Eskimo Games

Eskimo Games

Game No.	468
Voting	6.12 points, 17 votes
Developer	Stefan Harms, Ivo Herzeg Graphics: Thomas Heinrich, Stefan Harms
Company	Maitai Entertainment
Publisher	CP Verlag (Golden Disk 64), Magic Bytes
Musician	Thomas Detert
HVSC-File	/MUSICIANS/D/Detert_Thomas/Eskimo_Games.sid
Release	1991
Platform	C64, Amiga, Atari ST
Genre	Sports, Multi-Event
Gamemode	1-4 Multiplayer
Operation
Media
Language
Information	Golden Disk 64 - Issue 04/1991 + Gold Edition

Description[edit | edit source]

From Eskimos you rather expect that they out-freeze each other and maybe take off the hide of the one and other seal as fast as possible. But far wrong: Training for the annual Polar Olympics is up!

Four slightly obscure disciplines must be absolved successfully by a maximum of four participants: "Operation Snowball“ makes one already think about an "Operation Wolf" wannabe just by the name of it. And behold, you are not far off with that. But instead of lead only harmless snowballs fly over the screen. Friends of birds, on the other hand, will break out in a sweat in the "Eggsterminator“ level. With the help of a wire rope you need to plunder the nests of sea gulls! (However, we are assured that the eggs are brought back to their place at the end of the game). Then it continues with „Ice and Igloos“, a horizontally scrolling discipline in which the player needs to build an igloo equipped with a pickaxe. This would probably be not a problem if it weren't for the animals that are lying in the way every now and then. The concluding "Miami Ice" is a reference to the arcade machine "Tapper“. In an ice parlor you need to try as a waiter, who is pushing the full sundae towards the customers and catching the empty glasses.

Design[edit | edit source]

... Intro

... Title screen

Funny, gaudy graphics, cute animations and fast, smooth scrolling let the player's heart beat faster and the highscore list is saved on disk.

The lack of simultanous events has a negative influence on the atmosphere. Having to compete, one after the other, against a computer opponent, does of course not fascinate one as long as when competing against a human opponent.

Hints[edit | edit source]

The options menu[edit | edit source]

In the menu move the marking bar forwards/backwards with the joystick and confirm by pressing the fire button. You have the following options:

Presentation: names of the programmers
Hall of Fame
Practice a Level: practice only one discipline
Start Eskimo Games
No. of Players: set the number of players (with joystick right/left)

Hall of Fame[edit | edit source]

Choose the "Hall of Fame" and the best Eskimos with the reached points are shown. This list is saved on diskette. If you reach the 1st place in the list, there will be an award!

The disciplines[edit | edit source]

... Operation Snowball

... Eggsterminator

... Ice 'n Igloos

... Miami Ice

... 1st place in the high score list

To prematurely abort a discipline, press the key RUN/STOP .

Operation Snowball:

Your friends are in the middle of building a huge catapult with which they want to bury you unter a mass of snow. Some of them dash over the screen carrying building material. Your task is to prevent your friends from finishing this by throwing snowballs at them. If you make it to get 99 hits before the catapults at the left and right are finished, you will get 5000 bonus points. Other points are awarded according to the hit targets:

Smash window = 100 points
Big beer can = 100 points
Balloon (needs 3 hits) = 200 points
Eskimo on sledge = 200 points
Bear's hat = 300 points
Eskimo behind the ice walls = 300 points
Small can = 200 points
Box on sledge = 200 points

With the crossline that can be moved into all directions, you can aim for your friends. A press on the fire button is enough and you fire a load of snow onto one of your friends. From time to time you should move in order to avoid being an ideal target for your friends who throw snowballs at you as well.

The balloon does only start when your friends behind the ice walls throw snowballs at you and hit you. You are always hit if you do not move just before or during the throw (roll to the side).

Eggsterminator:

In this discipline the task is to collect 14 eggs within 99 time units. You get 500 points per egg. Only freshly hatched fledglings must be touched, or otherwise they will fall into the water.

If you make it to collect 14 eggs, you will receive 5000 bonus points. For each time unit in which you finish earlier, there are another 10 points.

The Eskimo moves correspondingly to the movements of the joystick. To push the rack to and fro shortly stand on the rack, press the fire button and push the joystick into the direction into which you want to move the rack. You abseil, by placing the Eskimo above the rope and pushing the joystick downwards.

Ice'n Igloos:

In this part of the game you are supposed to finish building the already started igloo at the right border of the screen within 99 time units. If you complete the task you get 5000 bonus points. For each time unit that you finish earlier, you get 10 points. For each 5-Inch block you get 500 points, for each 10-Inch block 1000 points and for each 20-Inch block 2000 points.

For building an igloo, you require ice blocks that you need to create first. For this you stand at the ice wall at the left side of the screen. The Eskimo will not start to rub his hands - a sure indication that he is freezing!

By up and down movements of the joystick (not too extreme - better regularly and fast) he starts to create an ice cube. In the cube scale you can see how big your ice block is at the moment (5, 10 or 20 inch). You get the corresponding size, when the cube scale shows enough and you press the fire button. You get the 20 inch block automatically.

With the ice block in your arms you walk to the right to the igloo where it is put in. On the igloo scale you see how many blocks are still missing until it is finished. Watch out not to touch the animals or otherwise you will drop the ice block.

Miami Ice:

Within 999 time units 20 Eskimo children must be supplied with ice cream. For this you only need to push the full sundea towards the customer and catch the empty glasses. For each caught ice bowl there are 100 points, for 20 served customers there are 5000 bonus points. Otherwise the points are given depending on the guests:

Yellow kid = 300 points / 1 ice cream
White kid = 300 points / 1 ice cream
Green kid = 500 points / 2 ice creams
Grey kid = 500 points / 2 ice creams
Brown kid = 700 points / 3 ice creams
Blue kid = 700 points / 3 ice creams

You lose your job as an iceman when a kid has reached the end of the counter.

To produce a sundae move the iceman to the height of the counter where a child is standing and move the joystick to the right and then again to the left. To catch an empty bowl move the iceman to the height of the counter where the glass arrives and move the joystick to the left.

Solution[edit | edit source]

Hints for the single disciplines are (if necessary) contained in the corresponding description and can therefore be read there.

Cheats[edit | edit source]

Cheats do not really make sense in this game.

Voting[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
6.12 points at 17 votes (rank 780). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	8	19th October 2008 - "super" - 4785 downs
Lemon64	6	19th October 2008 - 6 votes
Kultboy.com	5	26th June 2011 - 3 votes

Reviews[edit | edit source]

H.T.W: "A graphically good representative of the "Games" genre. Unfortunately, it has partially slightly jittery controls and no discipline in which you can compete against each other. Cannot fit to hold a candle to the "real" Games. Nevertheless, better mediocrity."

mombasajoe: "The "disciplines" somehow seem to me free of fun, unoriginal and with this boring. But the topic would have offered so much: picking ice holes (to fish), fish throwing, seal riding, sledge race...what a pity. The one and only fun is the building of the igloo. 4/10".