1992 · Shoot 'em up · Shooter

OverKill

Overkill is a vertical scrolling shooter that was released by Epic Games and Precision Software Publishing in 1992. The game was designed and developed by Tech-Noir Productions and Ste Cork. Overkill was Epic's first vertical shooter. The game was lacking some of the technology that other top shareware games of the time had, such as Jill of the Jungle, ID Software's Commander Keen, and Apogee's Duke Nukem.

Released: 1992
Platforms: MS-DOS
Genres: Shoot 'em up Shooter
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: United Kingdom

About

OverKill, also known as OverKill: The Six-Planet Mega Blast, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Tech-Noir and published by Epic MegaGames in 1992. The game was designed by Ste Cork with help from Martin Holland. Ste Cork declared the registered version freeware on July 23, 2008.

›Story

A pilot who has been handed a very difficult assignment to destroy the menacing alien forces that have captured six planets in a neighbouring allied solar system. The aliens have enslaved all of the inhabitants of the planets and must be killed.

Keywords

shoot 'em up
spaceship
pixel art
level selection
high score
explosion
platform exclusive
vertical scrolling
difficulty level
cga graphics
tentacles
auto-scrolling levels

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The objective in Overkill is to destroy all enemies on a planet, thus restoring order. The ship has some basic necessities such as fuel, shields, and a weapon, but it can be upgraded by picking up various goodies. Being hit by projectiles or running into enemy ships and walls damages the ship. Once the shield meter is depleted, the ship is destroyed and a life is lost.

Story

A pilot has been handed a very difficult assignment to destroy the menacing alien forces that have captured six planets in a neighboring allied solar system. The aliens have enslaved all of the inhabitants of the planets and must be killed.

Development

After the Commodore 64 market was declining, Martin Holland went on to do art for games that ran on systems of the time. Together with Ste Cork (who came up with the concept), they developed OverKill. Sales for the game were successful due to the solid EGA graphics. After the game's release, Ste Cork had no plans to do a follow-up. This was one of the few games that supported the digital gameport on Amstrad PCs for Atari-compatible joysticks.

Reception

Computer Gaming World stated that Overkill "provides a graphically attractive package. Music and sound effects are also handled capably ... those who like challenging play will feel right at home".