Electroman (DOS)

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Description

This is a platform game with puzzle elements. You have to guide Jacek, the Electroman, around the levels, using such things as teleporters, while shooting enemies and collecting weapon power-ups. This latter activity is essential - over a period of time, your weapon downgrades itself, until you can't actually fire at all.

The game features in total 8 levels, on which there are three microchips that must be collected in order to proceed to the next. The difficulty level is very steep, and each death sets you back to your previously visited checkpoint, but fortunately already collected microchips stay collected. Checkpoints also serve as an additional difficulty factor, as once touched, they remove all your weapons, leaving you unarmed.

Unlike many platformers, you can't control your jumping mid-air, and the main protagonist can only jump and fall at a given angle. This proves an extra challenge as when there are enemies above or below you, perfect timing is essential in order to succeed.

Apart from the title screen, only the last level, which really is just a credit to the producers, has background music.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Alternate Titles

• "Electro Body" -- German/Polish title

Part of the Following Groups

• Electro Body series
• Games with manual lookup copy protection
• Physical Bonus Content: Soundtrack

User Reviews

Wanna play something REALLY hard?

Sir Gofermajster (491)

Critic Reviews

Świat Gier Komputerowych	Nov, 1993	75 out of 100	75
Top Secret	Jul, 1992	3 out of 5	60
The Retro Spirit	Dec 15, 2008	3 out of 6	50
PC Player (Germany)	Aug, 1993	46 out of 100	46
PC Joker	Oct, 1993	28 out of 100	28
PC Games (Germany)	Jun, 1993	Unscored	Unscored

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Trivia

Collector's Edition release

After 22 years the game was re-released on CD-ROM at Poznań Game Arena 2014, including a high quality soundtrack and a printed certificate.

Contest

In 2014, the Polish indie game website 1ndie World announced "The Jam", a contest for the best game inspired by Electroman. The winner, announced at Poznań Game Arena 2014, was Ego Protocol.

Extras

In its original release, Electroman came with an audio cassette with in-game music, for the benefit of people without sound cards.

Certain releases of the game also came bundled with a Covox Speech Thing, which would generate digital sounds and music when connected to a LPT port.

Freeware release

Developer xLand generously released this game as freeware under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license on 25 June 2006. This version was released to work in DOSBox and will not work in original DOS.

Jacek and Placek

The manual of the original Polish release contains an extended backstory which mentions Jacek's friend, Placek. The two characters' names are a reference to the Polish novel O dwóch takich, co ukradli księżyc ("About two guys who stole the Moon"), originally published in 1928 and later adapted into a movie and an animated series. The two protagonists of the novel are named Jacek and Placek (Jacek is a genuine Polish name, while "Placek" literally means "pie".)

Python port

The game's developer, Maciej Miąsik, was working on a Python port of the game under the name "PyElectroMan" as a hobby project. However, the project has not been active since 2011.

Sound effects

As the game credits point out, several sound effects in the game were taken from various songs by electronic music groups. In particular:

• the words "We have to be careful, this is an emergency area!" which play upon starting a level are taken from Fatal Morgana's "Lifeblood";
• the whooping which plays upon collecting a weapon power-up is taken from Code Industry's "Fury";
• the words "Jesus is here!" that play upon touching a checkpoint are taken from Front 242's "Welcome to Paradise". In the Electro Man release, the words are played backwards.

Version 1.5

The version of the game for markets outside Poland is version 1.5, with improved graphics. The improved version also saw release in Poland.

Additional information added by Scaryfun and Karsa Orlong

Related Web Sites

• Download Electro Man! (Free, legal download of the shareware version of Electro Man -- look for $ELECTRO.ZIP)
• Various versions of Electroman (Download different versions of the game, like the 2006 Creative Commons licenced one.)