Uridium is a much loved classic amongst Commodore 64 enthusiasts. Well known for its fast-paced gameplay and unique game mechanics, at least some of that reputation is deserved. Designer Andrew Braybrook was known for his idiosyncratic but eminently playable game concepts, and they are plentiful here too.
The main difference between this game and most other shoot-em-ups of the era is the ability to fly and move in all three dimensions; not only can the Manta fighter fly to the left or right or up or down, in a manner similar to games like Defender, but there's also some limited movement above and below the plane on which most of the gameplay occurs. It's possible, via a looping manoeuvre, to gain enough height to dodge enemy craft or cross over barriers, and some later parts of the game have some tight squeezes that can only be navigated by flipping the Manta on its side. Such increased interactivity gives an impression of being more closely involved in the action, especially in comparison to most scrolling shooters, where there's generally less control over your sprite's direction.
None of this would be any good at all if the controls were sloppy, but here Uridium excels. While the fast pace and almost slippery handling of the Manta fighter can be difficult at first, it's all part of a well-judged learning curve, and soon enough you'll be backflipping all over the place as the enemies approach. On the other hand, the self-destruct mini game is merely a test of timing, and isn't nearly as complex or compelling as the similar sequence in Braybrook's earlier Paradroid; in all honesty, it seems like something of an afterthought.
The visuals are also a bit of a let-down, being more functional than pretty. The large battleships aren't particularly exciting or imposing, with very little in the way of animation on their surfaces, and the waves of enemy fighters are also rather dull, consisting mainly of a standard set of cloned blobs. That said, the overall design is certainly quite idiosyncratic and memorable, from the unique fonts all the way up to strange stuff like the big chains holding the starships together, or the option to play the game in a monochrome mode (?). The Manta fighter itself redeems the visuals somewhat: it's a great sprite with smooth and varied animations that make it look as slippery and agile as its aquatic namesake. In terms of sound, the title theme is another one of those classic tunes that gave the C64's music capabilities such legendary status, but some generic in-game electronic beeps and buzzes are a bit of a let down.
To be honest, Uridium hasn't aged too well. It's still a very playable shoot-em-up with some inventive mechanics, but the presentation betrays the game's age. Later C64 games in the same genre looked and sounded better, and some offered more depth, although few were as unique as this one. Think carefully before you spend your Wii Points on this title, but if you're a fan of shoot-em-ups and are looking for something a bit different from the norm, you could certainly do worse than Uridium.
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1. CobraCommander
24 Feb 2008, 18:07 GMT
It must be 20 years ago since I have played this game. At that Time it was great . But now the gameplay is a little bit boring because every level looks similar. But it will be a great nostalgic feeling to play it again after a long time.
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2. Kawaiipikachu
25 Feb 2008, 22:09 GMT
This was on the c64dtv plug'n'play thing i got (which needs fixing).
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3. SKTTR
27 Feb 2008, 11:48 GMT
This is different from the other Shmups.
It's not just fly from the left to the right and kill everything.
You can also chnage your altitude and fly in the opposite direction if you forgot something.
Each level is a big spaceship (or a convoy of spaceships) and you have to destroy it's defense weapons, then you can land on it and program the destruction sequence in a reaction game. As the spaceship convoy explodes you have to avoid it's obstacles and progress to the next stage.
Back in the day it was different than the other shmups.
And there are still not many shmups that copied this idea.
Very unique for it's time. Great gameplay for 1985.
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4. ICEknight
29 Feb 2008, 15:46 GMT
Nice C64 game, but I'm personally more used to the ZX Spectrum version...
Either way, this being the original version as programmed by its designer, I might give it a shot.
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5. Objection_Blaster
27 Mar 2008, 23:07 GMT
this looks boring (and i like this type of game) and the sounds woud make me kill myself...or the TV
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6. aphexbr
28 Mar 2008, 08:39 GMT
I used to have this on the ZX Spectrum and it was a decent shooter at the time. But... 500 points? I'm sure it only cost 2.99GBP when it first came out. Maybe reduce it to 300 points and I might buy it but for that price I'd rather save for Super/Mega R-Type...
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7. J.K.
28 Mar 2008, 15:13 GMT
I played this as a DOS game back in 1990 as it came for free on this CD with an old 386sx16 I got for Christmas (first PC.) I used to play the hell out of this along with a few other gems on there like Into the Eagles Nest, Infiltrator(1 and 2), Skyfox and more. It looks bad, even by that time it didn't look good all that much, but the gameplay was one that kept one playing and that's what is important...the desire to keep going.
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8. GingerMonkey
28 Mar 2008, 20:33 GMT
Mua haha for the first time in about 20 years my name is on the title screen of a game and not just tucked away in the instruction manual. Back of the net!
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9. link64
28 Mar 2008, 20:39 GMT
by the way whos kelvin?
