Sabre Wulf
Encyclopedia
Sabre Wulf is a ZX Spectrum
video game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game
in 1984. The game is the first in the Sabreman
series. It was written originally by Tim Stamper and Chris Stamper, and later ported to many other computer platforms. In 2004 a new Sabre Wulf
game, with completely different gameplay, was released for the Game Boy Advance
.
Taking on the role of Sabreman, players must navigate an intensely colourful flip-screen
jungle
maze (256 screens) to recover four pieces of a lost amulet (which depicts the titular Wulf). Once all four have been collected and assembled, the Keeper guarding the maze exit can be safely passed. However, between the entrance and exit, Sabreman must fend off a constant army of tropical
foes that emerge regularly from the undergrowth with his sabre
. Some enemies such as scorpion
s, snake
s and spider
s are easily dispatched, but larger adversaries such as hippos
, rhinos
and natives
can only be made to run away by fencing
. Furthermore, if the player remains in one screen for too long, an invincible and lethal bushfire appears and moves around the screen, visiting all space the player can occupy, forcing the player to either move on or leave. The appearance of the bushfire effectively prevents the player from 'camping', or placing Sabreman in a corner with the fire button depressed and amassing points from dispatching the constant stream of jungle creatures that appear. Along the way, the player also encounters the Wulf itself (albeit rarely). An invincible and persistent foe, it is better avoided than confronted.
As well as searching for the amulet, players can collect treasure
for bonus points and extra lives to prolong their jungle adventure. Also available for the player to collect are jungle orchids
that periodically grow and flower
in forest glades
. There are several varieties of these, each in a different colour and with a different effect on the player. Some confer immunity to the jungle beasts or increase movement speed, while others cause negative effects such as paralysis
or disorientation (reversed controls). Collected wisely, they can make progress through the jungle much easier.
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
video game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game
Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play The Game was a critically acclaimed video game developer of the early home computer era. "Ultimate Play The Game" was the trading name of Ashby Computers & Graphics Ltd. , a software company founded in 1982 by two ex-arcade game developers Tim and Chris Stamper...
in 1984. The game is the first in the Sabreman
Sabre Man
The Sabreman series of games was released by Ultimate Play the Game for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum in the 1980s. Some of the installments were also released on other popular home microcomputers, namely the Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64 and MSX...
series. It was written originally by Tim Stamper and Chris Stamper, and later ported to many other computer platforms. In 2004 a new Sabre Wulf
Sabre Wulf (GBA game)
Sabre Wulf is a video game for the Game Boy Advance starring Sabreman from the ZX Spectrum series of games. A combination of platforming and puzzle game elements, Sabre Wulf encourages the player to think before they progress as they use Sabreman's unique menagerie of animals to make their way to...
game, with completely different gameplay, was released for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
.
Plot
A traveller falls into a deep chasm and must battle the creatures that live within in order to make his escape.Gameplay
Flip-screen
In video games, flip-screen is a principle whereby the playing environment is divided into single-screen portions...
jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
maze (256 screens) to recover four pieces of a lost amulet (which depicts the titular Wulf). Once all four have been collected and assembled, the Keeper guarding the maze exit can be safely passed. However, between the entrance and exit, Sabreman must fend off a constant army of tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
foes that emerge regularly from the undergrowth with his sabre
Sabre
The sabre or saber is a kind of backsword that usually has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger...
. Some enemies such as scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
s, snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s and spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s are easily dispatched, but larger adversaries such as hippos
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, rhinos
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
and natives
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
can only be made to run away by fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
. Furthermore, if the player remains in one screen for too long, an invincible and lethal bushfire appears and moves around the screen, visiting all space the player can occupy, forcing the player to either move on or leave. The appearance of the bushfire effectively prevents the player from 'camping', or placing Sabreman in a corner with the fire button depressed and amassing points from dispatching the constant stream of jungle creatures that appear. Along the way, the player also encounters the Wulf itself (albeit rarely). An invincible and persistent foe, it is better avoided than confronted.
As well as searching for the amulet, players can collect treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
for bonus points and extra lives to prolong their jungle adventure. Also available for the player to collect are jungle orchids
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
that periodically grow and flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
in forest glades
Glade (geography)
A glade or clearing is an open area within a woodland. Glades are often grassy meadows under the canopy of deciduous trees such as red alder or quaking aspen in western North America. They also represent openings in forests where local conditions such as avalanches, poor soils, or fire damage have...
. There are several varieties of these, each in a different colour and with a different effect on the player. Some confer immunity to the jungle beasts or increase movement speed, while others cause negative effects such as paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
or disorientation (reversed controls). Collected wisely, they can make progress through the jungle much easier.
Appearances in other media
Both Sabre Wulf and the Sabreman character have featured in several RARE games since the original game as either cameo or main character:- Both Killer InstinctKiller InstinctKiller Instinct is a fighting game developed by Rare and published by Midway and Nintendo. Initially released in arcades in 1994, and rumored to use an "Ultra 64" hardware engine, in reality the proprietary arcade hardware was co-developed by Rare and Midway. The game received a high profile launch...
& Killer Instinct 2Killer Instinct 2Killer Instinct 2 is a 1996 arcade-only fighting game developed by Rare, licensed by Nintendo, and manufactured by Midway.KI2 is the sequel to Killer Instinct , an arcade game which was also ported to the SNES...
include a werewolfWerewolfA werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
character named Sabrewulf. - Sabreman makes a cameo in the game Banjo-TooieBanjo-TooieBanjo-Tooie is a platform and action-adventure hybrid video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo in 2000 for the Nintendo 64 as a part of the Banjo-Kazooie series. The game is the successor to Banjo-Kazooie and was one of the most anticipated sequels for the Nintendo 64.The game's story...
as a frozen explorer who must be revived and returned to his camp. - In the Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
version of Donkey Kong CountryDonkey Kong CountryDonkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platformer video game developed by Rare, featuring the character Donkey Kong. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Following an intense marketing campaign, the original SNES version sold over 8 million copies worldwide, making...
, Sabrewulf's head has been stuffed and is mounted in Cranky’s hut. - The Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game Viva PiñataViva PiñataViva Piñata is a life simulation game developed by Rare, for the Xbox 360 video game console. The project was headed by Gregg Mayles and the team behind the Banjo-Kazooie series, based on an idea from Tim Stamper. Although rumors of the title circulated among fans for some time, Viva Piñata was...
, also developed by Rare, features a minor cameo to Sabre Wulf - the in-game creature known as Mallowolf launches broken Sabre Wulf amulets as its attack. - The Game Boy Advance has a very different gameSabre Wulf (GBA game)Sabre Wulf is a video game for the Game Boy Advance starring Sabreman from the ZX Spectrum series of games. A combination of platforming and puzzle game elements, Sabre Wulf encourages the player to think before they progress as they use Sabreman's unique menagerie of animals to make their way to...
called Sabre Wulf, featuring both Sabreman & the titular Wulf.
External links
- Sabre Wulf at Ultimate Wurlde
- Sabre Wulf map
- Sabre Wulf review at CRASH magazineCRASH (magazine)Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress.-Development:...
- A walkthrough video of Sabre Wulf on the ZX Spectrum at Google VideoGoogle VideoGoogle Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...