The Sentinel
| Developer: Steve Bak | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Firebird | Sound: |
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| Year: 1988 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Strategy | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
7/10 | |
An adaptation of a game released in 1986 on the BBC Micro (developed by Geoff Crammond) and known in the United States as The Sentry.
In a strange and desolate world, you try to reach the summit of a rugged region to neutralise the sentinel, a kind of defensive turret equipped with a disintegrator beam.
The catch is, you yourself are another kind of fixed turret. You can’t move. You can only rotate, observe, and synthesise objects from a distance, including clones of yourself, into which you’ll transfer your consciousness. Everything hinges on this last ability, which brilliantly illustrates Lavoisier’s maxim:
“Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.”
Calm down, let me explain! You too possess a disintegrator toy. It allows you to absorb nearby objects (starting with trees) and convert them into energy. Then, this energy is consumed to create other robots like you. Once your clone is placed, transfer your consciousness into it, and voilà, you’ve relocated! Since the trees are limited in number, I suggest you absorb your old shell after every “jump”. Be careful, you need to aim at the ground surface at the base of your target, which is why you must position yourself above it.
The sentinel rotates regularly, like a lighthouse. If it catches you in its line of sight, you lose energy rapidly (while at the same time, trees pop up elsewhere on the map—nothing is lost!). Dash away quickly, regain a more favourable position, preferably behind your enemy, at the same height or above, and give it a good stump, if I dare say.
[I’ve no idea how to translate this one, so pick your favorite. – Ed.]
The level ends when you occupy the summit in place of the sentinel and press “H”. Of course, the game ends if your energy is depleted.
By the way, here are the controls:
- “T” (tree): plant a tree.
- “B” (boulder): create a platform to perch one of your clones on.
- “R” (robot): place a synthoid robot (a clone of you).
- “H” (hyperspace): teleport either to the next level (if you occupy the sentinel’s position) or elsewhere on the map, at an equal or lower altitude.
- “U” (U-turn): a quick turn, very useful!
- “Left click”: disintegrate/absorb an object.
- “Right click”: take control of the targeted clone.
The Sentinel is a cult game in many respects (originality of concept, a pioneer in 3D, astronomical longevity: 10,000 levels). Despite this, I’m not really into it. I don’t like stressful infiltration games where the slightest misstep triggers an alarm, and that’s somewhat the case here. Imagine climbing a hill swept by six or seven searchlights while staying in the shadows; that gives you an idea of the difficulty of the advanced levels, when the sentinel invites some friends…
The music will remind you of Obliterator, Beyond the Ice Palace, and a few others by the same composer (David Whittaker).
The sequel is called Sentinel Returns (PC and PlayStation, 1998). Later, several remakes followed, including Capita (iOS) and Zenith (PC).
On Planet Emulation, you’ll find it in the “Compilations” section, under the letter “E”.
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