Batty

Batty

Game No.	381
Voting	7.15 points, 13 votes
Developer	Jason Benham
Company	Hit Pak, Encore
Publisher	Elite
Musician	Robert Westgate
HVSC-File	MUSICIANS/W/Westgate_Robert/Batty.sid
Release	1987
Platform	C64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, JaC64
Genre	Arcade - Breakout/Pong
Gamemode	Single player 2 players (simultaneous)
Operation
Media
Language

Description[edit | edit source]

Batty is a bat-and-ball game, a clone of the game Breakout by Atari. The idea of the game is to clear each round (grid of blocks) by bouncing the ball into the blocks above. The game continues for as long as you are able to keep the ball in play, by blocking its escape from the bottom of the screen.

Some blocks need more than one hit, other speed up the ball. Enemies appear and try to destroy your pad by shooting. Enemies can kill with the ball, by shooting or collecting the right power-up. In some levels a magnet field change the way of the ball.

In the C64 version of the game, the game consists of 64 rounds, with every 8th round being a Bonus Round. On completion of the 64th round, a bonus is awarded and a subsequent bonus for every life the player gained. In the ZX Spectrum version of the game, the game consisted of only 16 rounds which repeated on completion of the 16th round.

The game can be played by either 1 or 2 players.

Single Player Mode[edit | edit source]

In single player mode, the player can slide the paddle the full width of the screen in order to save the ball from loss.

Two Player Mode[edit | edit source]

In 2-player mode, the block grid is shared. Both players try to clear the same grid. A wall of varying sizes is extended from the middle of the danger zone to separate the players, thus halving the amount of room to save the ball from the danger zone. If one player loses their ball, the game continues so long as the another ball is in play. The ball will return to the playfield after a short amount of time. Whoever loses the last ball in play, loses a life. Once a player loses all of their lives, the surviving player will continue as in single player mode until all of their lives are lost.

Design[edit | edit source]

A standard 2D design of a Break Out arcade game with background music and sound effects.

The round 01 of the Break Out clone Batty (two player mode)

The options menu.

Hints[edit | edit source]

Every player starts with 8 lives. The player is awarded an extra life by collecting the power-up "Xtra Life" or by scoring the points displayed (10.000, 40.000, etc.) at the right side of the game screen.

Options menu[edit | edit source]

In the options menu you can change the

Bat speed: 1-4 (optional 2)
Name of the player 1 and 2 (maximum of 5 characters)
Start level: 1-3 (optional 1) - Level 1 = Round 01, Level 2 = Round 09, Level 3 = Round 17
Number of players: 1-2 (optional 2)

Controls[edit | edit source]

Player paddles are controlled by joystick:

- moves the player's paddle left
- moves the player's paddle right
- Launches the ball once the round begins, and after being colleced by the glove power-up
/ - Paddle moves faster (after a short delay) when the fire button is held down.

Power Ups[edit | edit source]

All power-ups in the game award the player 750 points once they are collected, by making contact with the paddle. A money bag power-up awards the player five times the 750 point award. There are 10 different power-ups.

Glove / Hand	Used to catch the ball. Once the ball hits the paddle, the paddle can be moved to alter the tradjectory of the ball on release.
Extend / Extended racket	Elongates the paddle
Xtra Life / Extra Life	Awards the player an extra life
Money Bag / Bonus points	Awards bonus points to the player. Awards five times the bonus amount.
Skeleton / Smart bomb	Kills all enemies on screen
Rocket pack	Level skip, and awards points to the player
Triple ball	You play with 3 balls together
Slow Down / Slow ball	Slows the ball down
Smash ball	Ball destroys blocks without changing the ball's direction
Gun	Destroy blocks and enemies by shooting

Hint: Only one power-up is active! If you collect another one, the function of the older power-up is lost.

Bonus Rounds[edit | edit source]

C64 version only: Every 8th level is a bonus round. Bonus rounds appear like regular rounds with a couple of differences. In a bonus round, the player has 60 seconds in which to remove / hit the bonus block. The bonus blocks are usually white in colour. In addition, the player only has one life in which to remove the bonus block. If the player loses the ball, or the time runs out, the player is presented with a "No Bonus" message and play then continues with the next round.

Solution[edit | edit source]

Cheats[edit | edit source]

The cheat version of "Nostalgia" has "unlimited lives", "level skip" and a saving highscore.
Unlimited lives: POKE 2828,189
Cheat mode: POKE 3149,189

Voting[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wiki-User (10=the best vote):
7.15 points at 13 votes (rank 400). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	7	06. July 2021 - 21732 downs
Lemon64	7.8	06. July 2021 - 60 votes