The Living Daylights

The Living Daylights

Game No.	257
Voting	6.06 points, 17 votes
Developer	David Barbour
Publisher	Domark
Musician	David Whittaker
HVSC-File	MUSICIANS/W/Whittaker_David/Living_Daylights.sid
Release	1987
Platform	C64
Genre	Shoot'em Up, H-Scrolling
Gamemode	Single player
Operation
Media
Language
Information	See also: James Bond 007 A View to a Kill Live and Let Die Licence to Kill The Spy Who Loved Me

Description[edit | edit source]

For the James Bond movie "The Living Daylights", in which Timothy Dalton played the famous role for the first time, the game was released. In eight levels, which are meant to show scenes from the movie, you try to steer bond through a landscape scrolling from right to left, in which all sorts of villains hide and want to make him breath his last. Of course bond can fire back, but should not hit any innocent people, as this means points will be deducted. Additionally obstacles appear that need to be jumped. Next to his gun, which he always owns, bond can pick an additional weapon (or item) as Bazooka, grenades, night vision device, helmet, cigarettes!!, a ghetto-blaster!!, etc. from the arsenal of "[Q]" after each level. One of these weapons (items) is implicitly required in the next level.

Design[edit | edit source]

... the different levels and the ending message ... (played through with cheat mode) ...

... "Q"s arsenal - interesting things lying around ...

Clean scrolling and partially well-made graphics and a good, but unfortunately very short title melody. The controls need getting used to and are not solved very cleverly, as an enemy at the left border of the screen is hard to hit due to the long way of the crosslines.There is no end screen, only a short message appears after solving the game. Unfortunately, the highscore list is not saved.

Hints[edit | edit source]

The levels[edit | edit source]

Level 1 - Gibraltar
James Bond must try during a training in Gibraltar to overcome a new British radar system. The soldiers on the military base are informed, this test is supposed to be done only with paintball weapons. But one of the soldiers shoots with real ammunition and Bond needs to eliminate him...
Additional items: Paint-Gun (available at the beginning)

Level 2 - The Lenin People's Music Conservatory
Here Bond needs to help the general of the KGB to escape. But in no case he is allowed to injure uninvolved passengers. Koskov will follow Bond, but he needs to be protected from the snipers that hide in the building.
Additional items: missile pen, ghetto blaster, night vision device, hand grenade

Level 3 - The Pipeline
Koskov needs to be brought safely through the facilites to the Transsiberian pipeline. Thereby you need to look out for Russian guards and falling pipes.
Additional items: missile pen, steel helmet, cigarettes, bomb

Level 4 - The Mansion House
Bond has finally brought Koskov out of the danger zone, but now the killer Necros was set on him. And he does not even shrink from using a helicopter.
Additional items: mortar, Bazooka, dynamite, bomb

Level 5 - The Fairground
Necros last appearance. He tries to eliminate Bond with an "explosive balloon attack".
Additional items: mortar, ghetto blaster, crossbow, bomb

Level 6 - Tangiers
Koskov was abducted and Bond needs to take him to a safe place. This turns out a type of running the gauntlet over the roofs of Tangiers.
Additional items: missile pen, sleep-dart-gun, cigarettes, hand grenade

Level 7 - The Military Complex
Bond needs to escape from a Russian base in Afghanistan.
Additional items: mortar, Bazooka, cigarettes, hand grenade

Level 8 - Whittakers House
Bond finally meets the one who is behind all that - the weapon and drug dealer Brad Whittaker. The final fight starts.
Additional items: none

Controls[edit | edit source]

In Q's arsenal:

= to move the cursor
= to confirm

In the game, if the crossline is not completely at the right:

= to aim (with the crossline)
= to shoot

In the game, if the crossline is at the rightmost:

= run
= jump forwards
= roll forwards
= change weapon (item) (move cursor to lower border of screen, then fire button)

Solution[edit | edit source]

Tips for the levels[edit | edit source]

Level 1: Shoot at green soldiers with the paint-gun, at the grey soldier at the end of the level shoot with the Walther. Jump over stones lying in the way.
Level 2: At the start instantly use night vision device. Only shoot at the red soldiers. Jump over manhole covers.
Level 3: At the start instantly put on steel helmet. At steam exhausts (yellow) do a roll forward. Jump over pipes (white).
Level 4: Use Bazooka to shoot helicopter and guards on the way. Jump over grenade holes and projectiles on the way.
Level 5: Bond cannot move. First shoot 20 balloons with the crossbow, then the balloon seller with Walther.
Level 6: Shoot at guards at the edge with sleep-dart-gun. Jump over walls and projectiles.
Level 7: You can also bribe the guards on the way with a cigarette. But you should nevertheless equip Bond with a Bazooka. Jump over items and projectiles.
Level 8: Walk forward and avoid the projectiles. When Bond has reached Whittaker, shoot at him with Walther.

Other tips[edit | edit source]

In the arsenal you have only 5 seconds time to decide for an item.
Certain bonus items can only be used once.

Cheats[edit | edit source]

Voting[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
6.06 points at 17 votes (rank 780). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	8	16th May 2010 - "super" - 17896 downs
Lemon64	5,8	16th May 2010 - 21 votes
Kultboy.com	4,75	17th May 2010 - 4 votes
Happy Computer	58%	Games Special 10/87
ZZap64	57%	Issue 9/87

Reviews[edit | edit source]

H.T.W: "The graphics alone do not make it! This is a game which looks rather pleasing at the beginning, but this is all. You still can get over the problem with the controls, but that each level present itself equally concerning the gameplay, makes the motivation sink strongly after a short time. Seven levels that scroll horizonally and in which you just have to shoot your way through! That you can choose the additional weapon in the arsenal does not really help either, because if you know what you need in which level, it is not interesting any more. Only level 5, the explosive balloon level loosens everything up a bit. And while I am still grumping: If you make the effort and play through the game, you would want to see an end seqeunce (or at least an end screen) and not only such a pathetic message!! And the highscore list is of course also not saved (neither in the disk nor the tape version). In return, the difficulty grade is not that high (as even I have reached level 4 without cheat mode...), therefore fans of shooters which are also taken with Mr. "shaken, not stirred" will like it...".