Uridium (released for the NES as The Last Starfighter) each named after a metal element, with the last level being the fictional metallic element Uridium. The manual quotes Robert Orchard, who invented the name, as saying "I really thought it existed".

Uridium was ported to the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, BBC Micro, MS-DOS, and ZX Spectrum. A version was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990 by Mindscape. The company purchased a license based on the film The Last Starfighter, but decided to recycle an existing game. The title screen, sprites, and soundtrack were modified, but the levels and gameplay are identical.

In 2003, Uridium was re-released on the C64 Direct-to-TV. On 28 March 2008, the C64 version was published for the Wii Virtual Console in Europe.

Later Dreadnoughts have tricky wall configurations where the gap between the walls is so narrow that the Manta must turn sideways in order to pass through it.

Sequels

Uridium was followed by Uridium+ (a modified version containing new levels), and Uridium 2 on the Amiga platform.

Reception and legacy

Computer Gaming World praised Uridium for its graphics' ability to display depth, as well as the game's robust controls. Zzap!64 were similarly enthusiastic, describing the game as "visually awesome, sonically sound, technically stunning and a brilliant shoot em up to boot". It was rated 94% overall. Antic also liked the game, citing its "detailed and lifelike graphics".

The game won the award for best shooting game of the year according to the readers of Crash magazine. It was also voted Best Arcade-style Game of the Year at the 1986 Golden Joystick Awards. It received a Your Sinclair Megagame award.

Uridium reached number one in both the Commodore 64 and all-format charts in early 1986. Later in the year, it reached number three in the ZX Spectrum charts.

References

  • Uridium at CPC Zone
  • Uridium Wii Virtual Console Review on VC-Reviews.com