Sidewize is a shoot 'em up

Shoot 'em up

Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...

 released by Firebird in 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...

 and ZX Spectrum

ZX Spectrum

The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...

 home computers. It was followed by a sequel, Crosswize

Crosswize

Crosswize is a shoot 'em up released by Firebird in for the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was the sequel to Sidewize.-Overview:The game is very similar to its predecessor, with a lone warrior battling waves of alien enemies. A notable difference is the ability to fire in both directions, as in...

.

Plot

The four worlds of Omicron, Nu, Delta and Iota are under siege by the Dariard Mutants. The Warriors of the Xeolom Alliance are all that stand between the Mutants and victory.

Gameplay

Sidewize is a 2D horizontal scrolling shooter with notable similarities to the Capcom

Capcom

is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...

 arcade game Side Arms. The player controls the warrior Dynar his lone attack against waves of Mutants on the four worlds of the Xeolom Alliance. Dynar is equipped with an armored suit with jetpack and an array of weapons. Power-ups may be collected for improved mobility, weapons and firepower.

The four Xeolom worlds may be played in any order, but must all be completed before the player moves on to the alien world of Zeta, where the final Mutant boss awaits.

Reception

• Your Sinclair
  Your Sinclair
  Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated, was a British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum.-History:...
  
  :

  "The game itself is a simple concept, but there's just so much to it, and the difficulty is so well judged, you just can't pull the plug. It's fast. The action is flicker-free. The monochrome graphics are great and the sound effects set it all off. It could take years of careful manoeuvre to beat this one, unless you're into hacking..."