How to play
Find the four pieces of the amulet. Show them to the guardian. Leave the jungle.
The story
As the 1984 cassette inlay told it.
The Happening
Down and down I plunged, through Rocky Glades, Steep Ravines and Shady Hollows … No grip, no footholds, slipping, tumbling, spinning, darker and darker, deeper and deeper.
Glinting eyes, clutching hands, clasping claws, clawing my all, as I swiftly twist and tumble onwards.
Darker and darker, deeper and deeper. It is the end that I fear, of this untroden voyage … to where I do not know … AARRRGGGG … THUDDD …
Fall and end meet on soft mossy soil … with weapons drawn and senses full I move quickly and quietly around the mounded clearing … All safe except a message … An ancient warning etched deep into the lifeless stone.
The Warning
Thy path is long so tread with care
Beware the Wulf and pass his lair
Danger threatens all around
So take ye from this hidden mound
To free thee from this sunken gate
By way of cave or meet thy fate
An amulet to seek thy will
'Twas split by quad and hidden still
Pass the keeper wrought with hate
To gain an entrance to the gate
The pieces lost must thee amas
For if no charm then none shall pass
The Exploration
I edge through the shady mounded clearing and on through the dense thickets of hot house rain forest undergrowth, of sorts I cannot tell, and wait … and listen … Distant rumblings of heavy feet crashing, large animals leap from the damp green stubble, to fight and kill.
I stay hidden … The rumblings grow louder and louder, as a huge Goliath animal crashes past, horns swiping and tail lashing, still I hide as its thunderous noise dies away.
All was clear as I leapt over the clumps and onto the well trodden pathway, its deep ruts and prints reveal the multitude of life forms inhabiting this hollow. Danger threatens so I should move quickly … But Where???
The Expedition
Wide eyed, I stare, as the dense surroundings reveal their hidden secrets … Strange food orchids suddenly bloom, their staining toxins, strong on the air, then, in an instant, are gone. Hunters, killers, vampire bats and huge beasts spring forth from the very ground, swimming, slithering, diving and crawling … I must hide … Stay safe … With weapon strong and cunning nature, I will survive …
Loading
- Attach SabreWulf.d64 or write it to a real disk.
- Type LOAD"*",8,1 then RUN.
- PAL machine or emulator. The fast loader needs a real 1541 or true drive emulation.
- In VICE, autostarting the D64 works too.
Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Joystick, port 2 | Move |
| Fire or Space | Swing the sabre (left or right). You move slower while swinging. |
| M | Open the map. Fire closes it. |
| P or RUN/STOP | Pause and unpause |
| Up, down, fire | Pick from the front-end menu |
Music and sound effects can each be switched off under Settings on the menu. The choice is saved to the disk.
Rules
- The lives counter starts at 3. Lose a life with none left and it's game over.
- Touch anything alive and you lose a life. You carry on from where you fell.
- Small critters die to one stab. Big beasts, tribesmen and the guardian can't be killed.
- Stay on one screen too long and a bushfire comes after you. "Hurry along now" is your warning. Leave the screen to lose it.
- Flowers bloom and fade. Touch one in bloom for its effect. While it lasts nothing can hurt you, but you can't use the sabre.
- Each amulet piece you find shows on the HUD at the top of the screen.
- One of the treasures is an extra life.
- The map only shows rooms you have already walked through.
Scoring
| What | Points |
|---|---|
| Critter killed | 5 |
| Treasure picked up | 20 |
| Amulet piece | 1,000 |
The seven best scores are saved to the disk, with names up to eight letters.
Tips
- Press M often. The map remembers every room you've been through.
- Amulet pieces are hidden in one of eight layouts, picked at random each game. Last game's route won't always work.
- Hippos sleep until stabbed. Let sleeping hippos lie.
- A rhino that spots you will charge. A stab just as it reaches you drives it off.
- Some beasts can't be killed at all. Run from those.
- Orchids bloom and fade. Time your touch to get the power you want.
- Any flower effect lets you walk straight through the big beasts while it lasts.