Equinox

Equinox
Title screen of the game
Game No.	536
Voting	8.00 points, 1 votes
Developer	Raffaele Cecco, Chris Hinsley Cover: Oliver Frey
Company	MicroGen
Publisher	MicroGen
Musician	Nick Jones
HVSC-File	MUSICIANS/J/Jones_Nick/Equinox.sid
Release	1986
Platform	Amstrad CPC, C64, ZX Spectrum
Genre	Grafik-Adventure
Gamemode	Single player
Operation
Media
Language

Description[edit | edit source]

To the sounds of the title theme, the game's elements are introduced.

Equinox is an action-adventure game spanning eight levels, each with 16 screens. There is no scrolling; the screens are displayed using a flip-screen method. The player controls a cleaning robot through the corridors of an abandoned mine on a distant asteroid. In each level, within a limited time, the robot must collect a radioactive canister that is about to explode and deliver it to a disposal station.

The player can utilize the equipment and tools left behind by the miners, but should plan their approach carefully, as these resources are scarce, and many passages between adjacent rooms are one-way. To make matters worse, the player must also fend off numerous enemies that attack the robot and cause it to explode if contact is prolonged. Once all the canisters have been defused, the player's mission is complete and the game is successfully finished.

Backstory[edit | edit source]

Deep in space, the cratered asteroid "Sury-Ani 7" majestically orbits its star with a period of 400 years. Rich in resources, it has been hollowed out by humans, who have created a mine with numerous tunnels inside. However, because some canisters containing unstable, radioactive material, intended for disposal, threaten to explode and contaminate the asteroid, the miners have fled the celestial body and instead deployed a cleaning robot — controllable by the player — to collect and decontaminate the dangerous containers.

This robot can now use the equipment and tools left behind by the miners to gain access to the radioactive canisters in each of the eight levels and transport them one by one to the disposal facility. Unfortunately, in their hasty escape, the miners forgot to deactivate the security systems, so our cleaning robot is now almost constantly attacked by sentinels while performing its task. Prolonged contact with these sentinels causes it to explode.

If the cleaning robot manages to collect all eight canisters and transport them to the disposal facility despite these difficult conditions, the humans can return to the asteroid and finally resume mining.

Design[edit | edit source]

The game takes place in eight tunnels of an abandoned mine. The equipment left behind by the miners is detailed and colorful. Numerous objects have no function in the actual gameplay and serve only to create a realistic environment and an atmospheric setting. The player doesn't have much time to enjoy these scenes, however, because shortly after entering each new screen, up to four lively enemies appear and attack the cleaning robot controlled by the player.

The droid roams an abandoned mine full of mysterious equipment.

Teleporters transport the droid to otherwise inaccessible rooms... and back again.

A droid life can be exchanged for a teleporter chip at the vending machine.

Graphics[edit | edit source]

The graphics are rendered in monochrome bitmap mode, with only a 256x144 pixel section used for the mine scenes. Since only one screen page is reserved for this in the Commodore 64's main memory (at address $E000, with the corresponding color information in the screen memory starting at address $C000), the screen refresh is visible for approximately 0.3 seconds when transitioning from one screen to the next.

Multicolor sprites are used to depict moving objects. The cleaning robot is displayed using two overlapping sprites (sprite 5 for the orange shading in the lower right area, which covers sprite 6, representing all the other pixels of the droid), while sprites 0-3 show the enemies. Sprites 0 and 1, activated a second time via sprite multiplexing, also serve as pointers at the top of the screen, indicating the fuel and ammunition levels. The laser beams with which the robot defends itself against its enemies, on the other hand, are incorporated into the bitmap graphics as horizontal lines.

Sound[edit | edit source]

A pleasant, three-part title theme plays while the start screen is displayed. During gameplay, however, only sound effects are heard, which underscore the gameplay — for example, gunfire, explosions, picking up tools, and using teleporters.

Hints[edit | edit source]

The goal of each level is to use the droid to quickly locate a radioactive canister hidden somewhere in the mine tunnel and bring it to the disposal station. Afterward, the player must find the entry ticket for the next level and use it to reach the control room, from where the level can be changed.

However, the robot cannot move freely within the 16 rooms that together form the cave labyrinth of each level. For one thing, connections between adjacent rooms are sometimes blocked or sealed and must first be opened with the appropriate equipment. For another, passages are often only passable in one direction: magnetic elevators only transport the droid upwards, trapdoors only open downwards, and conveyor belts are one-way streets in a horizontal direction. To make matters worse, some tunnels are divided into several separate sections, connected by only two teleporters — and the chips required to pay for these teleporters are scarce.

