Athena

Arcade Video game published 38 years ago:

Athena (c) 1986 SNK [Shin Nihon Kikaku].

This is a pretty hard platform game where you take the role of Athena fighting your way through different worlds inhabited by all kinds of different enemies, ranging from moving pears to huge golems and flying devils.

You start out with nothing more than your feet to fight with and no more protection than Athena's underwear (she actually loses her dress in the intro to the first world) but can collect a huge number of different weapons and armour, as well as a great number of power-ups ranging from the usual more-power-for weapon or armour, through boots that allow her to jump higher and wings for flying, to one where Athena becomes a semi-god and actually growths to twice her usual size and gets a huge burning sword and full armour.

The worlds are filled with stone blocks that can be smashed when searching for secrets and items, as well as several levels connected by ladders or other means of transportation.

Athena is a great game, and will give even the most hardened platform-player a real challenge, for it is NOT an easy game, even with the dip switches in 'Easy' mode.

- TECHNICAL -

Game ID : 'UP'

Main CPU : (2x) Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) YM3526 (@ 4 Mhz)

Players : 2
Control : 4-Way Joystick
Buttons : 2
=> Sword, Jump

- TRIVIA -

Athena was released in July 1986.

The main character, Athena, appears in The King of Fighters series.

The 'Athena' logo on the title screen appears in 1991's Sengoku by SNK. In level 2, there is a store called 'Boutique Athena' in the background with the original 'Athena' logo.

- TIPS AND TRICKS -

* Test mode:
Hold START during machine boot.

* Something not found in the manual to this game is that there exists a 'secret' mode of the game - if you set dip switch 7 of bank 2 to 'ON' you will get one life less than usual (2 instead of 3 or 5), but the life meter will start at 22 and not 12 or 14 which is the standard. This will make the game much more interesting.

* Every time you die you loose every equipment you collected up to that point, unless you also have a 'K' Item in your inventory. If you have it, when you die you will only loose the 'K' but keep the rest of the items.

* There is a secret level that can be reached collecting a magic key on the Ice, Hell or Sky world. Other may exists. This world is called 'World of Labyrinth'.

* When you complete the 'World of labyrinth', you will meet an angel. Do NOT attack her, but wait until she drops an harp. If you collect it, it will work as a perpetual 'K' item, and you will never loose your items again when you die.

* When you complete the 'World of labyrinth', you will be returned to the level following to the one you picked up the key on.

- SERIES -

1. Athena (1986)
2. Psycho Soldier (1987)
3. Athena - Full Throttle (2006, Mobile Phones)

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES:
Nintendo Famicom (1987, "Athena [Model SFX-AT]")

* COMPUTERS:
Commodore C64 (1987)