#PA2029, Published by Atari Corp.

In this episode, the longest (and the latest) episode of The HandyCast so far,  I cover one of the last games originally developed at Epyx, Inc., Todd’s Adventures in Slime World, released in October of 1990. I’ve included vital statistics, credits, gameplay, reviews and ratings, some fun facts and trivia, and some listener feedback about the game. And with the ComLynx cable it’s an eight-player game, so grab seven more of your friends for a gooey, messy Slime-O-Rama!

TODD’S ADVENTURES IN SLIME WORLD VITAL STATISTICS

Release Date: October of 1990 (originally scheduled for July of 1990).

Initial Retail Price: $34.95.

Cartridge: 128kb stereo curved lip-style cartridge.

Game Genre: Multi-level platformer for one player, or two-to-eight players using the ComLynx cable.

Working Title: Slime World.

Screen Playfield Orientation: Landscape (horizontal).

Ports to Other Systems: The Sega Genesis (1992) and The TurboGrafx 16/PC Engine (1992).

Game Levels: Twelve single-player or multi-player levels, or “adventures:” #1: Easy, #2: Exploration, #3: Action, #4: Suspense, #5: Logic, and, for #6, either Arcade for single-player games, or Combat for multi-player games.

Number of Players: 1-8 (with ComLynx support).

Packaging:  Full-color standard-tab regular-size carton (5 3/8″ by 4 3/8″ by 7/8″). There were also French and Japanese versions of the carton sold, as well as a blister pack.

Instruction Manual: A 24-page (including front and back covers) stapled regular-sized booklet manual in monochrome in English, measuring the usual 4 7/8” high by 3 ¾” wide.

TODD’S ADVENTURES IN SLIME WORLD CREDITS

Developer: Epyx, Inc.

Game and Code: Peter Engelbrite.

Art: Matthew Crysdale, Phillip Vaughan, and Peter Engelbrite.

Sound Design: Christopher Grigg.

Music: Eric Van Rhee.

Testing: Secret Underground Labs.

LYNXED IN

“Consolizing” the Lynx (Project 1)

There are not one but TWO projects that “consolize” the Atari Lynx. The first one comes from StarForcePilot on the Atari Age Lynx forums, also known as Marcel J. de Haan on Facebook. He installed the McWill screen and the VGA output jack into his Lynx I, then he decided not to stop there. So he created a handy (see what I did there) stand for the Lynx I, and he also installed a DB9 connector on the Lynx to allow an external controller to be used to play games on the static console. More recently, he also replaced the battery compartment with a generic rechargeable lithium-ion battery along with a generic variable step-down converter. It’s really a clever design, and StarForcePilot documented his progress in completing the project beautifully with a pictorial essay on his blogpage. I highly recommend that my listeners check out the blog here.

“Consolizing” the Lynx (Project 2)

The second Lynx consolization (yes, Monty, that IS a word) is a joint project from YouTube channel Retro Revolutions, Historic Nerd, Extreme Consoles, and Neon Vision, in response to a challenge from the Press Play On Tape podcast. This project involved taking an old 4-switch woody Atari VCS (2600) console, gutting it, and rebuilding it to accept Lynx cartridges, with an HDMI output display. The console has also been trimmed in bright yellow paint, and the result is quite breathtaking. There are three parts to the video of the project, all of which can be found here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Songbird is Restarting Production of After-Market Titles

Songbird Productions, a 20-year provider of original and re-release after-market Lynx game cartridges, is re-starting production and distribution of several home brew and after-market game cartridges, many of which have been out of production for years. Among the titles planned for an re-release, beginning as early as October of 2018, are Championship Rally, Crystal Mines II: Buried Treasure, CyberVirus, Lexis, Loopz, Ponx, Remnant: PW3D, and SFX. Carl at Songbird confirms that the cartridges will be curved lip-style, and they’ll be packaged in CD jewel cases, but with better quality labels and inserts this time around. Also, as of this recording, Songbird still has a limited number of copies available of the SuperFighterTeam classic home brew title Zaku, considered one of the best games for the Atari Lynx ever. It goes without saying that Carl Forhan at Songbird is definitely helping out a whole new crop of Lynx collectors to add to their game collections, so kudos to him for ramping up production again on titles that would otherwise be unobtainium (yes, Monty, that IS a word, too). Interested Lynxters should check out Songbird Productions website to place their orders; a link to the website can be found here.

New Title Space Wars Coming from Luchs Soft

AtariGamer.com is reporting that Germany company Luchs Soft, publisher of such classic home brew titles as Hanoi, Ejagfest Slideshow, Alpine Games, Yastuna-The Alchemy of Cubes, 2017’s Reiko’s Robot Run/Always Winter, Never Christmas cartridge, and the just-released unseen cartridge, is planning to release a new title, Space Wars, sometime soon. In addition, Luchs apparently plans to move ahead with previously announced plans to r