9 Lives (video game)
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| 9 Lives | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | ARC[1] |
| Designer | Graham 'Kenny' Everett[2] |
| Artist | Simon Lawson[2] |
| Platforms | Amiga, Atari ST |
| Release | November 1990[1] |
| Genre | Platform |
| Mode | Single-player |
9 Lives is a platform game released in 1990 for the Amiga and Atari ST. It was developed by ARC, a software division of Atari Corporation. The player takes the role of Bob Cat, who must rescue Claudette from a mad scientist who kidnapped her.
Gameplay
9 Lives is a platform game where the player takes the role of Bob Cat, and accessing different areas of the level relies on jumping. The longer the player holds down the joystick, the more power is used to jump;[5] the height and distance of a jump is determined by how much power the player uses.[3][5]
Mutant animals are scattered throughout each level and attack Bob if he gets too close, causing the player to slowly lose energy while touching them.[1] Bob can attack enemies using a ball of wool, stunning them temporarily.[3] Bob's energy and jump meters are represented by icons of Bob's tail on the left and right of the screen.[2][3] The player has nine lives,[1] and the player loses a life when they run out of energy, fall onto a spike trap, or fall too far down.[4][1] Six cats are locked in cages on each level; the player must find keys throughout the level to unlock them.[3][1] Freeing all six cats allows the player to go to the next level.[6] Keys can also be used to unlock secret rooms, which have items such as powerups or extra lives.[7]
The game has four levels, with the final level being the mad scientist's warehouse.[6] Each level has more than a hundred rooms.[1] Throughout each level Bob can pick up powerups giving the player various temporary abilities including flight, invisibility, and immunity to damage;[2] potions created by the mad scientist may have negative effects if picked up.[2][3] Food restores energy when picked up, and items such as jewels award points.[3][1]
Development
9 Lives was developed by ARC, a software division of Atari, and was released for Amiga and Atari ST in November 1990.[1] The game's designer Graham 'Kenny' Everett said in regards to the artstyle of the game that "Cartoon style games have never really taken on in computer games, which is really surprising as it lends itself so well to animation. I think the gameplay aspect has always been lacking in these games and so we decided to try and combine comical cartoon style characters with fast moving gameplay."[2] Bob Cat was named after Bob Katz, an ARC staff member.[2]
In 1991, the Atari ST version of 9 Lives was included in the compilation Discovery Xtra.[8]