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Mines of Minos [Model CM005]

Atari 2600 cart. published 42 years ago by CommaVid, Inc.

Listed in MAME

Mines of Minos [Model CM005] screenshot

Mines of Minos © 1982 CommaVid

Something terrible has happened in the mazelike Mines of Minos. The smoothly running robot operation has been interrupted by an invasion of monstrous alien life forms! Aliens stalk the corridors of the mine; only a single robot survives to battle them. Desperately he struggles to find and assemble pieces of his fellow robots scattered around the mine while avoiding the pursuing aliens. If he can assemble a large enough robot army, he can battle the aliens to fight his way down to deeper levels of the mine and even destroy the alien command center at the lowest level. But if the aliens catch him he is doomed and his only weapon against them is his stock of time bombs.

Can you avoid the monsters and assemble enough robots to expel the alien invaders from the Mines of Minos? Find out in this latest video challenge from CommaVid.

Some of the game variations are two player games. The left joystick controls the robot and the right joystick controls one of the monsters. Pushing the button on the right joystick changes which monster is under the player's control. The other two monsters will pursue the robot on their own.

The monster being controlled by the joystick is seen as darker in color. If the robot runs into this monster, the monster is destroyed instead of the robot. But if the robot runs into either of the two monsters under their own control, he is destroyed as usual.

Game variations:
Game 1: The standard game. It takes three robot pieces to complete a new robot, and the flood both slows you down and keeps you from dropping a bomb.
Game 2: A two-player version of Game 1.
Game 3: An even greater challenge, it takes six robot pieces to complete a robot.
Game 4: A two-player version of Game 3.
Game 5: For practice, it takes three robot pieces to complete a robot, but there is no flooding.
Game 6: A two-player version of Game 5.
Game 7: The mine floods as usual, but it only takes two robot pieces to complete a robot.
Game 8: A two-player version of Game 7.
Game 9: Three robot pieces to complete a robot, but you can drop bombs in the flood.
Game 10: A two-player version of Game 9.
Game 11: The maze is invisible, except when you blow up a monster. Three robot pieces complete a robot, and you can drop bombs in the flood.
Game 12: A two-player version of Game 11.

Additional game variations can be created using the difficulty switches. With both difficulty switches in the B (or novice) position, the robots and monsters both move at normal speed. Raising the left difficulty switch to the A (or expert) position causes the robots to move at half speed, while the right difficulty switch in the "a" position causes the monsters to move at half speed.

TECHNICAL

Model CM005

SCORING
Destroying a monster 20 points.
Picking up a robot part 70 points.
Depositing the robot part 70 points.
Every 1000 points scored up to 4000 raises your power level by one unit.
TIPS AND TRICKS

Descending to the next level is not obvious - one has to be holding the fire button down while moving through one of the portals on the side of the screen. You might have to make a few attempts for it to work right.

Collecting pieces of robots and building your own extra lives is crucial for completing the game. On the final maze level there are three pulsating entities - these are the "final boss" in a sense. The only way to destroy them is to sacrifice your own robot by running into them. Since there are three, you need at least three lives to do so.

STAFF

Programmer: Irwin Gaines

SOURCES

Game's ROM.