TCSoft / 02 / Fixed-screen shooter

Scarab

Twelve hours. One last shot.

Defend the solar barque through twelve hours of the Egyptian night. One shot at a time, carry the sun towards dawn.

BBC Micro

See it in action
02Illustrated golden scarab with rainbow-banded wings on the prow of a golden solar barque, holding up the sun and firing a bolt of light at scorpions, locusts and cobras in the night skyScarabFixed-screen shooter
Box / poster artwork concept · View poster

Make it to morning.

You are Khepri, the scarab who rolls the sun. Tonight, the deck of the solar barque is yours to defend. Above you, the brood of Apep gathers: locusts, scorpions, cobras and serpents.

They sway in formation, then peel away to dive and bomb. Hold your ground, pick your moment and keep the sky clear.

Every shot is a commitment

Only one of your bullets can be on screen at a time. Fire too soon and you’ll have nothing ready when the next enemy dives. Catch one during its dive and it’s worth double.

Twelve hours to dawn

Clear a formation to pass into the next hour of the night. Clear the twelfth and the sun rises. This is a game you can win, if you can last long enough to see the dawn.

From the machine

See it in action.

Screenshots are emulator captures shown through MAME's CRT shader.
Select one to enlarge it, then choose Clean for the original capture.

BBC Micro

Game released · shop opening soon

BBC Micro Model B. DFS disc edition.

Scarab gameplay with colourful enemy formations above the player's solar barque
Gameplay / BBC Micro
Scarab title screen on BBC Micro
Title screen / BBC Micro

Controls Z / X: move left / right. Space: start and fire. P: pause. Escape: return to title.

Digital edition: SSD disc image. Physical format: 5.25-inch floppy.

Shown through a CRT shader (crt-geom-deluxe).The original emulator capture.