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Friends gold diggers, dig-attic
and other archaeologists of all kinds,
Greetings.
Welcome to this first issue
of Bleeping Relics
that will transport you to the stone age of gaming.
This is actually to a period somewhere between the Middle Paleolithic and Mesolithic
that the Bleeping Relics team will take you to bring the best prehistoric creations
in video game history.
We've unearthed a Relic from Cavern's days:
CAVEMAN
A relic that calls into question
everything that was established by the scientific community
towards Caveman's daily life.
Made by Tomy
Caveman is a type of game called "table-top"
Which means literally it is played on a table.
The machine appeared in a period
we were unable to determine accurately
As it was the victim of time and collective amnesia.
You will need 4 big 1,5 volts batteries to operate the game.
You can still find this used gem for about 30 euros.
Note that it has also been released under the brands Grantstand
and Radioshack / Tandy.
Overjoy for kids as for adults,
the game does not have a mute feature
nor a headset output
The melodies and fully electronic sound effects can then cheer the player and his entourage
throughout the period of play
The game is designed with VFD technology
"Vacuum fluorescent display"
this process allows a system of emitting very intense light
to organize forms and designs on the surface of a game or other electronic devices.
You will be delighted to guide the character, minimalist as he is friendly, into a slightly Japanized universe
made of blue, green and orange.
Caveman is the story of Caveman,
a caveman who most of his time
steals the eggs from his neighbor, who is none other than Dinosaur,a dinosaur.
Or a dragon...this is not clear.
Indeed, the monster is called "Dinosaur" in the manual,
in a tone almost familiar,
but spits out huge flames.
Do dinosaurs spit flames?
The game proves us again
vulnerabilities of Science.
The will and the Tomahawk of Caveman will help him to accomplish
this task, complicated as it is indispensable to his survival.
But the resolve of our hero is not sufficient,
he must also demonstrate Agility and Speed
in order to prevent pteranodons to seize his hardly acquired spoils.
A note in passing that the winged predators are well called "pteranodons" in the French booklet
but are called "dragon" on the game body.
Reptiles were so confusing back in the days...
As if the task was not difficult enough and degrading to Caveman,
cute but no less ruthless baby dinosaurs
will hatch from their eggs in the case where our caveman would
not have the strength and courage to steal the eggs in time
They then will blithely nag our caveman
by firing a forked tongue before running away.
Later in the adventure,
he must also confront the fantastic experience
of volcanic bomb rains.
The game controls are just as minimalist as the look of the hero.
You will actually help Caveman to complete his quest
allowing him to move left and right,
so you grab eggs and avoid threats
and controlling its firing stone axe with the shooting button.
"Welcome to the Stone Age"
Two fates would be considered for Caveman,
he might die from the fire from the spiting dino
or crushed by the burning rocks from the nearby volcano,
either he will triumph by filling nine eggs in what seems to be his cave.
This going and getting gets more challenging throughout the levels.
In addition, to shed so much light to the daily backbreaking
of this protagonist from Neolithic or Jurassic era,
this prehistoric tale show us again
that existence is made of trials and errors that can be difficult and painful
and that since time immemorial,
Man fights continuously for survival
regardless of the realities and needs of his neighbor.
The jurrassic fable reminds us further that despite the daily efforts,
the existence of man is ephemeral,
this, however, does not prevent Life to keep its course.