Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony, also known as simply Jamestown, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed and released by Final Form Games in 2011. The game takes place on Mars in an alternate history steampunk 17th century, where the planet is an English colony contested by the Spanish and the indigenous Martians.
| Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Final Form Games |
| Publisher(s) | Final Form Games |
| Composer(s) | Francisco Cerda |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch |
| Release | Windows June 8, 2011[1] Mac December 13, 2011 Linux December 22, 2011 Gunpowder, Treason, & Plot November 10, 2011 PS4 (as Jamestown+)Switch
|
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter, bullet hell |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Plot
editThis article needs a plot summary. (January 2015) |
Gameplay
editJamestown features mechanics similar to many other shooters. There are 4 types of ships available, each with a primary and secondary attack, and a "Vaunt Mode" which the player can trigger when enough gold from destroyed enemies has been collected. When this mode is engaged the ship gains a temporary shield, increased firepower and a score multiplier for a limited time, which can be prolonged and increased by collecting more gold.
The game is playable in both regular singleplayer mode and in a local multiplayer mode supporting up to 4 players.
Development
editThe game was developed in two years by the small indie developer Final Form Games, and financed by the three founders' own personal savings.[3] The developers present the Cave shooter Progear as being the closest thing to a direct influence, and say that the animated films of Hayao Miyazaki, in particular Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Castle in the Sky influenced the artstyle.[3] The story's alternate history references Roanoke Colony, and includes associated figures like Walter Raleigh, Virginia Dare, John Smith, and Joachim Gans as characters.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PS4) 83/100[4] (PC) 81/100[5] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1Up.com | A[6] |
| Destructoid | 8/10[7] |
| Eurogamer | 8/10[8] |
| GamePro |   [9] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[10] |
| Giant Bomb | [11] |
| IGN | 8.5/10[12] |
| PC Gamer (UK) | 78%[13] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 90%[14] |
| PC PowerPlay | 7/10[15] |
| The A.V. Club | A[16] |
Jamestown and Jamestown+ received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4][5] IGN called the PC version "an accessible, punchy shooter with some clever mechanics at play and a surprising level of depth hiding beneath the 16-bit surface".[12] 1UP.com praised its approachable, escalating difficulty, the 16-bit style graphics and its soundtrack.[6]
Jamestown was selected as one of the "PAX 10" (a selection of the years best indie games) for the PAX Prime 2011 convention.[17] The game was added to the Humble Indie Bundle 4 on December 13, 2011.
References
edit- ^ "Jamestown". Steam Store. Valve. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ^ Chen, Chieh (February 26, 2015). "Spring Fever 2015: 8 Weeks, 8 New PS4 Games, PS Plus Discounts". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ a b Mann, Kyle (June 30, 2011). "Interview: Final Form Games Talks Jamestown, Hoagies". Press X or Die. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ a b "Jamestown+ for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ a b "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ^ a b Mackey, Bob (June 20, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Pinsof, Allistair (July 6, 2011). "Review: Jamestown". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Reed, Kristan (July 15, 2011). "Download Games Roundup (Page 2)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Vazquez, Suriel (June 23, 2011). "Review: Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony". GamePro. GamePro Media. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ McGee, Maxwell (June 28, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Navarro, Alex (July 1, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ a b Meunier, Nathan (June 29, 2011). "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Edwards, Tim (August 2, 2011). "Jamestown review". PC Gamer UK. Future plc. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony". PC Gamer. Vol. 18, no. 10. Future US. October 2011. p. 77.
- ^ "Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony". PC PowerPlay. No. 193. Next Media Pty Ltd. September 2011. p. 63.
- ^ Heisler, Steve; Agnello, Anthony John; Nelson, Samantha; Kaiser, Rowan; VanDerWerff, Todd; Teti, John (July 18, 2011). "July 18, 2011 ("Jamestown")". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Conditt, Jessica (July 9, 2011). "PAX 10 says these are the best indie games". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved October 30, 2018.