Progress or Congress

Bleeding money in Hark Hadley's Pro or Congress

I won’t say this is the most clever or interesting satire on the planet. Still, if you’re going to make two games in your life, it’s interesting that a man would choose to go this route. An ostensibly nonviolent game, you’re being chased around by congressmen; if they touch you, you lose money. In the short term your only defense is to try to vote them out of office. Eventually you go on to oust IRS agents and majority leaders.

Yes, okay. Well, it’s kind of charming in its way. As with Parsec Man 3D, the game is presented so cleanly and simply that it stands on its own rather well. Though unlike the earlier game, it can’t avoid a few of the familiar Game-Maker bugs. Fun, then, that Hadley has actually used some of those bugs as a design feature, hiding super items out of the way in locations that the player can only reach if glitched through a solid wall.

Story

The congressmen are coming! They've entered the city with but one thought on their minds: "get money get money get money"!

Everyone has run for their lives! Besides a few stores and other working places, the city is deserted!

...except for you!

Only you are left to locate the Majority Leader and stop his taxing of the city!

Fight through The City, buzz through InflationLand, sneak through the IRS Office, climb out of RecessionLand, and stop the Majority Leader once and for all!

Good Luck! (...you'll need it...) �

Instructions

To play PROGRESS OR CONGRESS? you need to use the following keys: To move your character, use the arrow keys on your keypad. Press the center button ("5") to "vote". Press F1 for other directions.

On "gravity" levels, the top three keys on the keypad jump your character in those directions, left goes left, right goes right, and the center button votes.

You will start on a city street (don't worry, there's no cars, but plenty of other dangers!). Your object is to fight through 4 levels and then defeat the Majority Leader at the end. Note: On the status screen, the number of hitpoints you have is the number of dollars you have.

After you start the game, the congressmen will attack. Avoid them, for they take away your money.

You can vote them out of office. Press the key for "vote" and you vote will be on it's way. If you hit the congressman, he will disappear, never to be heard from again. If your vote misses, too bad. A connected vote will give you 100 points.

There are also taxes flying nearby. Avoid at all costs! Taxes can take away large amounts of money. Plus, no matter how much you try, taxes cannot be stopped. Votes will not affect them.

If you get hit, you will see a bill fly off with wings. Each bill represents five dollars you lost to congress.

You start out with one ballot. As you walk around, you will see white squares that have "BALLOT" written on them. Collect them. Each one gives you one more vote.

There are also squares in each square mile that say "WORK" on them. Stand on the square and keep moving against the wall. Every few seconds you will get five dollars for your work (minimum wage only). You must be moving while you are on the square. You won't get paid for just standing there.

If you find a bag of money, grab it! It will increase your money amount.

If a congressman knocks you onto a building, you can use the building as a shortcut to another road. Watch out for the congressmen standing on the rooftops.

One building has a super ballot on its roof. You will see the words "BALLOT" written faintly on the roof. Touch those words and you will gain 50 ballots!

There is a door in one of the buildings. Go through this door, and it will send you to the next level.

On level 2, you can vote out Congress Balloons and IRS squares. There is a doorway in one of the clouds which leads you to another level.

On level 3, IRS agents can be voted out like congressmen. Some carry briefcases, though, which attack you separately. Find the stairway which leads you on to the next level.

On level 4, avoid the IRS spikes, and watch out for surtaxes, which spring up suddenly. Also, some of the ground looks stable, but will crumble if you step on it. Get to the surface and go through the door on the building to find the Majority Leader!

The Majority Leader takes 5 hits per part to destroy, and each part has a person hidden in it.

GOOD LUCK!

Credits

Created by.........MARK HADLEY

Editing by.........MARK HADLEY

Idea by............MARK HADLEY

Graphics by........MARK HADLEY

Music by...........MARK HADLEY

Sound Effects by...MARK HADLEY

This program was created with the help of GAME-MAKER created by RECREATIONAL SOFTWARE DESIGNS

CAST OF CHARACTERS

HERO.......Aver Ridge American

CONGRESSMAN...........St. Fair

TAXES............Y. Soe Mennie

FLYING MONEY........Bill Gonne

IRS AGENT.........N. Stoppable

BALLOONS.......Flo Tyng Terror

MAJ. LEADER........Al Hiz Falt �

Downloads

• Pro or Congress