Granada is a top-down action game in which the player pilots a futuristic battle tank through urban and industrial arenas full of enemy units. The key idea is simple and, in 1990, remarkably elegant: the turret aims independently of the vehicle's direction of travel, so you can reverse while firing forward, circle an opponent, or keep firing at one target while dodging. This turns what would otherwise be straightforward action into a game about positioning and controlling space. Levels have clearly defined objectives, time pressure, and bosses that demand different tactics from regular enemies, and the overall length is short but dense.
On the Sharp X68000, Granada looked exceptional for its time. Scrolling is fast and smooth, many objects move on screen at once, and explosions and environmental destruction carry the necessary weight; the game feels more like an arcade title than a home production. Wolf Team was building a reputation at the time as a studio that leaned on striking technical visuals and strong music, and Granada is a good example of that: the FM soundtrack is energetic, almost rock-inspired, and keeps up the tension even in moments when the player is just moving between targets. Visually, a cool industrial style dominates, matching the stark, militaristic premise. Enemies arrive in waves from the edges of the screen and use different types of fire, so the player must constantly reassess which part of the arena to hold and when it's worth falling back; precision of movement matters here more than raw firepower.
The game later made it to the Mega Drive, making it accessible to a wider audience, but the X68000 version remains the one fans cite as the original and technically cleanest. Today Granada is a one-evening experience: the controls can be learned within a few minutes, but the difficulty is set so that the first run is certainly not going to be trouble-free. For anyone curious about what Japanese computer action looked like at the turn of the decade, it's one of the best-playing and best-sounding examples.
Game 22 of 25 for Sharp X68000
