An owl's back, the beat of wings in rhythm with beautifully painted backgrounds and a magical battle that looks more like a moving painting than a video game. Agony is visually one of the most beautiful shooters the Amiga ever gave birth to. A game in which, to the sound of ethereal music, you turn into an owl and roam fantastical landscapes full of mythical enemies.
The title was released by the studio Psygnosis in 1992, a company famous for its above-standard care for the artistic side of its games. Agony takes it to perfection: hand-painted backgrounds, the atmospheric music of Tim Wright and the overall emphasis on aesthetics make playing an almost meditative experience. Visually it was one of the prides of the whole platform.
In terms of gameplay it is a horizontal shmup where, as an owl, you collect upgrades and magical abilities and face waves of enemies inspired by fantasy and mythology. The game places emphasis on atmosphere as much as on action and its pace is somewhat more deliberate than is usual for the genre, which only enhances the fairy-tale tone of the whole adventure.
In the context of Amiga shooters Agony belongs to the elite group of titles that showcased the computer's graphical power. Together with Apidya and Project-X it forms a trio on which one can demonstrate how high the developers of the day managed to raise the bar of audiovisual execution on home hardware.
Agony is a game you will remember above all for its atmosphere. It is not the hardest or most action-packed shooter of its time, but it is one of the most beautiful and impressive. It is a title you want to play just to feast on how it looks and sounds.
Why play it: A beautifully painted owl shooter from Psygnosis with atmospheric music, one of the most beautiful audiovisual experiences the Amiga offered in its genre.
Game 19 of 121 for Commodore Amiga
