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I-War

Player Guide

The game is very challenging: start with easy difficulty and the heavy armor tank until you get better.

Power-Ups: These really help. The auto-targeting and the energy batteries are the best.

Datapods: You must find them all before you get to the next level.  Search behind node entrances and in every corner. Use the level map to see where you haven’t been.


The datapod

Bonus Levels: In between levels,  the bonus levels allow you to get an additional life if you collect 75% of the pods. Concentrate on the pods and do not worry if you hit some obstructions.

Switches: shoot the switches and they turn on, unlocking doors. When it is small/red then the door is unlocked.

Teleporters: They transport you to another section of the current level.  Use the level map to get an idea where the teleporter will take you. The map will show you flashing squares in two sections which represent your current position and the other end of the transporter.


The teleporter is blue and yellow.

Force Field: Do not cross into the force field or your tank will take heavy damage.  However, do not confuse with similar looking energy wave which can change the end location of the teleporter when you pass through it. Your best bet is to memorize the force field and avoid it at all costs.  It has brownish/orange ends.

 

Background: The Earth is totally dependent on the I-Way, the world’s mainframe supercomputer. Alas, viruses are causing complete information blockage.  You must command an anti-virus tank and travel through the I-Way to destroy mutant databases while defending yourself against mainframe system defenses.

The I-Way is comprised of 20 levels (nodes) which are broken into smaller sections connected by teleporter pads. You can only proceed to the next level by collecting all the datapods and destroying the mutant databases. In order to get to the next node, you must travel through a bonus level where you can get additional lives.   

At the start, choose one of three tanks, with light, medium, or heavy armor, and along the way pick up such power-ups as lasers, shields, missiles, plasma cannon, auto targeting, radar, and an A.I. Drone.

Game Play: Although challenging, and at times very frustrating, this game is quite fun.  It has many similarities to Cybemorph, with 3D worlds and the collection of pods, but looks better. Unlike Cybermorph, and in part due to the smaller levels, the walls and enemies can be seen in the distance and don’t just pop up out of nowhere. 

The tank control if very precise, and the music is average.  The “damage critical” voice effect is particularly annoying as it continually repeats until you die or get more energy.  The radar is somewhat useless because you don’t know what each dot represents and the level map is also hard to read.

The action can be fast and furious and the wide array of enemies, weapons, and settings keep the game interesting. In addition, the bonus levels between each node add to the game play and variety.

Due to the intense action and great variety this game deserves a “high playability” rating. The flaws in the radar and map do not diminish game play significantly or affect the quality of this game. 

Pros: graphics, control, variety of weapons, great action
Cons: difficulty, “damage critical” voice effect, hard to read radar and level map


Switch on the left, transporter up ahead

Enemy destroyed – nice destruction

Your ship explodes in the force field

Enemy dead ahead