Patrick Paddle
If Speccy games are anything to go by, the early 1980s was a strange place. Every tradesman was alliteratively named, and every factory seemed to accidently produce ignited bombs as a biproduct or issue a death sentence if you make a mistake. It's no wonder they were always on strike. Patrick Paddle, released for the 2020 Cassette16 summerjam, is the perfect embodiment of such a game. It captures all the quirky magic of the Spectrum, and misses out the flaws.
You are Patrick, and you seem to be a very niche removal man. Items (yes, sometimes bombs) are lobbed at you, and you must use your paddle to propel them out of sight. If that wasn't enough, your workplace is on a highly active tectonic plate, so that rapidly shifting chasms are a hazard underfoot. All this might sound implausible in these safety conscious times, but it makes for a highly enjoyable & frantic hi-score challenge. Patrick is an amorphous blue blob that would give Horace more than a run for his money, and the simple white paper graphics and beeper dittys seal the deal.
BETTER WAGES
SHORTER HOURS
Mrs Paddle? I'm sorry to inform you that Patrick died at work today. He let the company down by neglecting to paddle a bomb. The good news is thatyou get his weekly earnings - a princely $1.66.
As the only game submitted to the summer jam, Patrick Paddle won by default, which is a shame as it deserved the chance to beat off any competition - and as the Woot game of the year, it surely would. Patrick Paddle is early Spectrum era joy in a 16K bundle.
So if you happen to have a time machine and for some reason want to live in 1982, take this game with you and claim it as your own - it will put you on the path to riches and fame. (and just in case it doesn't - "Grittar" won the National that year.)
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