Atari 800 - Necromancer gameplay Bill Williams 8-bit games

[@Scoth42]

I'm honored someone so close to him commented on my video! For me, Bill Williams is right up there with Shigeru Miyamoto and Richard Garriott in game designers who influenced my life. I've always considered it a great shame that he had bad experiences in the game design world that drove him away and then lost his battle with Cystic Fibrosis so young. I have no idea if you are/were a gamer yourself, but know that he was a great influence to many people of a certain age :)

[@THOMASSU63]

Bill Williams RIP. I Have another of his games on the Amiga, Knights of the Crystallion. It's as weird as this one. I do love Alley Cat though.

[@nyyterp]

This was one of Synapse's classics. The dreamy quality of the game, along with terrific graphics and sound, was top notch. They were one of the few companies that really knew how to utilize the Atari 8-bit during this time period, partly because they put out original material. Others, like Activision's earliest efforts, were largely flat conversions of their 2600 games (with little improvement). Some of Electronic Arts' games also suffered from flat conversions/porting from other systems.

[@simonhewins8096]

Confirmed! You can find the answer to absolutely anything on the internet. As a kid about 35 years ago I played this game and never got past level 2 despite trying really hard. Its been bugging me ever since. At last I now know. Thank you Scoth3. Thank you Bill.

[@CP200S]

I still can't find how to hold the goddamn rope in MSX's "Hunchback"...

[@davidschneider5025]

Bill was my brother in-law. He taught himself computer langauge. He died of Systic Fibrosis, in 1997.

[@MrSEA-ok2ll]

Sorry to hear this...this was one of the most impressive 8 bit Atari games ever created...very original and artistically beautiful. I used to leave the title screen running just for the music...it's also one of the few Atari games that really used the sound chip to its true capabilities.

[@socrates0603]

Oh man, sorry to hear of this. I met David Crane and Garry Kitchen last year at a gaming convention. Reconnecting from people who enriched my youth was a treat.

[@StevieD1x]

Very sorry. Are there any interviews out there on the internet with Bill?

[@mirrorsignalcrash]

This was one of the most impressive Atari 8-bit games ever made, and also one of the most difficult to complete which I managed to do only once. I can remember the 3rd level was absolutely manic and you needed a decent joystick to help you get through it. I forget the exact "reward" you got for completing the game but it was a graphical feast for your eyes which was pretty impressive (for its time).

[@MrSEA-ok2ll]

The intro music of this game is truly beautiful...

[@axecalibore]

It is. Too bad the pretty game is annoying and frustrating. More so than challenging.

[@CthulhuMessiah]

Useful strategy: Stick the first four trees in each corner first and let them grow fully while you are on level 1 - 2. If I recall right, the level is based upon the number of fully grown trees, and so you can lag on planting more until you get a lot of seeds. Then you can unload on the top and bottom row. I loved this game. I could beat it more times than not.

[@CaptainScarlet67]

Don't forget Rainbow Walker too, probably his most advanced I'd say. I still have my old 800 and a 130XE with a tonne of games up in the loft. Can't bare to sell it all though :)

[@Ombar]

At first, I had no clue what was going on. Then, I understood this game was brilliant.

[@naysmith5272]

I am still at the first stage of no clue - but feel compelled to figure it out.

[@thejackal007]

I'm very glad you posted this video. I had this for the 800 as well and started missing it as I'm not sure how to hook it up to newer TV's anymore. Thanks for putting this up!

[@Jayfive276]

Some of the best sound in any atari game :)

[@Miesiu]

Music and sound effect like in Alley Cat.

[@jizzbot2000]

I remember joining synapse software club lol.. Remember apocalypse now? Shamus

[@gaydanzig]

i never understood this game, even though i played it pretty well. the graphics were good for that time, and it was very imaginative. the trees were cute, and it was sad to hear them crying.

[@retroarcadefan]

I owned and played the heck out of this game.. Such fun.

[@Scoth42]

I think they tend to grow faster closer to the druid, but once you get the corner ones grown you can pretty much fire and forget the rest. Sometimes they take so incredibly long to grow that you don't get them though. I haven't actually made it to the third stage all that often, especially back in the day, so I probably haven't used a good strategy there :)

[@steveasat2]

It makes as much sense to me as it did back in the day. Man, I can feel the cramp in my hand just watching this. Funny, back then it never dawned on me that it was the same creator as Alley Cat, but the moment I heard the sound effects it was obvious.

[@thejackal007]

Love this game. Thanks for the upload.

[@shuichiboy]

I tell ya... I played this game a lot when I was a kid and I never understood what the hell was going on until I read your description.

[@DavidPughTheExperimentalist]

Loved this video game growing up. My father got it when I was 4, and have been playing it since. Love the ending. Curse the necromancer!

[@seymourshabow]

AWESOME game! I never knew you could get your trees back in the 2nd stages! The only way I ever saw the ending on this was to hack it so the energy never went down. Super tough game, great memories.

[@mirrorsignalcrash]

Giradius: That's wierd cos i've never heard of Atarimax, I was just recalling (with a little difficulty) from memory my experience of this game from last playing it around 26 years ago! Remember, I said the end was impressive for its time, and it was to be honest. I've played a lot of Atari 8-bit games - some of the best in fact - and this was one of them. Wished I never got rid of my old Atari 400 and 800XL :-(

[@chrishelbling3879]

Thank you, I loved playing this game, and never beat it. Big life lesson, there.

