Hyper Force

Hyper Force is an action-platform game similar to the Turrican series.^[1][2][3] The story takes place in the year 2099, where humanity has expanded across the stars thanks to technological advances that allow for rapid interstellar travel. However, megacorporations have an insatiable desire for expansion, with Trans Con being the most ruthless, having decimated planets and amassed enough resources to break free from restrictions of the Terran High Command. Fearing the loss of corporate support, politicians have turned a blind eye to these atrocities threatening the galaxy. A lone soldier from the Interstellar Special Forces (ISF) is tasked with eliminating Trans Con.^[2][4][5]

The player takes on the role of the soldier facing the Trans Con organization, fighting enemies and overcoming various obstacles throughout the levels.^[2][6][7] The player character can move in any direction, look up or down, perform a hover jump, climb ropes, and fire their weapon.^[4][5][6] In each level, the player collects money, weapon ammo, and tech items to earn more points.^[1][5][7] The player must also find an exit sign to advance to the next level.^[1][5] The game features over twenty levels, set in locations such as mines, a city, a fortress, and a laboratory.^[6][8] In later levels, the player must find switches that open security barriers to reach the exit. To find any of the switches, the player must explore hidden areas and fake ceilings, or shoot blocks to uncover passageways.^[1][5]

At the end of each level, the money collected during gameplay can be spent at the ISF supply shop to buy items.^[5][6][9] These include weapon upgrades, extra ammo, health replenishment, and extra lives.^[1][5][9] There are four weapons available, including a laser pistol, a scatter gun, and a flamethrower. However, the player cannot purchase ammo for a particular weapon without first owning it.^[1][5] Weapon upgrades can be selected at any time and will last as long as the player has their current life, but will need to be purchased again when restarting the level after losing a life.^[5][9] By pausing the game and accessing the options menu, the player can select one of the three available save slots to resume progress later.^[5]

Hyper Force was the first Atari Jaguar title by Visual Impact, a Ghent-based development company founded in 1994 by Kris Van Lier and Claude Verstraeten.^{[10][11][12][13]} Van Lier and Verstraeten participated in the game's creation as co-programmers.^[14][15] David Govaert and Thomas Vidts acted as co-level designers, while Kurt Huyghe and Tom Willemkens were responsible for the artwork.^[14][15] The music was composed by Kurt Drubbel and Steve Lankaore.^[14][15] The game was formally announced in 1994 and was later showcased at Atari's booth at E3 1995.^[14][16][17] Computer West (C-West), which had previously published Cannon Fodder and Pinball Fantasies for the Jaguar, would publish it in the third quarter of 1995.^[14][18][19] In 1996, Atari dropped support and canceled all projects for the Jaguar, causing the game to not be released despite Visual Impact hoping that it would be.^[3][1][20] Visual Impact was also working on a second Jaguar title, inspired by Doom and scheduled for release in 1995, but it did not come out either due to the Jaguar's demise.^[10][21]

Years later, a programmer named Carl Forhan began searching for unreleased Jaguar games that he might license and finish on his own.^[22][23][24] Forhan managed to obtain the rights to publish Hyper Force, but since Visual Impact did not provide him with the source code, he had to release the game as he received it.^[3][1][25] In 1999, Forhan founded Songbird Productions to publish the game and other unreleased titles he had licensed from former Atari developers.^{[21][20][22][26]} That same year, Atari fans successfully lobbied Hasbro Interactive to release the console's patents and rights into the public domain, transforming the Jaguar into an open game development platform.^{[26][27][28][29]} The game was initially scheduled for March 20, 2000, but delays in cartridge manufacturing postponed the release date to April 10, 2000.^[30][31][32] Songbird Productions modelled the game's packaging after official Jaguar releases.^[7][30][31] The cover art was created by Tony Ferguson.^[5]