FireAxe

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FireAxe
Fireaxe.gif

Release type: Incomplete
Release date: August 9, 1994
Levels: 13
Author: Alan Caudel
Website: DummyDuck.com
Related games: N/A


Not to be mistaken for Firefall Softwarez's Firefall.

FireAxe (aka Macaroni; there are several different versions) may need to be viewed from a different angle than many other Game-Maker games. Half of the game is of such a high standard that it raises questions about the other half -- though for other games, that second half might well be par for the course.

As with many of Alan Caudel's projects, FireAxe makes no pretense of being a complete game. This is a concept demo -- albeit a concept that Caudel bore quite far before abandoning.

Even more so than Jeremy LaMar, Caudel was inspired here by The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. As with Blinky 2, FireAxe has the multi-planed 3/4 view map; find a path up hills and slide down their sides. Here also we have the trees, and temples, and our hero's main weapon hidden in a forest clearing.

The game wears its sources well. FireAxe has some of the most gorgeous and well-considered tilework in any Game-Maker game. The backgrounds, at least in the overworld, are of a near-professional quality. Trees and fences cast appropriate shadows; the shallows in the water form a secret, yet visible, path; the grass forms organic yet well manicured geometric shapes.

The characters too (a stout Viking type and a scraggly monster) are interesting and fairly well-animated, and the levels are full of clever set-pieces. The pond shallows is the stand-out; also, the village holds a neat house with an external stairwell.

FireAxeSprite1.gif
Wading the shallows in FireAxe

For all of this invention and raw skill, the actual design can be pretty awkward. The character starts with several lives, but is graced with only few hit points and, to start, no means of self defense. Monsters are slow, but once they see you they set chase -- and one touch is death. You won't see many bonus hit points, at least until the first dungeon.

To make it more frustrating, each level is an intricate maze. Make one wrong step, and you may find yourself back at the start. Touch an enemy and die, and again you start over. If you should happen to find the axe -- your main weapon -- it's not such a chore to chop your way back to where you were, but it's still a hassle.

FireAxeSprite2.gif

Again, all of these concerns are standard fare for Game-Maker games -- but from the start FireAxe feels so close to professional that the oversights weigh heavier. The controls are snappy, even including eight-way navigation. The world is so appealing that you just want to explore forever and uncover its secrets.

Presumably if the game had moved ahead into a serious production, the design would have come under closer scrutiny and been both softened and fleshed out a bit. We've got all the materials here for something amazing, that would show a new standard for what Game-Maker was capable of; it's tantalizing to think of how else it all might have been used.

Story[edit]

Roaming the map in FireAxe

N/A

Instructions[edit]

Select Ivan or Monster with the arrow keys, then hit Enter.

Use the arrow keys or numerical keypad (including diagonals) to control your character, and avoid monsters. Press "P" to pick up special items and equipment. When you have found your weapon, press the space bar to attack. If you should collect a spell book, press "F" to fire a magical spark.

Credits[edit]

By: Alan Caudel

Special Thanks To: Adam Tyner and people who helped me, of course!

Dummy Duck and all associated characters are copyright 1992

Background[edit]

Alan Caudel:

FireAxe was my attempt at a Zelda type game. I made it soon after playing Zelda on the Super Nintendo for the first time.
The plates of food in the dungeon levels were supposed to be macaroni, so the original working title of the game was Macaroni. I like how this game turned out.

Tips[edit]

Secret hints! In the forest level, make your way to the very top left of the forest to find the FireAxe! Otherwise, you'll be unarmed for the whole game. Then make your way back down and right to the building with the lion statues in front of it. Go inside to reach the dungeon. Head up and left-ish. Go through the maze in a left-ish direction to get the key. Exit the maze then head right to the treasure chest.
Oh! Another helpful hint... to get past the first little area, go up and left until you reach the water. You can walk through shallow water (lighter blue) so, that will get you on to the next area.

Availability[edit]

Prior to this archive's online presence, this game is not known to be publicly available.

Archive History[edit]

On October 20, 2010, Caudel posted a comment to a YouTube video of Peach the Lobster, under the name dummyduckrulz; following up the conversation, on June 29, 2011 he provided a link to a collection of games recently uncovered by Adam Tyner. This initial archive included:

Links[edit]

Downloads[edit]