itch.io

No demo versions, sorry, but thanks for your interest, ZX Spectrum Star!

Thanks.  Looks like you're running the game on the fastest speed option there, so I'm mighty impressed you scored anything!

Happy to hear you like it, and thanks for the feedback!

Hi Megamanzx and thanks for the question.

In the style of the early 80s arcade games, once each wave of aliens is cleared, the player progresses to the next wave until all their lives are up. So the length of the game is dependent on the skill of the player, and there's no cap on the number of waves and no "final level".

Each new wave is more difficult than the last, with more aliens that also become faster, meaner and more determined, firing increasingly accurate shots.

A novice player's game might only last a minute or two, but more adept players might be able to make a single game last for 30 or 60 minutes.

Hope that helps!

- and the cassette release is now available at: www.cronosoft.co.uk :)

- please see the reply above!

Interesting points! The file is currently in .sna format because that's all I originally had to work with. A tape file will be in the works for a probable cassette release :)

Meanwhile the loading screen was recently completed based on what I had left of the original screen art from 1988, and is included in the latest .sna update that just went up!

Thanks very much for the kind words. I'll email you at Cronosoft! ..

Glad you liked it! Thanks for the encouragement!

"a real sense of running for your life" - early design notes from 1986 reveal that this was just the feeling I was aiming for, so I'm happy to hear it had the desired effect! Thanks for the feedback.

"Quadron" is an original arcade style game for the 48K ZX Spectrum created in the mould of the 1980s Williams classics.

Set in the Quadron complex, your task is to defend crystals mined by the relentless onset of marauding aliens.

Featuring fast arcade style gameplay, multiple weapons, enemies, collectables, powerups, and a pointer based status screen and scanner, the game calls for both fast reactions and a surprising dose of strategy!

What's unusual about this release is that the game was written over the course of two years and completed back in 1988. Sadly, the publisher (now defunct) pulled out towards the end of development and the game remained unreleased along with its plans for an Amstrad CPC conversion.

Since I didn't have access to the original source code, I worked with the disassembly and my original notes to kind of reverse engineer the whole thing in order to address some bugs and tweaks I spotted along the way. Now, about 5 months later, it’s ready to release.

So I'm really happy to be finally offering Quadron on its 30th anniversary on itch.io.

Both basic and detailed play instructions are included in the download.

You'll need a Spectrum emulator to play it - suitable suggestions with links are provided on the download page.

Enjoy!
Cosmium

https://cosmium.itch.io/quadron