Metabolis is a maze game cum arcade adventure
presented in the familiar flip screen Sabre Wulf
style. The story is based around the exploits of a rather
fierce, but very brave and cuddy little Canary. Naturally
it's you who has control over his little adventures.
The
story has it that the invading Kremins have transformed
the human race into a variety of strange little creatures.
You, being a part of the human race have also been turned
into a little creature -- the main character of this
game, a Canary. You've still got the brain of a human
though, and naturally you're a mite peeved at what has
happened to you. After all, who wants to spend the rest
of their lives doing nothing, flying around and eating
worms and bird seed?
After
thinking for a while, you decide to make it your duty
to destroy the evil beings which have done this foul
deed. This isn't an easy task as you can imagine, and
there are quite a few little jobs you have to complete
before you can really blow the Kremins to kingdom come.
First
of all, you must recover a serum that will restore you
to your natural self. Once this has been done you must
then find the wizard who will cure your heart which
was weakened by the transformation from human to Canary.
It is then (and only then) that you can destroy the
Kremins.
The
way to destroy these despicable beings is by causing
a massive nuclear explosion, and the only way to cause
an explosion is by finding nuclear fuel pods. Once you've
found them then you can take them to the reactor room
where a reaction will take place, NB when you do just
that, be prepared to get as far away from the reactor
room as possible, lest you get caught up in the explosion.
The
playing area consists of about 150 rooms which form
a highly complex Sabre Wulf style maze. Plenty
of creatures inhabit this strange world, and as you
fly around you encounter just about all of them. Most
are harmless, but some, like the starfish, kill on contact.
Occasionally you meet a Kremin, which is big trouble.
These sap your energy so it's best to stay out of reach
of them, otherwise you find your game ending pretty
swiftly.
Littered
around the maze are many traps which you have to keep
a watch for. Many are fatal, although some of them,
like the one ton weight which flattens you for a while
making progress impossible for a minute or so, are harmless
(ish).
Another
big problem is your heart. You see, all this flying
around becomes a strain on your poor old ticker and
you die unless you can keep yourself topped up with
the angina pills you can find scattered throughout the
maze. If the strain gets too much and you can find no
angina pills, then you can always sit down and rest,
which slows your heart rate slightly.
As
you progress through the game, life energy is constantly
sapped by the evil invaders. This is shown on-screen
as a picture of a little bird which gradually turns
into a skeleton as you lose energy. To replenish it
you
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