Dynowarz: Destruction of Spondylus
System: NES
Release Date: April 1990
Developer: Advance Communication Company
Publisher: Bandai
Genre: Action
If you think the combination of dinosaurs and robots would be totally awesome, Dynowarz: Destruction of Spondylus is still probably not the game for you. We’re in a man-made solar system and each planet has a life support system that has been infected by a virus… seemingly physical and not computer… Giant robosaurs are on the attack and it’s up to the creator of the Spondylus Solar System, Professor Proteus to set things right. He hops into his perfect creation, the Cyborasaurus and travels the planets to rid his solar system of this scourge! So begins the Dynowarz.
There are two sections of gameplay: Man Mode and Dinosaur Mode. After the opening sequence, in Man Mode you must jump through some screens, destroying obstacles and trying not to fall to your doom until you reach the life support computer and shut it down. Movement and jumping are floaty. Projectiles from enemies will seek your position out to change angles. Your gun shoots three shots straight and 45 degrees up and down. Your energy meter is filled to a generous amount, leaving pitfalls as your main peril. You have to be careful as stepping on mines and getting hit by wall shooters push you backward. After blowing up the computer, you have to platform your way back to your dinosaur and head to the next planet.
This puts you in Dinosaur Mode. Here you move right and destroy enemies in your way. Your default attack is a standing punch, but can pick up one of four other weapons when they drop. The Launch Fist is a boomerang punch that upgrades speed as you gather more powerups. Fire Balls begin shooting straight ahead, but add spread projectiles as you gain more. The Lazer Beam shoots straight ahead and then adds fireballs with more upgrades. The Bomb lobs a projectile in an arc at about a 45 degree angle and adds more power with more pickups. All of the weapons are weak, but the Lazer Beam is the least weak and I stuck with that. You have to actively avoid the other weapon pickups or it’s back to the weakest attack. You can press the Select Button once per level to activate the Satellite Defense system to clear the screen, but it’s completely unnecessary.
Some Robosaurs are tiny and taken out in one hit. Others are bigger and take more attacks. A boss Robosaur sits at the entrance to the planet’s Artificial Intelligence Compound. These become regular enemies in later stages. They are easy to beat, especially when you have a barrier active on top of your energy meter. Items to fill these seem to show up when you need them and I believe are hard coded to drop from certain enemies, as are the weapons. There is no final boss and after Stage 7, you’re taken to the ending which congratulates you for finishing another great game from Bandai. They thought pretty highly of themselves, eh?
Graphics: 1.5
The cut scene between levels gets a small bonus. Graphics are lame and colors aren’t used well.
Sound: 1.0
The music is pretty bad and the walking sound effect is super annoying.
Gameplay: 1.0
The gameplay is barren. Jumping is floaty and will send you down the occasional pit. Having to jump over weapon powerups is stupid.
Difficulty: 1.0
It’s incredibly easy in a way that takes away any reason to play.
Fun Factor: 1.0
It was boring and unchallenging, which made it not a lot of fun.
Overall Grade: 1.1
Dynowarz: Destruction of Spondylus earns a D. It’s playable, but terrible. Maybe the next time dinosaurs and robots mix it will be entertaining.