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Silkworm (video game)
Encyclopedia
Silkworm is a classic side scrolling shooter, developed by Tecmo and first released for arcade in 1988
. In 1989
it was ported to the Amiga
, Atari ST
, Commodore 64
, ZX Spectrum
, Amstrad CPC
and NES
(1990) systems by The Sales Curve
and released by Virgin Mastertronic
.
Silkworm also spawned a sort-of sequel - SWIV
. While SWIV was not a direct sequel, it followed the same core gameplay design of a helicopter/jeep team, albeit as a vertically-scrolling shooter instead of a horizontally-scrolling one. "SWIV" was described in the game's manual to mean both "Special Weapons Intercept Vehicles" and "Silkworm IV".
Silkworm had interesting graphics and relatively fast-paced gameplay. The player can take control of a Jeep
mounted with a machine gun or a Helicopter
mounted with forward and downward firing guns. Two players can work simultaneously and cooperatively
against enemies, with one playing as the Jeep and one as the Helicopter.
In single-player mode, it is generally easier to play with the Helicopter than with the Jeep, but it can be more fun to play as the Jeep. As the Jeep, the player needs to destroy everything directly in front of it or be prepared to jump in order to avoid collisions.
In two-player mode, the Helicopter and Jeep must cooperate, and the players depend on each other to succeed. For example, the Helicopter can only fire forward, so occasionally, the Jeep must cover the rear with his swiveling gun. However, when covering the rear, the Jeep is vulnerable from the front, so the Helicopter must cover him.
Silkworm featured a fairly wide variety of enemies, some of which had specific weaknesses, such as the armoured AA guns that could only be harmed when their shields were down to fire. Most famously, there was the "Goose" helicopter - a giant, heavily-armoured "mini-boss" helicopter that was composed of several smaller vehicles that connected together.
The players collect shields (which could alternatively be shot by the player in order to destroy all enemies on the screen), power cells which increase fire power and an additional bonus can be added to the score achieved. The game gets harder on the completion of each level. The game employed some destructible environmental elements, such as buildings and ancient ruins. Silkworm featured a background music theme composed by Barry Leitch
.
1988 in video gaming
-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:*January 8, Konami releases Super Contra....
. In 1989
1989 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* October 3, Brøderbund releases the Prince of Persia game, the first in a series of games, noted for its advancements in animation....
it was ported to the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, 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...
, 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...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(1990) systems by The Sales Curve
SCi
Square Enix Limited, doing business as Square Enix Europe, is a British publisher of video game software wholly owned by Square Enix. Square Enix Europe has its head office in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
and released by Virgin Mastertronic
Virgin Interactive
Virgin Interactive was a British video game publisher. It was formed as Virgin Games Ltd. in 1981. The company became much larger after purchasing the budget label, Mastertronic in 1987. It was part of the Virgin Group...
.
Silkworm also spawned a sort-of sequel - SWIV
SWIV
SWIV was a 2D vertically-scrolling Shoot 'em up game originally released in 1991 for the Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC home computer formats....
. While SWIV was not a direct sequel, it followed the same core gameplay design of a helicopter/jeep team, albeit as a vertically-scrolling shooter instead of a horizontally-scrolling one. "SWIV" was described in the game's manual to mean both "Special Weapons Intercept Vehicles" and "Silkworm IV".
Gameplay
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
mounted with a machine gun or a Helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
mounted with forward and downward firing guns. Two players can work simultaneously and cooperatively
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
against enemies, with one playing as the Jeep and one as the Helicopter.
In single-player mode, it is generally easier to play with the Helicopter than with the Jeep, but it can be more fun to play as the Jeep. As the Jeep, the player needs to destroy everything directly in front of it or be prepared to jump in order to avoid collisions.
In two-player mode, the Helicopter and Jeep must cooperate, and the players depend on each other to succeed. For example, the Helicopter can only fire forward, so occasionally, the Jeep must cover the rear with his swiveling gun. However, when covering the rear, the Jeep is vulnerable from the front, so the Helicopter must cover him.
Silkworm featured a fairly wide variety of enemies, some of which had specific weaknesses, such as the armoured AA guns that could only be harmed when their shields were down to fire. Most famously, there was the "Goose" helicopter - a giant, heavily-armoured "mini-boss" helicopter that was composed of several smaller vehicles that connected together.
The players collect shields (which could alternatively be shot by the player in order to destroy all enemies on the screen), power cells which increase fire power and an additional bonus can be added to the score achieved. The game gets harder on the completion of each level. The game employed some destructible environmental elements, such as buildings and ancient ruins. Silkworm featured a background music theme composed by Barry Leitch
Barry Leitch
Barry Leitch is a video game music composer, responsible for the music in a large number of games spanning multiple consoles and personal computers. Most notable is his work from the Lotus Turbo Challenge, Top Gear, and Rush video game series....
.