Wings of Death

Wings of Death
Developer(s) Eclipse Software
Publisher(s) Thalion Software
Designer(s) Marc Rosocha
Programmer(s) Marc Rosocha
Artist(s) Erik Simon
Writer(s) Richard Karsmakers
Composer(s) Jochen Hippel
Platform(s) Amiga, Atari ST
Release date(s) September 1990[1]
Genre(s) Shoot 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player

Wings of Death is a 1990 shoot 'em up video game developed by Eclipse Software and published by Thalion Software, released originally for the Atari ST and then ported for the Amiga. Its working titles were Wings of War and Spellbinder.

Wings of Death is a vertically scrolled shooter in a fantasy scenario in which the player controls a mage turned into a winged creature on a quest to defeat a wicked witch. The game was well received and was followed by the science fiction themed sequel Lethal Xcess in 1991.

Gameplay

Despite its fantasy setting, Wings of Death is a traditional shoot 'em up in which multiple enemies with memorable formations enter the screen from above and can either be avoided or destroyed to release power-ups. Each weapon can be upgraded several times, yielding generally more powerful versions. However, as with many shooting games of the time, changing to another weapon resets the player's upgrades. The player may transform into several forms, including a giant eagle, a griffon, and a dragon.

Plot

A spell of the evil witch queen Xandrilia transformed her hated rival, the magician Sagyr, into a winged creature. Now the player's role is to guide Sagyr in his quest to defeat the witch for once and for all, and revert into a human being. His quest takes place through seven levels, from Sagyr's castle to Xandrilia's domain.[2]

Reception

Trenton Webb of Amiga Format, who gave the Amiga version a review rating of 76%, wrote Wings of Death is "chaotic fun, but relies too heavily on luck."[3] Paul Roundell of Amiga Computing later opined the game was "underrated on its release."[4] According to Kieren Hawken of Retro Gamer, Wings of Death has "instantly gained cult status among owners of both the ST and the Amiga (which it was soon ported to) and set new standards for games of its type on the 16-bit home computers."[5] Retro Gamer also noted there is a "splendid" homebrew fan remake titled Blazing Wings.[6]

Sequel

Main article: Lethal Xcess

A sequel to Wings of Death was released in 1991 for the same platforms. In it, the returning Sagyr fights on against Xandrilia's descendants after being transported into distant future.

References

  1. ↑ CU Amiga 8 (October 1990), page 7.
  2. ↑ User manual for Wings of Death.
  3. ↑ Amiga Format 18, page 112.
  4. ↑ Amiga Computing 60, page 110.
  5. ↑ Retro Gamer 123, page 68.
  6. ↑ Retro Gamer 74, page 100.
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