Walker
| Developer: DMA Design | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Psygnosis | Sound: |
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| Year: 1993 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Shoot’em up | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
6/10 | |
You pilot a giant, bipedal robot armed with two heavy machine guns (think ED-209 from Robocop, but four times bigger). Level 1 takes place during World War II. The next one, in the ruins of Los Angeles in 2019; then in the contemporary Middle East (a popular inspiration in the ’90s); and finally, the fourth, in 2420…
The concept is simple: alone against all, exterminate everything that moves. You aim by moving a reticle with the mouse, while walking is done via the joystick or keyboard. An original idea, just like the right-to-left screen scrolling, which goes against the norm (why is that though?).
You enter the scene, all-powerful, guns blazing amidst tiny soldiers who scream and leave pools of blood behind. Yet, soon enough, a real army will rise against you: tanks, artillery, bombers … enough to seriously test your sense of invulnerability. Watch out, your machine guns tend to overheat if you hold the trigger too long, forcing you to fire in short bursts—a bit tricky when you’re being overwhelmed, almost constantly!
This game impresses both with its violence and the quality of its execution (animation, sound effects, differential scrolling). Most players will tire quickly due to the difficulty and monotony. The “easy” mode ends after level two. You probably won’t get much further in “arcade” mode, at least not without cheating.
Admittedly, Walker lacks new weapons and power-ups. On the other hand, shoot’em up specialists, accustomed to hours of practice for results, will appreciate its perfect handling and technicality. After all, aren’t the best arcade games simple and repetitive?
On an emulator, select “2 Mb” of memory to hear the digitized voices. You may want to slow down the emulation speed if necessary. One last thing: the “trainer” version “t + 18 Backlash” doesn’t seem to work after level two. I didn’t persist for long, so I suggest downloading another one.
Vaguely in the same genre, I recommend (on sale): Let Them Come (PC, 2017).
Closer, but doesn’t seem great: BE-A Walker (PC, 2020).
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