[@jh5124]

Had bootleg copy as a kid. Had no idea what I was doing. Going to try again after I find the instructions.

[@VictorCambaMusicianComposer]

Necromancer was definitely one of my favourite Atari games. Check out my epic orchestral fan music creation of Necromancer! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gH2pmYOwmLGqpJY Hope you enjoy it!

[@Scoth42]

The description pretty much tells the phases. It's not a terribly deep or hidden-meaning game, though it is a very unusual game.

[@UnnoneWandering]

The necromancer must have used RoundUp on his vaults in that playthrough.

[@OneTrueBelmont]

YES! I remember this game and I played it for the Atari 800. The furthest I got was the third stage of Phase three

[@TimGearin]

the last part where you're collecting tombstones is a trip. I beat this game but its hard.

[@Scoth42]

Yep, another Bill Williams game. Although it's better known than some of his other ones.

[@Scoth42]

@CthulhuMessiah Sorry for the delay, I've upgraded my computer a couple times since I made this and had lots of trouble capturing video. Done now!

[@carolinebeale8518]

I use to love playing thid on a sunday before terrahawks came on while having sunday dinner :)

[@enantiomer2000]

i loved this game as a kid. very fun to play, though I only beat it once.

[@zaphod77]

on the version i tried for atari, you gained energy by crushing larvae, and NOT by killing the spider in phase 2.

[@MasterZebulin]

zaphod77 Why does a spider even lay larvae in the first place?

[@oskar9arm]

un exelente juego me trae muy buenos recuerdos !a que tiempos aquellos que tiempos¡

[@pilat1977]

DZWIĘKI PODOBNE JAK NA ALLEY CAT:)

[@CthulhuMessiah]

Hey, man, can you post the opening theme song in its entirety? I would appreciate it a lot.

[@InfiniteUniverse88]

Is the force field surrounding the main character a star of David?

[@jeffreynaiman3300]

I *loved* this game as a kid. Thanks for uploading it! Is there any way to emulate this on current hardware, preferably Mac or iOS? I would be happy to share a bunch of tips with you. I could beat the game on most attempts using a standard Atari 1 button joystick. There are a bunch of simple tricks.

[@Scoth42]

+Jeffrey Naiman Emulation of Atari (and pretty much all 8-bit systems) isn't a problem at all. You'll want to look for something like Atari800MacX or just the old atari800. I actually played this on an emulator myself as the ancient capture thingy I used had issues with 64-bit. iOS is more problematic since Apple has always had issues with emulators. I'm not really an iOS guy; you can always search the play store. Always happy to hear gameplay tips!

[@jeffreynaiman3300]

+Scoth3 Thanks for the hint on the emulator. I found an Atari 800 emulator and it works fine. Now I just need some hints on finding ROM images. I own the original software, but of course that can't be accessed by modern computers. As for Necromacer, let me start you off with some tips on what I saw so far. In phase 1, you want to store up some seeds while planting and protecting a tree in each corner and a tree on the screen edge directly to the left and right of your player. Once all 6 of those trees are full grown, then rapidly plant the entire lower row and the entire upper row making sure you keep the spider dead and continue to grab seeds. If you can manage it, also plant trees directly to your left and right to fill those spaces. When you hit level 5, the trees when poisoned will die fast, so be careful. You should be able to exit phase 1 with almost the entire upper and lower rows filled and if you are lucky some on your sides. The trees at the upper and lower edges are easily

[@jeffreynaiman3300]

+Scoth3 edge. The trees to your left and right can be cured by letting the wisp float back to you the just go straight left or right. In phase 2, the first thing you should do is move your wizard next to the trees. On the first 2 or 3 levels you can try to catch the newly hatching eggs as they start flashing. After that don't bother and instead just stand on the egg yourself. When the spider comes out, you will fall on it and kill it, losing some strength.

[@jeffreynaiman3300]

+Scoth3 In phase 3, smack the necromancer with your wisp as soon as he spawns. Try to keep the screen clear of spiders, but you may not be able to depending on how many spiders you allowed to live in phase 2. If the necromancer spawns right when you are about to step on a gravestone, just release the button for a second, and your wisp will kill him immediately. The danger in phase 3 is not really the baby spiders - the danger is the mother spider who makes any baby she touches immune to your wisp.

[@jeffreynaiman3300]

+Scoth3 never mind, I found the system ROM and and a site with some images. Going to have a go at Necromancer now!

[@napmaster9135]

I always thought this was a Crystalware game.

[@AvidAngels]

I know its hard to comprehend because you probably at least need a master degree in physic to play this kind of game

[@Kand1nSky]

when i saw this game and listen to the sounds i knew it reminds me of something... i've heard and seen this somehow before.... check out Alley Cat. ;-)

[@Babania1]

wow I used to love this game on my 800, very starnge came for its time but greay nevertheless.....

[@ewrewrawdas6305]

shit, even with the emulator I cannot finish the damm game, It's legendary hard thanks to fukin spiders in third level...

[@enantiomer2000]

amateur...

[@Scoth42]

Feel free to post your playthrough ;)

[@seymourshabow]

AWESOME game! I never knew you could get your trees back in the 2nd stages! The only way I ever saw the ending on this was to hack it so the energy never went down. Super tough game, great memories.