Transformers: The Battle to Save the Earth

Transformers: The Battle to Save the Earth (1986) is Activision’s attempt to turn the era’s biggest toy-and-cartoon phenomenon into a Commodore 64 game. The design is credited to David Crane, creator of the famous Pitfall, with music by Russell Lieblich — and it is precisely those big names that make the result one of the best-known disappointments of its generation.

The structure is actually interesting. A map tracks nine key sites the Decepticons plan to raid for the resources they need to build an ultimate weapon. You move your Autobots around — the roster includes Bumblebee, Hound, Kup, Blurr, Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime — and wherever the forces meet, the game switches to an action sequence in which you shoot down Decepticons and stop the looting. Half strategy, half action, it is a surprisingly ambitious layout for a licensed game of 1986.

The most famous part is the introduction: the game contains what is probably the largest amount of digitised speech ever squeezed onto a Commodore 64, retelling the history of the Transformers in words taken from the first episode of the TV series. In 1986 this must have felt like a small miracle.

The playing itself cannot sustain the excitement. The action sequences are confusing and monotonous, it takes far too long to work out what you are supposed to be doing, and the strategic layer soon shrinks to shuttling between attacks. Contemporary reviews were harsh, and Transformers fans tend to remember the game with a wince. As a curiosity — Crane, the talking intro, the ambitious concept — it is worth half an hour; just do not expect an evening’s entertainment.

You can boot it up on oldgame.cz straight in your browser and judge for yourself, no installation needed.