Spheres of Chaos
Encyclopedia
Spheres of Chaos is a space shooter
created by Iain McLeod with the basic gameplay being similar to the game Asteroids. The game uses very bright colours and patterns, with many enemies on screen at once. The audio is similar to that of Robotron: 2084
and Defender. The game was originally written for RISC OS
on the Acorn Archimedes
. Ports exist for Linux
, Windows
and PS2 Linux
. In October 2007, Spheres of Chaos was declared freeware
.
There are various options which can be modified to change features such as the amount of enemies and power-ups as well as in-game visuals. The game can be played in single player or in multi-player with up to 8 players.
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
created by Iain McLeod with the basic gameplay being similar to the game Asteroids. The game uses very bright colours and patterns, with many enemies on screen at once. The audio is similar to that of Robotron: 2084
Robotron: 2084
Robotron: 2084 is an arcade video game developed by Vid Kidz and released by Williams Electronics in 1982. It is a shooting game that features two-dimensional graphics. The game is set in the year 2084, in a fictional world where robots have turned against humans...
and Defender. The game was originally written for RISC OS
RISC OS
RISC OS is a computer operating system originally developed by Acorn Computers Ltd in Cambridge, England for their range of desktop computers, based on their own ARM architecture. First released in 1987, under the name Arthur, the subsequent iteration was renamed as in 1988...
on the Acorn Archimedes
Acorn Archimedes
The Acorn Archimedes was Acorn Computers Ltd's first general purpose home computer to be based on their own ARM architecture.Using a RISC design with a 32-bit CPU, at its launch in June 1987, the Archimedes was stated as running at 4 MIPS, with a claim of 18 MIPS during tests.The name is commonly...
. Ports exist for Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and PS2 Linux
PS2 Linux
Linux for PlayStation 2 is a kit released by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2002 that allows the PlayStation 2 console to be used as a personal computer. It included a Linux-based operating system, a USB keyboard and mouse, a VGA adapter, a PS2 network adaptor , and a 40 GB hard disk drive...
. In October 2007, Spheres of Chaos was declared freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
.
Gameplay
- The player controls a small grey spaceship. At the start of each level enemies, called common aliens, appear which must be eradicated to complete the level. The difficulty and quantity of enemies increase along with the level number. Enemies will typically split up into smaller versions when hit.
- Black holes also appear during gameplay and either attract or repel the spaceship. Many black holeBlack holeA black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
s at once can mean that space becomes unnavigable. - When level isn't completed quickly, enemies called bugs start to appear who try to hunt down the spaceship by shooting at it.
- Also, some occasional things can appear in later levels, ranging from spinshooters to multiplying daisies and bacteria.
- Often, when all common aliens are defeated, a boss will appear. Bosses take many hits to destroy and must be destroyed to complete the level.
- Enemies can provide power-upPower-upIn computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s when defeated. The colour of the power-up when found will affect the ability of the power-up.
There are various options which can be modified to change features such as the amount of enemies and power-ups as well as in-game visuals. The game can be played in single player or in multi-player with up to 8 players.