Pentapus
Pentapus is a 1-player science fiction arcade shooter for the Apple II. The player controls a set of boxed in crosshairs, and must destroy alien vessels. The crosshairs can be moved in all directions to blast alien creatures. If the player is shot by the alien creatures, they are destroyed, and the player loses a life. There are 4 difficulty levels: K, 1, 2, 3 which control the number of enemies in each wave. Enemies can scroll off any side of the screen and appear on the opposite. The player's controller can wrap laterally but not vertically on the screen. If the player destroys all monsters they advance to the next level. On level 5, the player encounters the dreaded Pentapus, which serves as the final boss to the game. If the player loses their 5 starting lives, it's game over.
SCREENSHOTS
HISTORY
Pentapus is a shoot 'em up for the Apple II published by Turning Point Software in 1983. It was developed by Jeremy Sagan, son of astronomer Carl Sagan. The player battles an army of enemies led by the Pentapus.
Gameplay
Players move a weapon, a Stargate, which is able to fire projectiles to defeat enemies, but is also vulnerable to bombs and has five lives. The game contains four difficulty levels of play, from K to 1-3, with the K level featuring slower paced gameplay designed for children. In each level, a player must defeat three waves of enemies, and then defeat the Pentapus. The game is compatible with a joystick, features a pause system, and allows high scores to be saved and written to the disk.
Reception
Pentapus received mixed reviews. Positive reviews praised the novelty and challenge of the game. Creative Computing stated Pentapus was an "exciting game" that featured "great sound and graphics" with "interesting twists to the arcade format". Writing for Electronic Games, Rick Teverbaugh praised the game's imagination, stating that although the game "owes its look to Galaxian...there is just enough new strategy (to) keep even the most accomplished Galaxian player befuddled.
Some reviewers were mixed on the strengths and weaknesses of the game. While Jeff Hurlburt for SoftSide Magazine found the game to be "an attractive, slickly presented game", he also stated "experienced arcade players may be disappointed", noting the "implementation of the stargate weapon leaves much to be desired. Movement control is very sluggish. The stargate responds as though attached to the paddle with a set of rubber bands." Negative reviews felt the game was unfairly designed. George Kopp of Electronic Fun stated Pentapus was a "difficult shoot 'em up, but unlike other shoot 'em ups like Centipede, the difficulty lies in faults of design, not gameplay". The Book of Apple Software critiqued the fairness of the game's combat, stating "conceptually it is flawed, for the player's cannon is never safe during the attack. It appears that survival is more a matter of luck than skill."
GAMEPLAY VIDEO
RELEASES 1 system
PHYSICAL RELEASES 1 box
