling, and repairing weapons, ammunition, and body parts. Each droid has replaceable parts: head, chest, arms, hands, legs, and feet. Accessories such as batteries and remote cameras are available, along with utility devices. Weapons include hand-to-hand and projectile types; their effect depends on type and droid position, hitting left, middle, or right at two heights. The two front droids attack left or right flanks; the two rear droids fire only projectile weapons down the middle. Droids can purchase optics or devscapes add-on devices, but only one such device per droid at a time.

Development

Antony Crowther used an algorithm that generates each planet and base, including its inhabitants, from a single numerical seed on the game disk. This allowed 65,535 levels without storing details of each individually, as only one base is active in any saved game. The game was known as Federation War during development, but a reader of ACE magazine suggested the name Captive in a competition.

Reception

Amiga Format reviewed Captive in 1990 and gave it a score of 91%. Zzap! also gave 91% in 1991, noting that as a true RPG it has drawbacks similar to Dungeon Master, but the gameworld is well designed, the plot and opponents imaginative, and the puzzles challenging. In May 1991 Amiga Power ranked it the 31st best game of all time, and PC Format declared it one of the 50 best computer games of all time.