Llamatron (stylized Llamatron: 2112 on the title screen) is a multidirectional shooter video game programmed by Jeff Minter of Llamasoft and released in 1991 for the Atari ST and Amiga and in 1992 for MS-DOS. Based on Robotron: 2084, the player controls the eponymous creature in an attempt to stop an alien invasion of Earth and rescue animals—referred to as "Beasties"—for points. The goal is to destroy all of the attackers on each level using a laser. Llamatron supports the twin-stick shooter controls of Robotron, but also provides a single-joystick mode: the llama automatically fires in the direction it is moving and holding the fire button locks that angle of fire, even if the Llama changes direction. Power-ups aid the player in defeating the wide variety of enemies they face along the way.
Released in the later years of the Atari ST and Amiga, Llamatron was distributed as shareware, containing the full game and a request to register the program for £5 if the user enjoyed the game. As of March 1992, at least 800 people had registered the game, making it unusually successful for shareware distributed without locked features or other purchase incentives. Reviews of both the Atari ST and Amiga versions praised its addictive gameplay, sound effects, and value for the registration price. Minter released a remake of the game for iOS, Minotron: 2112, in 2011.
Gameplay
Llamatron is a multidirectional shooter where the objective is to stop an invasion of Earth that is being launched by alien mutants known as the Zyaxxians. The player's character—the eponymous Llamatron—is placed in the center of a black screen, with enemies—labelled in-game as "Grunts"—scattered across the playing area. Once the level begins, the enemies move towards the player and, if any of the enemies come into contact with the llama, the player loses a life. The player's goal is to destroy every enemy on the screen with the llama's laser, which fires automatically in the direction that the llama is facing. Players can also use a second joystick to control the direction of fire or hold the firing button down to lock the firing direction regardless of movement. The keyboard can also be used instead of a joystick. The game includes modes that allow a second player, or an indestructible computer-controlled "droid", to assist the Llamatron. Other enemies include indestructible devices that shoot screen-wide lasers, 16-ton weights that attempt to crush the player, hedgehogs that explode into spikes when destroyed, Mandelbrot sets that shoot projectiles and scream when hit, and a large toilet that throws rolls of toilet paper at the player. A version for MS-DOS came out in 1992. The Atari ST and Amiga releases contain sound effects, but no background music. In 1996, GamesMaster ranked Llamatron 93rd in their "Top 100 Games of All Time."
By March 1992, Minter had collected 800 registrations, which had earned him £4000. With registrations "still arriving" and the Amiga release "just out", he estimated that he would make £10,000, "not as much as a conventional release, but more than a budget game would generate." His success was seen as unusual in the shareware market and due in large part to the fact that Amiga Computing featured Llamatron as its cover disk. Additionally, Minter was already popular due to Llamasoft's previous games. One critic of the concept, however, noted that "if you compare the response of a few hundred to the tens of thousands of people who have probably played the game, then it works out that quite a low percentage of people have actually sent him money." Andrew Bailey of The Register wrote that Minotron: 2112 "delivers an authentic 8-bit trip down memory lane" and "may feel like blast from the past, but it is also, happily, just a blast."