Rescue Rover is a single player puzzle game developed by ID Software for release by Softdisk. It hit the markets and found its way onto the personal computer in the early nineties and featured a shareware and registered version. It inspired a sequel in Rescue Rover 2, which was also a top down puzzle solving strategy game.
Rescue Rover features two main characters, Roger and Rover. As one would guess, Rover is Roger’s dog, and while he is a good pooch, he seems to have a terrible habit of being kidnapped by robots.
Rescue Rover is a single player puzzle game developed by ID Software for release by Softdisk. It hit the markets and found its way onto the personal computer in the early nineties and featured a shareware and registered version. It inspired a sequel in Rescue Rover 2, which was also a top down puzzle solving strategy game.
Rescue Rover features two main characters, Roger and Rover. As one would guess, Rover is Roger’s dog, and while he is a good pooch, he seems to have a terrible habit of being kidnapped by robots. All thirty of the levels begin the same way. Roger must climb up a ladder to reach the lever proper, then must navigate through the level and solve puzzles, eventually arriving back
at the same ladder with his faithful hound in tow and taking him out of the hostile robot territory.
The game plays out as a puzzle strategy. Roger must rescue Rover by moving blocks and other obstacles around each environment to clear pathways for the dog to move through. As the levels progress, they grow increasingly difficult and will require more and more forethought and planning in order to defeat. Beyond the obstacles in the levels, there are robots that will make the user’s (and Roger’s) life more interesting. There are four different types of robots, each with its own unique personality. One is stationary, but will fire upon Roger if he is in its line of sight. Another is mobile but patrols a set area and also fires at Roger. One chases Roger around, and the final one will simply run Roger over by chasing him into a corner or wherever it can catch him.
Roger has several items available to help him manoeuvre through each level safely. Crates are the basic items that Roger can push around the world, and they have the added bonus of being able to float on water, sometimes forming a land bridge. Mirror blocks can reflect laser fire, and there are many other items such as star pearls and anti-gravity carts. There are standard terrains that can also be helpful. Robots, for example, cannot travel across metal grated floors. Teleport will move Roger from place to place. There are also numerous terrains that are a hindrance, such as the glowing floors, which Roger cannot walk on and water, which has to be outsmarted to be used to Roger’s advantage.
This is not a bad little puzzle game at all and one could really not ask for a nobler plot than a boy trying to save his beloved companion animal. This should be a satisfying, and thought provoking download.
