If you had plans this weekend, cancel them. Ambrosia Software, Inc. has announced the release of Deimos Rising, the long-awaited sequel to Mars Rising. It’s a 2D scrolling arcade-style action game developed by David Wareing.
If you’re an old school gamer or someone who can appreciate the classics, Deimos Rising is worth a download. Be warned, though, this is no rehash of some 1980’s-era arcade game. Deimos Rising features 16 bit graphics with advanced features like transparency, alpha masking and motion blur. Mac OS X compatibility is in there, too.
In Mars Rising, you were a pilot sent to quell a rebellion on the colonized planet Mars. If you’re familiar with that game, you’ll find Deimos Rising similar — many elements of the original have stayed intact with this sequel. You navigate your ship over a scrolling terrain, and enemies attack you from the sky and the ground. It’s up to you to keep them in line. As you speed along through each of the 12 levels, you’ll have to keep your foes at bay as you collect power-ups and special bonuses. You can even play with a friend on the same Mac, in a two-player cooperative mode.
The previous installment of the game was last updated in 1998, and Ambrosia president Andrew Welch joked about the time it took the get Deimos Rising ready for release.
“We decided to wait a few years before releasing Deimos Rising so that Mac gamers would have plenty of time to purchase new keyboards and allow their old Mars Rising injuries time to heal,” said Welch.
Deimos Rising runs on Mac OS 8.6 or later, including Mac OS X. The 34 MB download is available from Ambrosia Software’s FTP servers now; the game costs US$20 to register. Ambrosia said the system requirements include a PowerPC G3-based system or better.