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10. Dazza
28 Mar 2008, 21:18 GMT
Kelvin (or kelvingreen as he is otherwise known) is latest addition to the VCR team
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11. Betagam7
29 Mar 2008, 00:35 GMT
This is great, so addictive. It's making me consider downloading IK but I've learned my lesson with the SF2 shenanigans and will wait for IK plus.
Getting back to this though, once you get past the initial shock of just how primitive the once state of the art graphics are you start to really appreciate the tight addictive gameplay. So far the Earth's Zinc supplies are in safe hands at the very least!
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12. thewiirocks
29 Mar 2008, 01:37 GMT
A fun fact from the original Uridium manual is that the inventor of the name, Robert Orchard, was highly confused about his elements when he named the game. He was quoted as saying, "I really thought [the element] existed."
Another great game in the "little ship takes on the big Dreadnought" genre was "The Dreadnaught Factor" by Activision. (Note the subtle spelling difference.) Originally created for the Intellivision, the game had players making multiple passes on a massive ship that could throw dozens of bolts of fire at him. The player had to knock out enough cooling vents to destroy the ship before it reached Earth!
Unlike Uridium, the player could not turn around. Rather, the player had to choose his targets as he passed by the dreadnaught. He could choose to go straight for the vents and risk being blown away, take out some of the guns and come around for another pass at the vents, and even knock out engines to slow the behemoth down! This gave the game a great strategy element that kept its replayability high.
A port was made for the Atari 5200, but it was rubbish. Better graphics, but they managed to lose the charm of the original.
Back on the topic of Uridium, I recommend tracking down a C64DTV unit rather than paying $/€5.00 for it. The C64DTV can often be found cheap, plays Uridium, IK, Impossible Mission, Pitstop, Summer Games, and other favorites, and actually contains REAL C64 hardware! (Jeri Ellsworth, a wonderful lady who I have had the pleasure of meeting, invented the hardware because she missed the simplicity of the Commodore 64.) With a bit of hardware hacking, you can make that little joystick play nearly ANY old C64 title. You can even attach a keyboard!
Even without the hardware hacking, I highly recommend you wait for games that aren't easily found on the inexpensive C64DTV. That will be a much better use of your money.
Hope to see some of you classic gamers at the Midwest Gaming Classic show tomorrow, and the die-hard Commodore fans at the ECCC this September!
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13. Betagam7
29 Mar 2008, 16:44 GMT
Worth mentioning that this game does actualy have a 2 player mode, accessed by one of the F keys on the C64 virtual keyboard so someone may want to change its 1 player status
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14. Dazza
29 Mar 2008, 17:36 GMT
Yes but its not 2 player simultaneous is it?
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15. SepticLemon
30 Mar 2008, 22:08 GMT
I downloaded this game mainly because I didn't have in on my C64 back in the day. I started to play it and I didn't like it at first, but giving it a few extra chances it started to grow on me. Defiently a C64 Classic, in fact I'm making my own remake using Games Factory, but the controls are a little off though.
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16. Betagam7
31 Mar 2008, 20:27 GMT
Havn't checked but it seems to indicate you can have a 2 player co-op with one person controlling the guns and one flying the ship as well as the standard take turns.
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17. tovare
09 Apr 2008, 14:28 GMT
This is a blast from the past. I remember the awe when I saw this reviewed in Commodore User back in the day. 500 points seems overpriced, like many has commented. There isn't much variety in the game, but since I purchased it I actually have fired it up a few times... The game has a different feel compared to other shoot'em ups available on the VC, so it would probably be worth a shot for fans of shooters, but there are a lot of games to get before this one. You are often killed quite soon in this game, so you can switch over to this one during commercial breaks when watching TV.
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18. Mr 64
23 Apr 2008, 11:59 GMT
I consider Uridium to be one of the gems of the C64 back catalogue. It is a truly innovative take on the shoot 'em up genre, with speed and obstacles being an equal threat to your well being as the on-screen enemies. Some people have taken a dislike to the artistic theme of the game, but I quite like the bas-relief style of mid 80s Andrew Braybrook games and the graphics really fly - it's like being on an 8-bit white knuckle ride at times!
I think it's well worth 500 points as I've still not cleared it and I've been trying on the C64 since 1990!
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19. That Guy from Faxanadu
05 May 2008, 18:17 GMT
I can´t recommend this. Being able to change directions on the scrolling unfortunatly don´t feel so thrilling today. Uridium gets repetative after just a few minutes of play. I never owned a C-64 back in the days, but I enjoy games like Impossible Mission, Maruder and Califonia Games anyway.
Uridium is neither worth 500 points nor 50 units of storage. Buy one of the other C-64 classics instead, you´ll have more fun with any of them.
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20. Si 09 May 2008, 00:36 GMT
A masterpiece! 5 out of 5!
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