In the early days of the video game industry, Konami (using the name Leijac) published a Space Invaders clone called Space King. They revisited the concept several years later, this time with much more originality, with 1987’s Battlantis, a portmanteau of “battle” and “Atlantis”. Taking place in a medieval Europe-like setting in the year 777X, you control the warrior Klypeus the 3rd on top of a battlement, firing on groups of advancing enemies from below. The blocks on the edges, technically called “merlons”, act much like shields. When any enemy reaches the tower, it climbs up and kills you. The UFOs have now become little men pushing carts which yield power-ups when destroyed.
Each of the game’s sixteen stages also brings brand new enemy formations, and there are plenty of huge boss monsters too, with the last boss being an enormous alien monstrosity straight out of the Contra games. The blasting sound effect appears to have been grabbed straight from Space Invaders, and even the music sounds like an arranged version of the “alien creeping” noise. It’s an extremely tough game owing to the constant enemy attacks, your slow movement and weak gun, and underwhelming power-ups, but it’s a pretty cool re-imaging of this well worn concept.
