The Menace from Triton (MSX)
Santiago Ontañón (Brain Games), 2020

https://github.com/santiontanon/triton


Requirements:

- MSX1 computer with 16KB RAM
- ROM size: 48KB
- Recommended: 60Hz machine (difficulty was designed for this speed)


Introduction:

The Menace from Triton is a horizontal shooting game inspired in some of my favorite MSX classic shooters like Salamander or the Nemesis saga, but with elements of a few modern shooter games that I really like (in particular Steredenn and Z-Exemplar, which I recommend you trying!). The game combines arcade-style horizontal shooter action with the resource managing/shop mechanics of Z-Exemplar, and the procedural generation of Steredenn. The first levels start out quite easy, but the game gets harder and harder towards the end. So, make sure you upgrade your ship as much as possible, or it will be impossible to defeat Triton!


Controls:

- Use the arrow keys or your joystick to move the ship
- Quickly press space or "trigger A" to fire
- Hold space or "trigger A" to activate the weapon special (if the energy bar at the bottom-right of the screen) is maxed out.
- If you hold space/"trigger A", in addition to activate the special, the speed of your ship is halved, which is useful for careful maneuvers.
- Press M or "trigger B" to select a power-up from the power-up bar at the bottom of the screen.
- Press F1 to pause the game (you can then press Q to abort the mission). Notice that aborting the mission will not quit the game, just the current mission, and will bring you back to the mission screen.


Hints:

- Make sure to power up your speed quickly, otherwise your ship moves too slowly.
- Initial fire cadence is very low. So, make sure to buy upgrades to improve it.
- Use the weapon specials carefully, the energy bar recharges itself over time. But it recharges slower if your weapons are not upgraded.
- Holding the fire button does not just activate the special, it also slows your ship down. Make sure you exploit this!
- Some enemies will drop power pellets. But remember that power pellets are fragile! If you kill an enemy too close to a wall, the power pellet that would have been dropped will disintegrate.


The Mission Screen:

- Planet color indicates it's type.
- Complete a mission in a planet to capture it.
- You can only attack planets connected to those you have already captured (initially, only the planet next to Ithaki base can be attacked).
- You will need to find all three maps to cross Aigai Nebula.
- Defeat the final boss in the Triton planet to complete the game.
- Planets become harder the closer to Triton you reach. Make sure to upgrade your ship appropriately!


The Upgrades Screen:

- The left-side of the screen shows the currently equipped upgrades.
- Buy upgrades, and then equip those you want to use in the next mission.
- At game start your ship is very weak and your fire cadence is very low.
- Collect credits during your missions (using the "transfer" power up) and use them up buy upgrades.
- Do not forget to equip upgrades after buying them!