Exploding Fish

arcade game for Commodore 64, 2018

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Aim of the game

The evil Doctor Drax has been busy, dropping bombs onto the protected reefs.

Take control of Diver Dougal. Dive deep, defuse bombs, avoid nasties...
and watch out for alien artefacts!

Collect all the encryption keys in order to access & defuse the bombs.
Better watch out for the sea life though...
Those creatures really hate intruders!

So set sail on the - Unsinkable 2- and make the sea a safer place.

Game info

Your trusty boat, the Unsinkable 2 enters from the right and drops Dougal in
the water. From there you must swim down and collect each of the five
encryption keys in turn and take them to the end-portal. Each time a key is
used, the display on the portal will show how many more keys are needed. When
all keys have been used, the portal will dissolve and Dougal will be able to
access the bomb. This must be collected and returned to the boat before the
countdown timer elapses. If that happens, it's well and truly game-over…
BOOM! 

Successfully returning the bomb to the boat is the goal of each level. Dougal
will climb back onboard the Unsinkable 2 which will take him off to save the
next reef! Any remaining time on the countdown timer will be converted to
bonus points before the next level begins.

On each level there are other collectables to find. Air cylinders and
medipacks replenish air and health respectively. Occasionally the player will
come across an alien artefact, no doubt dropped accidentally from a passing
flying saucer! Collecting one of these is always a gamble. There are a random
mixed bag of about 15 different effects this could have, some good but some
bad.

You must battle your way from reef to increasingly difficult reef until you
eventually reach Dr. Drax’s secret dock. That’s your chance to finish him off
for good, but be warned- he’s no pushover!

Playing the game

The game is controlled with a joystick in port 2. Use the SPACEBAR to pause.
Keep a close eye on the countdown timer, if it reaches zero then it’s all
over! Press fire to collect the various items scattered throughout each
level - trianguar encryption keys, air cylinders, medipacks or alien
artefacts. There’s also a lot of treasure scattered about in the form of gold
coins. Simply swim into these to collect them for a healthy score boost!
Please note that you can only hold one encryption key at a time. Take each
one to the bomb portal and press joystick-down+fire to use the key. The
number shown on the portal will decrease, telling you how many more keys are
needed. Once you have used all 5 keys then the portal will dissolve allowing
you to collect the bomb. Better get it back to the boat as soon as possible!

Health and air

As you swim around underwater, the air in your cylinder will slowly be used
up. Collecting air cylinders will give your air level a much needed top-up.
Don’t let your air reach zero otherwise your health will start to deplete!

Each level has it’s share of genetically modified fish, all released by Dr.
Drax to keep unwanted meddlers at bay! Allowing any of these to touch you
will result in you losing a chunk of your health. Also watch out for
Mermaids, normally they are quite peaceful they can’t resist stealing air
from passing divers! Whenever you begin a new level, your air will have been
fully replenished but only some of your health will have been restored so be
careful!

Helpful hint

swimming close to the surface wherever possible will preserve your air supply
because Dougal can breathe through his snorkel.

Level codes

Every time you complete a level, you will be given a code for the following
level. Always make sure you write these down as they can be entered on the
title screen and used to begin subsequent games without having to start from
level 1 each time. There’s no such thing as a free lunch as the saying goes,
so be aware that the higher the level you jump to, the less health you will
start with!

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Some useful keyboard shortcuts
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       [PAUSE] - stop/continue game
          [F9] - quick load game state
         [F12] - quick save game state (still stored after leaving the site)
         [F10] - toggle performance meter
         [F11] - toggle fullscreen mode
  [ScrollLock] - quick switch control ports
    [PageDown] - make a screenshot (320x200)