Feud is an adventure game designed by John Pickford[2] for Binary Design and published in 1987 as the first game under the Bulldog Software label of Mastertronic.[1] Versions were released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit family, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, and ZX Spectrum. The player takes on the role of the sorcerer Learic, and must fight his evil twin Leanoric.

Feud
Feud box cover art
Developer(s)Binary Design
Publisher(s)Bulldog Software[1]
Designer(s)John Pickford[2]
Artist(s)Ste Pickford[2]
Platform(s)Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, ZX Spectrum
Release1987
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay edit

 
Learic (in white robe) and Leanoric finally meet (Atari 8-bit screenshot)

The only real enemy is Leanoric. To achieve your objective, the player must collect many herbs scattered across the map and mix them in a cauldron to make offensive and defensive spells. The spells vary from fireballs and lightning to invisibility and even turning peaceful villagers into zombies. A compass indicates Leanoric's location. Several of the herbs are found in a garden, tended by a gardener. The gardener, though slow-moving, is also able to inflict damage on Learic.

Leanoric, as a non-player character, has to do the same thing, collecting herbs to mix in his cauldron before hunting you down in order to attack.

Development edit

After developing Zub, John Pickford went on to design a game that he wasn't going to program. This required designing the game on paper before development started and overseeing the work of a different programming team.[2]

Reception edit

Reviewer "Ben" for CRASH wrote, "What a way to kick off a new label! Feud is completely brilliant. I love original games, so it is a real pleasure to see a cheapie that’s as ‘new’ in concept as this — and as playable."[1] Robert Swan, in his favorable review for Atari User magazine, stated that the game has "fantastic graphics, great sound, addictive gameplay and plenty of action-packed screens." He also praised the game's low price.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Feud". CRASH (38).
  2. ^ a b c d Pickford, Ste; Pickford, John. "Feud". Zee-3. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  3. ^ Feud loading screen
  4. ^ Game review, C+VG magazine, issue 66, April 1987, page 15
  5. ^ "Feudin's fun". Atari User: 14. November 1987.

External links edit