V

描述

V: The Computer Game places you in control of resistance leader Mike Donovan as he infiltrates a mothership belonging to the Visitors, reptilian aliens disguised as humans. His objective is to manufacture the anti-Visitor Red Dust, plant explosives at vital points around the ship’s reactor, and escape before the resulting detonation. Donovan explores interconnected side-view corridors, travelling between decks with teleporters and entering security codes using the Visitors’ base-six numbering system. Surveillance, maintenance, and security robots patrol the ship, while Donovan can shoot them with a limited-charge laser, jump over them, or roll beneath them. Repeated damage increases his heartbeat, eventually requiring him to stop and rest. Eight laboratories contain parts of the Red Dust formula, which can be released through air-processing equipment to weaken the Visitors and slow the robots. A multifunction computer displays messages, ship information, health, laser energy, security codes, remaining time, and the accumulated formula.

The game is based on a popular TV series “V” about alien invasion, a continuation of a miniseries of the same name. This series about human resistance and alien war provides an appropriate sabotage premise, and the mixture of exploration, codes, communications, and timed objectives is more ambitious than a straightforward licensed shooter. However, the interface is cumbersome, corridors are repetitive, controls can feel stiff, and the game gives little guidance about its large collection of systems. Progress often depends on learning procedures through trial and error rather than intuitive clues. Reception was mixed, with the scope and licence attracting interest but the confusing design and demanding execution, limiting its overall appeal. Retrospectively it was an ambitious but awkward adaptation whose ideas are generally stronger than their implementation.