Freefall 3050 A.D.

Gameplay

The player controls Commander Alexander Menon, a cop in the year 3050. In this futuristic setting, humanity has been forced into extremely tall buildings which stretch into an environmentally controlled stratosphere. The increased population density also brought an increase in criminal activity, leading to the formation of the "Drop Corps", an elite group of law enforcers equipped with laser weapons and advanced skydiving technology.

The game features 15 levels, and 4 training levels. Each mission starts with the main character launching into a freefall to pursue and shoot down criminals. The player can use weaponry such as laser guns, homing missiles and grenades, as well as specialized tools such as airbrakes or anti-gravity boots to slow the character's descent. The player must also manage an oxygen supply, as well as the character's health and shield, all of which can be replenished by collecting pick-ups throughout the levels.

Development

Tony Takoushi, a veteran of the video game industry who had previously worked as a game developer for Sega, was looking for a new project when his friend Jeff Minter (who was in the process of porting Tempest 3000 to the Nuon) suggested that Takoushi pitch a game idea to VM Labs, who proceeded to approve the project that became Freefall 3050 A.D. Difficulties arose over the course of the production of the game, because VM Labs hadn't finished the software on which the game would run. Tony Takoushi founded Total ArKade Software (TAKS) to develop this game specifically. He later spent time working for Halfbrick Studios before relaunching Total ArKade Software in 2012 to produce mobile games.

Reception

In a review for Screwjumper!, while calling it the spiritual successor to Freefall 3050 A.D., the Gamesradar reviewer was very critical of Freefall 3050 A.D., mentioning it "sucked" and how "no one bothered playing for more than a few minutes". An in-depth review of the game by Nuon-Dome was critical of the unpolished graphics and high difficulty, but praised the FMV cutscenes, the techno-rave soundtrack and the very original concept. Andy Slaven, in his Video Game Bible: 1985–2002, also agrees that Freefall 3050 A.D. stood out as innovative amongst other Nuon games. Ars Technica called it "strange and disorienting" although it confirms that those who have played it praise its originality. Gaming Arcryphon reported that "the creator of the game, Tony Takoushi, liked to describe it 'Quake meets Pilotwings'" while highlighting its uniqueness. GameFan rated the game 8/10 saying the game's "originality and ideas may just set a new precedent in game design", but that the controls will take some getting used to, because the game was developed for an analog controller with numerous buttons similar to the Nintendo 64, however the Nuon console ended up launching with standard D-pads. The game has sold less than 10,000 units.