Project Firestart
Encyclopedia
Project Firestart is a cinematic action
/adventure game
for the Commodore 64
computer system. It was designed by Jeff Tunnell
and Damon Slye
and published by Electronic Arts
in 1989. The game features strong survival horror elements and a story with multiple paths and endings.
IGN
has called it the first "fully formed vision of survival horror as we know it today," citing its balance of action and adventure, limited ammunition, weak weaponry, vulnerable main character, feeling of isolation, storytelling through journals, graphic violence, open exploration, cut-scenes, multiple endings and use of dynamically triggered music—all of which were characteristic elements of later games in the survival horror genre. Penny Arcade
has similarly described it as "the Survival Horror template in its entirety".
and iridium
on selected moons and asteroids.
Although the first generation genetic reshaping is extremely hazardous, it was allowed because the geneticists involved were required to follow strict safeguards guaranteeing tight control over the experiment's end product.
But the Prometheus no longer responds. The safeguards must have been breached. If they have, Firestart is out of control. The SSF has assigned you to clean up the mess.
. The player's character can run left or right through environments, shooting enemies with his laser gun and entering doors. The game adopted a cabinet projection for giving the action greater depth, and some areas allowed for movement into and out of the background. The HUD
and on-screen information is very limited, just showing the health of the main character and the amount of ammo available.
Some of the terminals throughout the space station contain logs and journals of the personnel, which provide a history of the genetic project and thus the backstory - a revolutionary feature in 1989, which has become very common in modern videogames. Occasionally, due to a player action or at fixed points in the game, the game would pause for a cutscene
featuring either the hero or the monsters.
rated the game 91%, with the following comment: "Project Firestart is jam-packed with the sort of fast-paced, polished presentation and chilling atmosphere which make software epics.".
Another magazine, PowerPlay
, rated the game 78/100, describing it as "characterized by an unbelievably thick atmosphere" and at the same time criticizing its use of a disk-exchange system, which requires the player to swap the disks many times mid-game. Computer Gaming World
noted the game succeeds outside the traditional mold of action or adventure games and said, "While the game may fail to satisfy devout action gamers because the pacing of the action is slow or doctrinaire role-players because of the lack of true interaction and character development, it is a suspenseful blend of music, graphics, decision-making, action, clues, plot, and even, romance."
Although never commercially successful, the game has an enduring cult following, and is ranked on Lemon64 as the 17th best Commodore 64 game by user votes as of 2009.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
/adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
for the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
computer system. It was designed by Jeff Tunnell
Jeff Tunnell
Jeffrey Tunnell is a computer game producer, programmer and designer.In 1984 he founded Dynamix with Damon Slye in Eugene, Oregon.In 1990, Tunnell left Dynamix to start Jeff Tunnell Productions. Tunnell would go on to create famous brands such as The Incredible Machine, Trophy Bass, and the 3D...
and Damon Slye
Damon Slye
Damon Slye is a computer game designer, director, and programmer.In 1984 he founded Dynamix with Jeff Tunnell in Eugene, Oregon. He is best known for creating a popular series of historic flight simulations that included Red Baron, A-10 Tank Killer, and Aces of the Pacific.Slye's first product...
and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
in 1989. The game features strong survival horror elements and a story with multiple paths and endings.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
has called it the first "fully formed vision of survival horror as we know it today," citing its balance of action and adventure, limited ammunition, weak weaponry, vulnerable main character, feeling of isolation, storytelling through journals, graphic violence, open exploration, cut-scenes, multiple endings and use of dynamically triggered music—all of which were characteristic elements of later games in the survival horror genre. Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade (webcomic)
Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
has similarly described it as "the Survival Horror template in its entirety".
Story
Project Firestart began on February 13, 2061, aboard the research ship Prometheus. Financed by the System Science Foundation (SSF), an agency of the United System States (USS), the project's goal was to produce strong, durable laborers capable of helping Belters mine titaniumTitanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
and iridium
Iridium
Iridium is the chemical element with atomic number 77, and is represented by the symbol Ir. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum family, iridium is the second-densest element and is the most corrosion-resistant metal, even at temperatures as high as 2000 °C...
on selected moons and asteroids.
Although the first generation genetic reshaping is extremely hazardous, it was allowed because the geneticists involved were required to follow strict safeguards guaranteeing tight control over the experiment's end product.
But the Prometheus no longer responds. The safeguards must have been breached. If they have, Firestart is out of control. The SSF has assigned you to clean up the mess.
Gameplay
The game is a side-scrolling, pseudo-3D action-adventure gameAction-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
. The player's character can run left or right through environments, shooting enemies with his laser gun and entering doors. The game adopted a cabinet projection for giving the action greater depth, and some areas allowed for movement into and out of the background. The HUD
HUD (video gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
and on-screen information is very limited, just showing the health of the main character and the amount of ammo available.
Some of the terminals throughout the space station contain logs and journals of the personnel, which provide a history of the genetic project and thus the backstory - a revolutionary feature in 1989, which has become very common in modern videogames. Occasionally, due to a player action or at fixed points in the game, the game would pause for a cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
featuring either the hero or the monsters.
Reception
Project Firestart was generally well received by the press in 1989. The famous videogame magazine Zzap!64Zzap!64
Zzap!64 was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 . It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact....
rated the game 91%, with the following comment: "Project Firestart is jam-packed with the sort of fast-paced, polished presentation and chilling atmosphere which make software epics.".
Another magazine, PowerPlay
Powerplay
"Power play" is a sporting term used in various games.*In ice hockey, a team is said to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penalty, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice...
, rated the game 78/100, describing it as "characterized by an unbelievably thick atmosphere" and at the same time criticizing its use of a disk-exchange system, which requires the player to swap the disks many times mid-game. Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
noted the game succeeds outside the traditional mold of action or adventure games and said, "While the game may fail to satisfy devout action gamers because the pacing of the action is slow or doctrinaire role-players because of the lack of true interaction and character development, it is a suspenseful blend of music, graphics, decision-making, action, clues, plot, and even, romance."
Although never commercially successful, the game has an enduring cult following, and is ranked on Lemon64 as the 17th best Commodore 64 game by user votes as of 2009.