As a Star Wars mega-fan, one of my greatest fantasies was to take control of a vehicle from the universe and go on a joyride filled with destruction. Some of my favorites were the various walker variants throughout the movies and television series. When Return of the Jedi hit the screen in 1983, my newest favorite became the AT-ST walker. Even though a bunch of furry teddy bears bested it, the AT-ST (or “chicken walker”) was one of the most unique designs I had seen.
Walker Title Screen
In early 1993, I got my wish when publishing powerhouse Psygnosis released DMA Design’s Walker on the Commodore Amiga. While it wasn’t exactly the AT-ST from Star Wars, it was close enough in function and destructive power to satisfy my sci-fi-fueled fantasies.
Interestingly, Walker’s genesis is closely tied to DMA Design’s first Amiga hit, Lemmings.
In actuality, the original concept of the walker appears in their first game with Psygnosis, a tough-as-nails shooter called Blood Money. DMA founder David Jones began working on the concept after Blood Money’s release, using the game’s walker design. Unfortunately, he couldn’t turn the concept into an effective game, so he abandoned the project for other development opportunities.
When DMA hired Ian Dunlop in 1990, he was tasked with completing the abandoned project. He was given few notes on how to proceed. The enemy soldiers needed to be much smaller than the walker, and the action needed to move left, unlike nearly every other horizontal-scrolling shooter, which scrolled from the right. They chose to scroll left because the existing walker animations were created with it facing left. The scale was intrinsically linked to Lemmings, because they modified and reused tests to render the tiny soldiers on screen for the tiny creatures in DMA’s puzzle legend.
Walker for Amiga Screenshot
The most unique part of Walker is the control scheme. Instead of sticking with only a joystick, as shooters traditionally do, DMA Design used a combination of joystick/mouse or keyboard/mouse controls for the Walker. The joystick or keyboard handled the character’s left-right movement, while the mouse moved a targeting reticule that in turn rotated the Walker’s head to face the target. The left mouse button fired, and the right button let the player lock onto a target while still moving the Walker back and forth. This made it easier to destroy more powerful enemies while dodging enemy fire.
The game also involved resource management. While you had a shield and, once depleted, a damage meter to watch, the heat level of your dual 30mm cannons was arguably more important. You could simply hold the mouse button down and fire a stream of bullets at the enemy, but your guns would eventually overheat. You would then be left defenseless as you waited for the weapons to cool down. This meant that it was more effective to fire in short bursts at the enemy infantry and vehicles, always keeping an eye on the guns’ heat level.
While Walker takes place exclusively on the surface in the titular vehicle, the game was originally going to include on-foot sections below ground, similar to the NES classic Blaster Master. Unfortunately, the team dropped this aspect late in development due to time constraints and budget concerns.
Walker for Amiga Screenshot
What DMA and Psygnosis eventually released in 1993 is probably one of the best gameplay experiences I’ve had on the platform. The dark and dingy graphics are gorgeous, which is par for the course for Psygnosis Amiga games. The Walker in particular is beautifully rendered, with smooth movement and animation. The scurrying military minions, which absolutely reminded me of Lemmings even before I knew about their history, are fun to watch and enjoyable to mow down with your 30mms. You can also squash them underfoot if they get too close, but be careful; some will climb onto your Walker and wreak havoc.
The levels revolve around a time-travel mechanic, with each of the four main areas representing a different era in military history. Time travel doesn’t really factor into the game’s overall narrative. It mainly serves as an excuse for the developers to throw a wide variety of enemy units at you throughout the game. It does keep the game from getting too repetitive, since you have to figure out how to take out each new enemy.
The sound is primarily machine gun fire, walker servos, and explosions, but it is well done and suitably high-quality, as expected for the Amiga at the time.
The game received consistently strong scores from reviewers at the time, with averages between 70 and 80 percent across the board. It’s a core memory of gaming on my Amiga 500, so it rates highly for me. If you are in the mood for some mindless wanton destruction, fire up your Amiga (or Amiga emulator) and give Walker a try. You won’t be disappointed.
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