Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold

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Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold
Developer(s)	JAM Productions
Publisher(s)	Apogee Software
Engine	Wolfenstein 3D engine
Platform(s)	PC (DOS)
Release date	December 3, 1993
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: M OFLC: M Self-applied: PC-13
Media	Floppy disks
Input methods	Keyboard, Mouse, Joystick

Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold is a first-person shooter computer game created by JAM Productions and published by Apogee Software. It is based on the Wolfenstein 3D game engine. While it uses the game engine to render graphics from the viewpoint of the player, it adds many features.

The shareware version of the game was released December 3, 1993. The registered version of Blake Stone shipped with a comic book, called a "Blake Stone Adventure". To date it is the only title in the company's product line to do so.

In 1994, a sequel called Blake Stone: Planet Strike was released. It followed up where Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold left off.

1 Story
2 Gameplay
- 2.1 Level structure
3 Credits
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Story

The story is set in the year 2140. Robert Wills Stone III — a.k.a. Blake Stone — is an agent of the British Intelligence, recruited after a highly successful career in the British Royal Navy.

His first major case is to investigate and eliminate the threat of Dr. Pyrus Goldfire, a brilliant scientist in the field of genetics and biology, known for his outright disrespect of professional ethics. Dr. Goldfire, backed by his own organization, STAR, plans to conquer Earth and enslave humanity, using an army of specially trained human conscripts, a host of genetically-engineered mutants, and modified alien species.

Agent Stone is sent on a mission to knock out six crucial STAR installations and destroy Goldfire's army before it can assault the Earth.

[edit] Gameplay

The gameplay of Aliens of Gold is very similar to Wolfenstein 3D. Playable areas are single-leveled, with orthogonal walls and textured floors and ceilings. Special level features include: locked doors which can be opened by four types of colored keys (gold, green, yellow, blue), one-way doors, secret rooms accessible through pushable wall blocks, and teleports that instantly take the player into another location within the level.

Another unique feature of the game is the fact that Dr. Goldfire appears periodically in certain sections on different levels and will actually attack Stone. After being hit a few times, he activates a teleporter on his watch and escapes.

There are several weapons available, more than in Wolfenstein 3D. It also has more features such as clipping, invisibility, and auto-mapping. The game also includes non-hostile 'informant' scientists who can provide information, ammunition, and tokens when spoken to.

[edit] Level structure

The game consists of six episodes, each of which features 11 levels (nine regular + two secret). A main elevator goes through levels 1 through 10 and is the only means of moving between the levels.

The goal of each level from 1 through 8 is to secure a red keycard and use it to unlock the next floor. The elimination of all enemies on the current floor, as well as the collection of all treasure items, are optional objectives which provide bonuses for their completion.

Level 9 of each episode contains a one-on-one battle with Dr. Goldfire himself. His defeat forces him to teleport away, leaving behind a gold keycard. The key is then used to unlock the way to the boss, which holds the gold keycard for the level's exit - the episode's end.

Each episode features two secret levels. One of them, indicated as floor 0 in-game, can be accessed through a teleport hidden somewhere within the same episode. The other secret level is floor 10, directly accessible through the main elevator. A red keycard is required to enter it, and it is usually hidden very well on floor 9. Secret levels do not have special objectives; their only purpose is to boost the player's score.