566th played so far
Genre: Strategy
Platform: Arcade
Year of Release: 1990
Developer: Atari Games
Publisher: Atari Games
After a break, back to the Midway collection. Only one left after this, I promise.
But no, we need a new strategy game anyway, based on our numbers, and it’s always good to see a different one, predating the likes of Dune 2 and Advance Wars. It’s simpler and will have a potentially different focus. Fun and time to try!
Our Thoughts
Rampart is made more interesting by the double gameplay mechanic, even if I’m not sure it’s always to the game’s benefit. Half of the game gives you limited time to set up defenses, placing cannons inside your fortifications where available – fortifications that need to surround your castle to count as well. You then fire these cannons to ward off invaders, who try to destroy your fortifications and conquer your castles.
It’s the building that’s an interesting idea, adding its own strategy element. However, unfortunately it also feels a bit too time restricted, and getting the wrong pieces means you might not even be able to repair a single castle, let alone grow your network. It unfortunately felt a bit unbalanced, at least with the PSP controls I had to use.
The shooting portion is fine, but feeling a bit clumsy as well. It’s not the controls, necessarily, but your firing rate is a bit inconsistent and with enemies all over the map, doesn’t always feel the best.
Final Thoughts
The concept of the game is strong, the execution (possibly due to its arcade roots) sometimes less so. Still, the gameplay is enjoyable enough to make up for it, though maybe not for sessions that are too long.