Vortex (video game)

Vortex is a 3D shooter game developed by Argonaut Software and released by Electro Brain for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in September 1994.[1] Titled Citadel during development, it is one of a few titles designed to use the enhanced graphics of the Super FX powered GSU-1.

Vortex
North American cover art
Developer(s)Argonaut Software
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Neil Jackson
Designer(s)Nic Cusworth
Michael Powell
Programmer(s)Michael Powell
Artist(s)Alistair McNally
Composer(s)Justin Scharvona
Platform(s)Super NES
Release
  • NA: 1994-09
Genre(s)3D shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

The player pilots an experimental mech called the Morphing Battle System against the five worlds of the Aki-Do Forces.[2] You head into the Vortex, to save the Deoberon system, retrieving the core from the fierce forces, the Aki-Do. The MBS can transform between four different modes, The Walker, Sonic Jet, Land Burner, and Hard Shell. This fueled unconfirmed speculation that the concept may have been derived from an unreleased game based on Transformers: Generation 2.[3] However, in a 2015 interview with Retro Gamer, programmer Michael Wong-Powell confirmed that Vortex and Transformers were entirely separate projects, with the latter being cancelled during development.[4]

Release

In March 1994, Argonaut Software was signed as a third-party developer by Atari Corporation to develop games for the Atari Jaguar platform.[5] A port of Vortex for the Jaguar was announced at Spring ECTS '94, but it ultimately never released.[6][7][8]

Reception

Electronic Gaming Monthly scored the game at 6 out of 10. They remarked that the pace is slow, but complimented the unique concept and high challenge.[9] GameFan's three reviewers scored it 79%, 72%, and 70%.[10] The game was criticized for its difficulty and its lag, which was common for Super FX games of its type.

gollark: Backblaze has actual HDD failure rate data instead of just anecdotes about past hard disks: https://www.backblaze.com/blog/backblaze-hard-drive-stats-q1-2021/
gollark: This is boring, I'll try more tomorrow.
gollark: No idea and it would probably just copy some existing one.
gollark: So it generated arbitrary boilerplate.
gollark: I mean, you did ask it for the main module, not the actual architecture.

References
  1. "Super NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2004-06-19. Retrieved 2004-06-19.
  2. "Vortex". SNES Central. Archived from the original on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  3. Oxford, Nadia (July 3, 2007). "Transformers: Robots in Disgust". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  4. "The Making of: Vortex". Retro Gamer (147): 38–41. October 2015.
  5. "ATARI ANNOUNCES TOTAL OF 86 DEVELOPERS, PUBLISHERS AND LICENSEES FOR JAGUAR". Nine Lives. March 7, 1994. Archived from the original on 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  6. "ProNews: Jaguar Licensee Count Grows". GamePro. No. 59. IDG. June 1994. p. 184. Archived from the original on 2018-07-31. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  7. "Special - Release Schedule ECTS-Messe". Mega Fun (in German). No. 21. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. June 1994. p. 18. Archived from the original on 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  8. "Scene - Erste CD-ROM-Titel für Jaguar". Mega Fun (in German). No. 21. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. June 1994. p. 24. Archived from the original on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  9. "Review Crew: Vortex". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis (63): 32. October 1994.
  10. GameFan, volume 2, issue 11, page 31
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