Blood Money is a simplistic scrolling shooter that was developed by DMA Design Limited for eventual release by Psygnosis Limited. It was a late eighties game, and in the eighties style, it features arcade type action with a very fast clip, a lot of furious shooting, and wave after wave of enemies. It is a classic left to right side scroller, for the most part, but does offer some scenes where the scroll will switch to vertical. Its massive action made it popular on numerous ports, most notably the Commodore 64 and the Amiga, aside from the personal computer.
Blood Money, as one would guess, is a quest driven by greed. The goal is to conquer alien planets, of which there are a total of four, by spraying lead at them as you move around their territories. When the user dominates a horde of aliens on one planet, he will acquire their sizable stash of cash. The rumor that each race of aliens is loaded with money is the driving force behind the conquests. As the user dominates each race and gets his hands on their money, he can turn around and use it to upgrade his space ship, making him all the more deadly against future alien races. The other most notable use
for cash is an entry fee. The demolition of each planet requires an entry fee. The more money an alien race is allegedly hiding, the more it costs to enter the demolition derby. In fact, there is seldom much coin left over for ship upgrades once the demolition entry fee is fronted. The user will be able to earn extra cash by shooting down the enemy aliens and collecting the coins that they drop.
There are five basic kinds of aliens that the user will have to shoot. Each of the aliens looks a bit different from the others, with the primary difference being their colors (although they are somewhat differently shaped, also.) Each variety has a different specialization, and a different value as far as coins. Blastables are very abundant and come in all sorts of varieties. They are as their name implies…simply blastable. Money munchers steal from your bank and can really screw up your ability to upgrade. There are also aliens that cannot be killed, but really don’t bother you. If they touch you, or if you accidentally fly into them, you will immediately explode.
Aside from aliens, the user will have to steer clear of many obstacles on each planet, similar to a U.N. Squadron style of gaming. Blood Money is an interesting little shooter and will provide an adequate challenge for any classic gamer.
