1. Gameplay

2. Development and release

3. Reception and legacy

4. References

5. External links

Llamatron (stylized Llamatron: 2112 on the title screen) is a computer game programmed by Jeff Minter of Llamasoft and released as shareware in 1991 for the Atari ST and Amiga computers and in 1992 for MS-DOS. Based on 2084, players of Llamatron control the eponymous creature in an attempt to stop an alien invasion of Earth and rescue animals—referred to as "Beasties"—for points. Players advance by destroying all of the enemies on each level using a laser that fires automatically in the direction that the Llamatron is moving. Various power-ups exist to aid the player in defeating the wide variety of enemies and obstacles they face along the way.

Llamatron was distributed as shareware, containing the full game and a request to register the program for £5 if the user enjoyed the game. As of March 1992, at least 800 people had registered the game, making it unusually successful for its time and software model. Reviews of both the Atari ST and Amiga versions of the game were largely positive, with reviewers praising its addictive gameplay, sound effects, and value for the registration price. Minter produced a remake of the game for iOS, entitled 2112 in 2011.

Gameplay

The player gains points by destroying enemies and collecting llamas, sheep, goats, and camels—known collectively as "Beasties"—that are placed on the screen at the start of the level. Upon destroying all of the enemies on a screen, the player advances to the next level.^[2] Some levels, known as "Herd Waves", also require the player to collect all of the "Beasties". "Grunts" take a variety of forms, including Coca-Cola cans, kitchen utensils, cherries, Space Invaders, Eyes of Providence, televisions, fire hydrants, Zippy the Pinhead, marijuana plants, and Rizla rolling papers. Blue brains chase after the "Beasties" and transform them into "Zombeasts", who then attempt to rush and kill the player.^[2][4][5][6] Other enemies include indestructible devices that shoot screen-wide lasers, 16-ton weights that attempt to crush the player, hedgehogs that explode into spikes when destroyed, Mandelbrot sets that shoot projectiles and scream when hit, and a large toilet that throws rolls of toilet paper at the player.^[1][5][6] The game contains 100 levels,^[1] in addition to a tutorial and a high-score table.^[6]

The player can collect power-ups to assist them in their task, such as smart bombs that damage all of the enemies, extra lives, invincibility, and hearts that attract the "Beasties" to the player. There are also items that allow shots to bounce off of walls, split into three, and become "hot bullets", which deal extra damage. "Warps" add 50,000 points and immediately move the player ahead five levels. The "Floyd bonus" grants extra points and is shaped like the artwork from Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon album.^[1] In two-player mode, each player shares the score and the power-ups, but both players lose a life if one player dies.^[2]

Development and release

Reception and legacy

Llamatron also received positive reviews for the Atari ST version. Writing for ST News, Richard Karsmakers called the game "brilliant" for its "sheer playability, playing fun and other things that

really count. I mean functional graphics that are fun to see, I mean good sonix that fit the game, and I mean oodles and oodles of gameplay."^[6] Out of 10, Karsmakers gave Llamatron 7 for graphics, 8.5 for sound, 9 for hookability and playability, and 10 for value, with a concluding remark of "Wonderful! Unbelievable! Playable!".^[6] A retroactive review of the Amiga ST version by The Inquirer in March 2007 said that Llamatron "without any question [...] is, was, and will always be a great game."^[5] The A–Z of Atari ST Games by Kieren Hawken gave Llamatron 10/10, claiming that "[t]he graphics in Llamatron are great but the biggest props have to go the amazing [sic] digitised sounds [...] [i]t's rare that you will hear sound effects this good in an Atari ST game."^[9]

By March 1992, Minter had collected 800 registrations, which had earned him £4000. With registrations "still arriving" and the Amiga release "just out", he estimated that he would make £10,000, "not as much as a conventional release, but more than a budget game would generate."^[10] His success was seen as unusual in the shareware market and due in large part to the fact that Amiga Computing featured Llamatron as its cover disk. Additionally, Minter was already popular due to Llamasoft's previous games. One critic of the concept, however, noted that "if you compare the response of a few hundred to the tens of thousands of people who have probably played the game, then it works out that quite a low percentage of people have actually sent him money."^[10]

In 2011, Minter and Llamasoft released a remake of Llamatron for the iPhone and iPad iOS called 2112. The game is similar in execution and presentation to Llamatron, although this time the player controls a Minotaur rather than a llama.^[11] After the game's release, Andrew Bailey of The Register wrote that Minotron: 2112 "delivers an authentic 8-bit trip down memory lane" and "may feel like a unpolished blast from the past, but it is also, happily, just a blast."^[12]

References

External links

• Llamatron: 2112 at MobyGames
• Llamatron: 2112 at Hall Of Light

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