Explorer Jacko

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Explorer Jacko v1.8
JackoTitle.gif

Release type: Freeware
Release date: 1993 (original release)
Levels: 18
Author: Don'Pan Software
Related games: Nejillian Flux, Sample, Dungeon Erghuck

Around the time that Deep Space 9 hit syndication, a fellow who had played Cireneg's Rings asked that I place him in a space adventure modeled in the vein of Star Trek. At the time I was only slightly familiar with The Next Generation, but a bit more cultured in space shooters and strategy games -- in particular Toys for Bob'sStar Control. So, I set about designing a wonky shooter-adventure with strong RPG trappings.

The way I figured, space would be the overworld -- and space would be modeled on the melee mode of Star Control. This didn't quite work out, but if one is charitable then the space levels might seem like a large-scale version of SpaceWar!, littered with almost pixel-for-pixel copies of some of the more interesting Star Control vessels.

Being space, the overworld is very difficult to navigate. If you putter around long enough, you may come across towns or dungeons -- or, if you will, space stations and derelict colonies. Aside from serving as store fronts, the stations also contained holodecks that allowed for some adolescent mischief.

The player could also disembark at colonies to wander around on foot, shoot monsters, and collect important items. There was little real reason to do this except in pursuit of the game's very simple, and distressingly imperialist, story. Hidden away in a dungeon, somewhere in space, is the passport that you need to land on a certain planet. Find the passport, then land on the planet. Bingo; you're done.

Escaping the prison in Explorer Jacko

A problem with Explorer Jacko, as with Cireneg's Rings and Linear Volume, is a lack of support in RSD's engine for text overlays. The game never really compensates for the missing feature, which creates a sense of aimlessness in the play narrative; it is never clear where to go or what to do, and why.

The game's entire challenge comes from the difficulty in finding one's way, keeping track of where one has been, and in the severely overpowered ships and monsters that the player faces. In order to explore sufficiently to figure out what one is doing, one must destroy countless little monsters to rack up the money to upgrade both the ship and the character's equipment.

Although the game is a failure in most respects, Jacko' is sort of interesting mix of play styles, with the constant cycle between a space shooter and an adventure exploration game. The game's beginning, although poorly implemented, is also curious; the player starts by breaking out of a jail cell, and for a while has no direct means of attack or defense -- just some time delayed explosives. Eventually the player finds a ship (indeed, the ship from Nejillian Flux) and, with luck, limps to a nearby space station for help.

Designed better, that might have been a dynamic teaser to draw the player into the game's action while slowly introducing its concepts. As implemented, it just confuses the player with one irrelevant obstacle after another. Hey, live and learn.

There are some coincidental, yet weird, similarities to Xenoblaster: Attack of the Xorg.

- [Azurelore Korrigan]

Story[edit]

Space is large and confusing in Explorer Jacko.

CLANK!

You awake inside a strange cell. Everything is black. Outside, you can hear strange noises. As you stagger to your feet, you remember that your craft was rammed by a strange ship, but before and past that is a total blank.

Jacko.gif

You step on something squishy. Plastic explosives! You recognize them from history books you've read in the past.

Everything comes rushing back. Your name is Jacko Berr. You were on a mission of peace to the Naquru people on Ralnort Eight, when they mistook you for an invader and destroyed your ship.

Even though there wasn't any oxygen around for light years, you, for some odd miracle, survived long enough for them to capture you and put you in here for storage until you can be disposed of.

Looking out the window, you see an earth station. You've been out so long that the prison has returned to your solar system. The prison must have been going at extreme speeds, by the look of the thing. There are cracks everywhere, but some force is keeping the air in.

The stations in Explorer Jacko are on space wheels.

Well, no time to enjoy the scenery. You've gotta blow the bars out and make a run for it. By the looks of it, the other inmates have already escaped, and don't look all too friendly.

They must never have heard of searching, as your communicator and pocket electronics kit are still there.

You hear the beeping, finally, and realize that someone's been trying to contact you for a long time. You flick open your com. and report that you've done so. For a second, the screen is fuzzy, but when it clears, you see the commander.

"Berr! What in God's name have you been doing for the last six hours?! We just got a report that the Naquru have declared war on earth! What the hell did you say to them?"

"They mistook me for some attacker, I suppose. I never even got to land," you reply.

"WELL, YOU'D BETTER GET YOUR ASS BACK THERE AND STRAIGHTEN THIS THING OUT, OR YOU'LL NEVER SEE THe light of da..."

CLICK!

Well, now. This is a fine mess. They did have the forethought of taking all of your UC, so you can't get there very easily. You need a ship... maybe there's one around here... and enough power to get there. I guess you'll need to destroy the ships of Earth's enemies, or something. Well, first to get out.

Instructions[edit]

JackoMons.gif

Your objective is to locate a valid Naquru passport, thereby to gain safe passage to the Naquru homeworld Ralnort Eight, thereby to conduct peace negotiations and call off this accidental war that you seem to have begun. Surviving to find that passport, however, may be a task in itself.

Jacko[edit]

Up, Down, Left, Right: Walk those ways.
Y: Shoot upwards.
B: Shoot downwards.
G: Shoot left.
H: Shoot right.
<SPACE>: Drop plastic explosives.
[ENTER]: Use shield.
,: Pick up.
.: Drop.

Ship[edit]

Up, Down, Left, Right: Fly those ways.
<SPACE>: Shoot.
[ENTER]: Drop bombs.
{INS}: Use shield.
Y,B,G,H: Extra thrust in those directions.

Tips[edit]

  1. At the beginning, plant plastic explosives on top of the slimes for money.
  2. Once you leave, go straight down to the starbase.
  3. There, buy a phaser for Jacko and then leave.
  4. Go back to the jail and kill monsters for money to buy more weapons.
  5. From here on, you're on your own...

Credits[edit]

IDEA:

[Azurelore Korrigan]

GRAPHICS:

[Azurelore Korrigan]

SOUND:

[Azurelore Korrigan].

Availability[edit]

During the early 1990s this game was available for download from GameLynk's Frontline BBS.

Archive History[edit]

Explorer Jacko was retained as part of the archive from the game's inception.

Links[edit]

Interviews / Articles[edit]

Misc. Links[edit]

Downloads[edit]

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