Achieved at : 2026-07-22
Rank : Not found
Lups : none
Approved :
Yes
Voting completed : 2026-07-31
| General Rules: |
Play with default settings unless otherwise specified. No use of trainers, cheats, saved game files, auto-fire (when not default present in-game), emulator save states, or other emulator advantages. No use of code modifications that give the player an advantage over other players. 1 player only. No continues. It is discouraged and may lead to voters not accepting your score to - excessively point farm - use glitches or other game exploits |
| Specific Rules: | Play the game in 1 player mode with default settings. |
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@Arrowhead12 🇨🇦
TGP
Thanks.
This guy (Simon Vout) was pretty good at 3D effects on early BBC Micro games. I like his Attack on Alpha Centauri - fast and colourful.
This guy (Simon Vout) was pretty good at 3D effects on early BBC Micro games. I like his Attack on Alpha Centauri - fast and colourful.
TGP
Vortex is a 3D arcade shooter for the BBC Micro. It was written by Simon Vout and released by Software Invasion in 1983.
This was one of the first releases by Software Invasion, along with 3D Bomb Alley. Your fleet of small starfighters has been pulled into the Vortex. You must survive as long as possible. Shoot the enemy ships once they get close enough and then dodge the occasional asteroids storms. The game has simple controls, just left, right and fire, with your ship curving around the screen slightly rather than just running along the bottom. The overall effect is a little like Gyruss, but in 3D and you can only go part way up the screen.
As one of the first Software Invasion games, it lacks some of the polish of later releases. This shows in little details like the slightly jerky and blocky movement, and the use of black and white rather than full colour. It is still a very impressive achievement for the time though, and I particularly like the way your enemies explode into a shower of debris that expands and fades out - a very nice effect. For such an early release, it really is a very good piece of game software.
The longer you survive, the more challenging your opponents become, so this is one space mission that ultimately you will not escape from alive. Points are awarded for the amount of time you stay alive, as well as for any enemies you shoot. Your craft also has an amount of inertia, so getting past the asteroids is not as easy as it looks!
This run was made on the 22nd July 2026 using the Pantheon emulator on PC. There are no skill levels. The final score reached was 21,568 points.
Time stamps:
00:30 Title screens and instructions.
00:36 Game start.
01:16 First life lost.
01:46 Second life lost.
01:53 The first asteroid field.
01:55 Third life lost.
02:35 Asteroid field cleared.
02:53 Fourth life lost.
03:38 Second asteroid field.
03:53 Fifth life lost. Game Over! Final score 21,568 points.
This was one of the first releases by Software Invasion, along with 3D Bomb Alley. Your fleet of small starfighters has been pulled into the Vortex. You must survive as long as possible. Shoot the enemy ships once they get close enough and then dodge the occasional asteroids storms. The game has simple controls, just left, right and fire, with your ship curving around the screen slightly rather than just running along the bottom. The overall effect is a little like Gyruss, but in 3D and you can only go part way up the screen.
As one of the first Software Invasion games, it lacks some of the polish of later releases. This shows in little details like the slightly jerky and blocky movement, and the use of black and white rather than full colour. It is still a very impressive achievement for the time though, and I particularly like the way your enemies explode into a shower of debris that expands and fades out - a very nice effect. For such an early release, it really is a very good piece of game software.
The longer you survive, the more challenging your opponents become, so this is one space mission that ultimately you will not escape from alive. Points are awarded for the amount of time you stay alive, as well as for any enemies you shoot. Your craft also has an amount of inertia, so getting past the asteroids is not as easy as it looks!
This run was made on the 22nd July 2026 using the Pantheon emulator on PC. There are no skill levels. The final score reached was 21,568 points.
Time stamps:
00:30 Title screens and instructions.
00:36 Game start.
01:16 First life lost.
01:46 Second life lost.
01:53 The first asteroid field.
01:55 Third life lost.
02:35 Asteroid field cleared.
02:53 Fourth life lost.
03:38 Second asteroid field.
03:53 Fifth life lost. Game Over! Final score 21,568 points.