Armalyte

When you say Commodore 64, many picture adventures, simulations or strategies — but those who really know the platform know it could do hard, fast action too. Armalyte is a shining proof of that. This horizontally scrolling space shooter from the turn of 1987 and 1988 counts as one of the absolute peaks of the genre on the eight-bit Commodore and to this day commands respect with its fluidity and visual sophistication.

The game principle is a pure-blooded shmup in the style of the genre classics: you pilot a spaceship, fly through dense waves of enemies, collect weapon upgrades and fight your way to bosses. Armalyte adds the option of two-player cooperation, which makes it one of the few C64 shooters designed from the ground up for co-play. The pace is brisk, the level design imaginative and the gradual weapon upgrades give the game the necessary depth.

Behind the game stand names associated with the elite of the British eight-bit scene — publishing-wise the title is tied to Thalamus, and in the broader context of the genre also studios such as Rainbow Arts and Hewson, whose authors pushed the boundaries of what the console could handle. The end of the 80s was a golden era of action games for the C64 and Armalyte arose as an answer to the question of how far a shooter could be pushed on this hardware.

Armalyte tends to be mentioned in the same breath as other gems of the genre for the C64 — with Uridium by Andrew Braybrook or with the R-Type-tinged Katakis. Together they form a kind of unwritten trio that proves the Commodore 64 was among the solid platforms for demanding arcade action too. The press of the day received the game very favourably and to this day it appears in selections of the best shooters of the platform.

The cultural significance of Armalyte lies in the fact that it demolishes the notion of the C64 as a machine for "slower" genres. It is a title that is not ashamed to stand alongside the arcade machines of its time and holds up even from today's point of view thanks to polished gameplay and honest challenge.

Why play: For one of the best shooters on the C64 with addictive gameplay and two-player cooperation — proof that eight-bit could do proper action.