Stellar Escort

Stellar Escort was written by Jeff Zinn, and it was the first game distributed by Big Five that wasn’t written by Bill Hogue.

Stellar Escort has a very distinctive look because of the flashy transition effects when changing screens. There is always something in movement on the screen. Stellar Escort has a number of sound effects, but no music or voices.

The goal to Stellar Escort is to destroy all the different kinds of aliens that appear, while trying to avoid hitting those aliens. You can move in all directions using the arrow keys and fire shots using the spacebar. Stellar Escort supports a joystick and a joystick works well with this game.

Stellar Escort is unusual in that the game play isn’t purely two dimensional. The idea is that a fleet of aliens is moving towards you. The aliens start out small in the distance and become larger as they approach. The player’s shots are unusual as well; they start from the corners of the screen and converge at the center of the screen. That means that the aliens must be positioned at the center of the screen for a shot to be successful.

Another complication is your limited fuel supply. You need to conserve your shots and movements to ensure that you have enough fuel to complete the level. If your fuel runs out, then your ship is destroyed.

The Cruncher is a very large alien which moves slowly but steadily on screen. It is very difficult to destroy, but worth a variable (but large) number of points. If you destroy it, a message appears listing the number of points scored. Another strange alien is the Kilr, which not only isn’t worth any points but it destroys you if you shoot it.

Filed Under Arcade Games · Software · Big Five · Jeff Zinn