The Chaos Engine

Those crazy Victorians, eh? Not content with subduing primitive nations in the name of colonial expansion and kicking off the industrial revolution that has ultimately ravaged the environment of our fair planet, they also found time to dabble in the creation of twisted steam punk technology that warped time and space, causing all sorts of mischief.

Admittedly, the latter part of that venomous opening tirade is only true if you take the plot of The Chaos Engine – a classic 'run-and-gun' shooter from 1993 – to be based on fact. Which, of course, it isn't.

This seminal top-down action game – which plays very much like a distorted version of Atari's Gauntlet – was a massive success when it was first unleashed upon on the unsuspecting public and was subsequently ported to a wide range of platforms. Now, over a decade later, we're being treated to a mobile interpretation of this addictive and alluring video game.

The plot is thus: crackpot Victorian scientist Baron Fortesque has created a mechanical monstrosity known as 'The Chaos Engine'. He doesn't have long to bask in the glory of his achievement, though, as the malevolent device quickly becomes self-aware and takes him prisoner.

The Baron's wicked masterpiece then proceeds to run riot. Not content with swallowing innocent civilians and spewing them out as distorted, grotesque beings, it also turns the once lush English countryside into a frightening and unpleasant place – not totally unlike the city of Coventry in resemblance.

Amid this pandemonium, a group of cash-hungry mercenaries appear, hoping to capitalise on the widespread panic and earn a bit of booze money in the process. Setting off into the mutated wilderness, these fearless individuals encounter all matter of strange foes, relentlessly spawned by the uncontrollable Chaos Engine as it rips through time and space to find the most horrifying life forms possible.

Assuming control of one of these mercenaries, you must guide them (and a CPU-controlled ally) through several sections of the twisted landscape. The game is relatively straightforward: you pick up cash along the way; collect items that enhance your weaponry; open pathways using keys; and activate various nodes along the way in order to successfully clear the level. Each level has a beginning and an end but there are plenty of secrets to be discovered along the way, as well.

In between stages you can use the cash you've accrued to restore health, buy extra lives and bolster the punching power of your weapon. Each character has a slightly different firearm and a unique special weapon, so it's worth experimenting in order to find out which one suits you best. As your rag-tag duo advance through the nightmarish world the Chaos Engine has created, they gain experience and therefore improve as the challenge becomes harder.

Back in 1993 The Chaos Engine – like much of original developer The Bitmap Brothers' output – was praised for its visual splendour. Astonishingly, the game still looks fantastic even today; few companies have succeeded in mastering the art of 2D in the same way. The pin-sharp screen of the Samsung D900 manages to make the game look even more impressive than it did over a decade ago, with no reduction in the breakneck speed of play.

The soundtrack is also of a high standard, with fairly accurate replications of the original gritty and grim tunes – although the music loops a little too soon for our liking. Sound effects are sadly absent, however.

Although the transition from TV to phone has forced a slight change in the screen aspect ratio (as is the case with many mobile conversions), meaning that the player is granted a more restricted view of events, the upgrade in screen resolution actually negates this issue to some degree.

Firing up The Chaos Engine with hopes of a deep and complex gaming experience is almost certainly going to result in disappointment; the game is unashamedly shallow and often repetitive, choosing to eschew complicated game design in favour of a more instantaneous flavour of entertainment. Conveniently, this makes it near-perfect mobile phone gaming fodder – it's thankfully possible to play through the game in short bursts, making it ideal for dull journeys and the like.

Here at Pocket Gamer we know just how difficult it can be to take a classic game and re-tool it for phones; developers fight not only against the advancement of time (which renders many titles obsolete in the face of rapidly improving gaming experiences) but other stumbling blocks such as interface, screen size and speed issues. The Chaos Engine skilfully avoids all of these pitfalls and as a result proves to be a worthy purchase for both fans and newcomers alike.