Shields and Beam Pads

Another idea, perhaps stemming from an early admission on how tough Rex was going to be to play, was a bubble shield that protected the horny devil from attacks. “I’m pretty sure the shield was there from the start, so I’m not sure if we actually had realised by then how difficult the game was going to be,” states Jas, neatly contradicting our theory. “I remember it could be used as a kind of last ditch strategy where you could pile into a bunch of enemies. But if the shield ran out before they died, you were in big trouble.” Nevertheless, Rex’s shield, along with the frequent and conveniently placed beam pads that created re-spawn points within the framework of the plot, gave players some limited respite and added a strategic element to the game that was much appreciated upon release.

Rex took Creative Reality four months to complete. “I seem to recall most of the time was spent inputting all the level data which must have been all done by hand. We certainly didn’t have any kind of level editor,” grimaces Jas. Generally, the team were very pleased with their efforts although there was a common issue towards the end of its development. “While we were happy with the boss at the end of the caves level, I would have liked to have had a much more impressive end to the game as the final boss at the top of the tower was pretty weak,” admits Jas. “All you had to do was get in the right place and shoot it and that was it, as it didn’t move or have any attacks. It was implemented right at the end of the development cycle so we simply ran out of time.” The lack of time was also the reason for the rather odd end game message. Having inserted the droll words “With the big squidgy thing destroyed, Rex can go home and have a nice cup of tea and put his feet up” as a place holder early in development, the team didn’t bother to change it. “We figured that it was quite amusing, plus we doubted many people would actually finish the game to see it!” quips Jas.