Communist Mutants From Space

Arcadia Corp.
for Atari VCS (with Arcadia Supercharger)
$14.95/NA
1 to 4 players
Rating: R
Graphics: 9
Game Play: 9
Longevity: 8

That’s right—not just any old Mutants from space, but actual, card-carrying COMMUNIST MUTANTS attack in this spectacular variation on the Space Invaders/Galaxian video-game theme.

OBJECTIVES

Move away from the Mutants in the direction they are headed to best dodge their fire.

In Communist Mutants, you must defend Earth against a swarm of deadly Marxists from outer space. The evil ruler of the planet Rooskee (get it?) has sent the diabolical Mother Creature, filled with “irradated vodka,” to attack your planet and enslave its inhabitants. The Mother Creature does this by laying Eggs that hatch into these bloodthirsty Communist Mutants. Your only line of defense is an Anti-Mutant Cannon with an unlimited supply of ammunition. The Commies swoop down and fire at you until … well, it’s no better being Red than dead! Eliminate one wave of mutant attackers and another wave appears on the screen faster than you can say “Joe Stalin!”

STRATEGIES

The single-most important maneuver to learn in Commie Mutants is how to destroy the Mother Creature. Eliminating her is the only way you’ll ever be able to clear a screen.

The easiest way to do this is by using the game’s Penetrating Fire option. Since Penetrating Bombs will stop at nothing on their way to the top of the screen, a few well-placed hits will usually do the job. If, on the other hand, you want a bit more challenge, use the Time Warp game option. At the beginning of a wave, immediately push the joystick forward to initiate the Time Warp. This will give you a few seconds to clear a path—in the center of the attack wave—so you can get a clear shot at the Mother Creature.

Try to shoot away at the center of the Mutant formation so you can eliminate the Mother Creature.

Without either of the above game options, it becomes more difficult to rid yourself of the Mother Creature, but it’s still not impossible. The key, again, is to clear a path through the center of the Mutant Eggs by concentrating your fire on this area of the attack wave.

What about the Mutant Attackers diving and firing at you while all this is taking place? All you need do When defending yourself against Mutant Attackers, remember to pass under them in the direction they are traveling. In other words, if a Mutant is descending upon you right to left, you should also move right to left and fire when you are in a direct line with the Mutant. Be sure not to stop under the creature or it might shoot you first. Should you move “against the grain,” you run the risk of accidentally running into a Mutant’s fire. Try not to get backed into a corner.

Also, let the attackers run off of the bottom of the screen once in a while. You won’t gain any points for this, but you won’t lose anything either. Beware: Some Mutants will appear to head for the bottom of the screen, but will pull up at the last minute and zero in on you.

Avoid using the Guided Fire option—more often than not you will crash into a Mutant or its fire while you are trying to guide your missiles with the joystick.