notes.husk.org/likes images.

Booty

Published 1984 by Firebird Software Ltd. | Author: John F. Cain | [WOS]

“There be pirates, parrots and fun galore…”

Yaaar! This be an early release from a label set up by those scurvy cutthroats at British Telecom, who saw much buried treasure in the burgeonin’ games industry of the 1980s. Yaarr!

Booty is a puzzle platformer set below decks on a seemingly vast and labyrinthine pirate galleon. As Jim the disgruntled cabin boy, the player must loot all the treasure in each of the 20 screens by unlocking doors with numbered keys. Rooms are linked in a massively complex arrangement where some are only clearable by exiting and re-entering from a different screen, so mapping skills are handy.

The game piles on multiple threats to life and limb. Most obvious are the bloodthirsty, cutlass-wielding buccaneers who patrol the decks, but Jim is also defenceless against attacks by the occasional rat and the ship’s roaming parrot. As well as the mobs, there are also disappearing walkways, doors that lead to mid-air, and booby-trapped treasure to add a sprinkling of random danger to what is already quite a challenge to complete.

Despite the difficulty it’s solid fun and a joy to play, even via an emulator. Animation is smooth with bold, cartoonish and suitably maritime graphics. On the sound side, there’s a few sparse effects plus a BEEPed version of The Sailor’s Hornpipe that plays throughout – but which can thankfully be muted.

Not quite the best videogame ever to feature pirates but still an enjoyable bit of nautical plunderin’ and puzzlin’.