Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony
Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony, also known as simply Jamestown, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed and released by Final Form Games in 2011. The game takes place on Mars in an alternate history steampunk 17th century, where the planet is a British colony contested by the Spanish and the indigenous Martians.
Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony | |
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Developer(s) | Final Form Games |
Publisher(s) | Final Form Games |
Composer(s) | Francisco Cerda |
Platform(s) | Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch |
Release | Windows June 8, 2011[1] Mac December 13, 2011 Linux December 22, 2011 Gunpowder, Treason, & Plot November 10, 2011 PS4 (as Jamestown+)Switch
|
Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter, bullet hell |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Plot
Gameplay
Jamestown features mechanics similar to many other shooters. There are 4 types of ships available, each with a primary and secondary attack, and a "Vaunt Mode" which the player can trigger when enough gold from destroyed enemies has been collected. When this mode is engaged the ship gains a temporary shield, increased firepower and a score multiplier for a limited time, which can be prolonged and increased by collecting more gold.
The game is playable in both regular singleplayer mode and in a local multiplayer mode supporting up to 4 players.
Development
The game was developed in two years by the small indie developer Final Form Games, and financed by the three founders' own personal savings.[3] The developers present the Cave shooter Progear as being the closest thing to a direct influence, and say that the animated films of Hayao Miyazaki, in particular NausicaƤ of the Valley of the Wind and Castle in the Sky influenced the artstyle.[3] The story's alternate history references Roanoke Colony, and includes associated figures like Walter Raleigh, Virginia Dare, John Smith, and Joachim Gans as characters.
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | (PS4) 83/100[4] (PC) 81/100[5] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
1Up.com | A[6] |
Destructoid | 8/10[7] |
Eurogamer | 8/10[8] |
GamePro | [9] |
GameSpot | 8/10[10] |
Giant Bomb | [11] |
IGN | 8.5/10[12] |
PC Gamer (UK) | 78%[13] |
PC Gamer (US) | 90%[14] |
PC PowerPlay | 7/10[15] |
The A.V. Club | A[16] |
Jamestown and Jamestown+ received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4][5] IGN called the PC version "an accessible, punchy shooter with some clever mechanics at play and a surprising level of depth hiding beneath the 16-bit surface".[12] 1UP.com praised its approachable, escalating difficulty, the 16-bit style graphics and its soundtrack.[6]
Jamestown was selected as one of the "PAX 10" (a selection of the years best indie games) for the PAX Prime 2011 convention.[17] The game was added to the Humble Indie Bundle 4 on December 13, 2011.
References
- "Jamestown". Steam Store. Valve. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- Chen, Chieh (February 26, 2015). "Spring Fever 2015: 8 Weeks, 8 New PS4 Games, PS Plus Discounts". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- Mann, Kyle (June 30, 2011). "Interview: Final Form Games Talks Jamestown, Hoagies". Press X or Die. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- "Jamestown+ for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- Mackey, Bob (June 20, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- Pinsof, Allistair (July 6, 2011). "Review: Jamestown". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- Reed, Kristan (July 15, 2011). "Download Games Roundup (Page 2)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- Vazquez, Suriel (June 23, 2011). "Review: Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony". GamePro. GamePro Media. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- McGee, Maxwell (June 28, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- Navarro, Alex (July 1, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- Meunier, Nathan (June 29, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- Edwards, Tim (August 2, 2011). "Jamestown review". PC Gamer UK. Future plc. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony". PC Gamer. Vol. 18, no. 10. Future US. October 2011. p. 77.
- "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony". PC PowerPlay. No. 193. Next Media Pty Ltd. September 2011. p. 63.
- Heisler, Steve; Agnello, Anthony John; Nelson, Samantha; Kaiser, Rowan; VanDerWerff, Todd; Teti, John (July 18, 2011). "July 18, 2011 ("Jamestown")". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- Conditt, Jessica (July 9, 2011). "PAX 10 says these are the best indie games". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved October 30, 2018.