The New Zealand Story.

Ah, another classic. When I got my first Amiga A500 back in 1990, it came with an impressive bundle of games alongside Deluxe Paint II; the Ten Star Games Pack, FA/18 Interceptor, Batman the Movie and The New Zealand Story. Back then, it seemed Ocean Software were one of the leading games houses for the Amiga.

I remember laughing hysterically the first time I tried playing The New Zealand Story. Once I’d gotten over the ridiculously bouncy music and Tiki the Kiwi’s silly death ‘dance’, I remember becoming quickly addicted to this epic platform adventure. it was tough – especially that pirate ship level later in the game – but I remember persisting with it (and somehow enduring the music) until I eventually completed it. I hadn’t played it since, until now. It is comparable to Rainbow Islands to a certain degree, though I always preferred New Zealand Story; it’s more challenging, more varied and the graphics are slightly better, even though we’re still in ‘cute’ territory. I was surprised how much I enjoyed rediscovering the game, despite its shortcomings.

It’s still tough! Tiki is killed instantly with one hit – aways a major frustration. There are times when the sprite collision is absolutely perfect, but many instances when it’s just off, which is infuriating.

There’s plenty of fun and creativity, from the various modes of transport you can nick (including a cool space craft that fires a huge laser), though these goodies are generally in short, or random supply throughout the game.

Did I say it was tough? Well even today I found it a challenge. it is also one huge game, with maze-like levels and numerous ways to meet a grizzly demise. It’s a game that does test one’s patience, and can soon become tiresome, but it is fun.

Reading Chris Wilkins’ recent book, OCEAN – The History, I was interested to learn of the developer’s hatred of the game, and the problems it posed during creation. perhaps their distaste resulted in the difficulty level! I was actually quite sorry to read this, having such affection for it myself, but then again, I’ve only ever been on the player side.