Published on2010/03/11
In 1995 there were turbulent times in the Spanish entertainment software world. We've said it many times: the fall of most important Spanish companies apparently left an image of desolation, where nothing would be the same; just Dinamic (Multimedia now, like almost all groups) remained at the top, with great success by true.
But after that dismaying image it was hidden a bustling scene in the PC panorama: the demoscene. Familiar to C64 and Amiga users, came late to the PC (and to Spain, due to the small size markets of the two Commodore computers), but they did so with great force.
One of the most prominent was Iguana, whose demos were the delight of many of us.
One of its members, Javier Arevalo, was the architect of Speed Haste, the great cars game that unveiled Noria Works and its distributor, Friendware, a firm that bet to launch the shareware titles having a great success.
The other game launched by the two Spanish companies, the present one, was not as spectacular as the previous one, but was also popular.
Aimed at an international audience, seemed to give rise to a future full of joys for the soft Spanish, although with time Friendware fell into oblivion.
Trauma has some good graphics (not spectacular), accompanied by a proper sound effects and large doses of addiction for those who enjoy the shot'em ups. In the version you have available on the web, some sequences that were loaded directly from the CD are not available, but you can still watch all the work that lies in this title, clearly inspired in the dynamics of X-Wing and similar games (the hangars, the missions selection...), but reminding other shareware masterpieces such as Zone 66.
I can only wish you to enjoy one of the architects of the revival of the 'made in Spain' games.
But after that dismaying image it was hidden a bustling scene in the PC panorama: the demoscene. Familiar to C64 and Amiga users, came late to the PC (and to Spain, due to the small size markets of the two Commodore computers), but they did so with great force.
One of the most prominent was Iguana, whose demos were the delight of many of us.
One of its members, Javier Arevalo, was the architect of Speed Haste, the great cars game that unveiled Noria Works and its distributor, Friendware, a firm that bet to launch the shareware titles having a great success.
The other game launched by the two Spanish companies, the present one, was not as spectacular as the previous one, but was also popular.
Aimed at an international audience, seemed to give rise to a future full of joys for the soft Spanish, although with time Friendware fell into oblivion.
Trauma has some good graphics (not spectacular), accompanied by a proper sound effects and large doses of addiction for those who enjoy the shot'em ups. In the version you have available on the web, some sequences that were loaded directly from the CD are not available, but you can still watch all the work that lies in this title, clearly inspired in the dynamics of X-Wing and similar games (the hangars, the missions selection...), but reminding other shareware masterpieces such as Zone 66.
I can only wish you to enjoy one of the architects of the revival of the 'made in Spain' games.
Tester: Jacobo Luengo