The appeal of the game lies in carefully planning the routes between the canister, entry ticket, disposal room, and control room, ensuring the necessary equipment is always available at the right time. To make matters worse, the droid's fuel supply depletes quite quickly when ascending using its rocket engine, and ammunition for defending against the ubiquitous enemies is scarce. Both must therefore be replenished regularly; furthermore, it is advisable to use the magnetic elevators whenever possible to conserve fuel when moving to higher levels.

The most important tool for movement within a level is the teleporters. Two such cabins (left image) are paired together and typically connect two rooms that are otherwise unconnected or only have a one-way connection. Teleporter tokens (right illustration), found in numerous locations throughout the tunnel, serve as currency for paying for teleporters: Placing one of these tokens in one of two paired teleporters allows you to make two trips using those teleporters.

It is not necessary to begin the journey immediately after paying the fare — quite the opposite! Since the droid can only carry one item at a time, it is often necessary to first pay for the teleporter and then leave it again to collect the items for the trip. It is not even necessary to start the journey at the point of payment: For example, with two teleporters connecting rooms A and B, you can place the token in the teleporter in room A and then travel from B to A twice. Placing two tokens in the same teleporter grants you the right to a total of four trips.

If the teleporter chips are insufficient, a life of the droid can be exchanged for a chip at special vending machines (left image in the gallery below). With careful planning, this is never necessary in the game; however, when exploring a level for the first time, it can be helpful to quickly gain an overview of a cave system.

Chip Machine

Dynamite, blasts open passages to adjacent rooms

Drill, opens safes

Shovel, digs passages to rooms below

Fuse, deactivates arcs

Key, unlocks doors to adjacent rooms

Barrel, refills the robot's fuel supply

Battery, provides new ammunition for the laser

Bomb, destroys all enemies in the current room

The goal of each level is to collect a radioactive canister (left image in the gallery below) and decontaminate it in the disposal room. Afterward, the entry ticket for the next level must be found and redeemed in the control room.

Radioactive canister

Level 1 entry ticket

Level 2 entry ticket

Level 3 entry ticket

Level 4 entry ticket

Level 5 entry ticket

Level 6 entry ticket

Level 7 entry ticket

Level 8 entry ticket

Controls[edit | edit source]

All important settings are configured via the start menu.

"Equinox" can be controlled either with a joystick in Port 2 or with the keyboard. Both the selection between these two input devices and, if necessary, the redefinition of the keyboard layout can be done via a menu on the start screen.

The game can be started from this menu using the menu item "3. START GAME". If the key bindings have not been changed, the following assignments apply:

or O : The droid moves to the left
or P : The droid moves to the right
or Q : Boost (the droid moves upwards)
or A : Pick up/place an item
3 : Pause (stop the game; resume with SPACE )
RESTORE : Quit the current game and return to the start screen

Screen Layout[edit | edit source]

Enemies[edit | edit source]

The enemies that attack the cleaning robot and cause it to explode upon prolonged contact look more like a comedy troupe than mine security. Unfortunately, they move so frantically that their design is difficult to discern during gameplay:

Tips[edit | edit source]

Players with a joystick equipped with a full-auto fire switch have a clear advantage in this game. Without this feature, it's difficult to fend off the relentless enemies.
Before using a teleporter, carefully consider whether travel is possible by other means — and whether you can carry items that might be needed at your destination.
Decontaminating a canister is rewarded with 500 points, while shooting enemies with a laser is worth 25 points each. All other actions are not rewarded. Therefore, before refilling your ammunition, it can be worthwhile to use up your remaining shots and eliminate some enemies to achieve a higher score.
The tickets for each level grant access not only to the level with the printed number but also to all lower levels. This can be useful for returning to a previously completed level and replenishing ammunition or fuel.

The elevator can also be exited prematurely.

A suitable ticket allows you to advance to a higher level.

Solution[edit | edit source]

Maps[edit | edit source]

Step by Step[edit | edit source]

Level 1

Retrieve the teleporter chip from room B6 and use it to teleport from A4 to A6. Pick up the drill on the far left, teleport back, and use the drill to open the safe in room B2. Take the dynamite inside and use it to blast open the passage from room B5 to room C5.
From room C3, pick up the teleporter chip in room B3 and place it in the teleporter in room A4. Then retrieve the radioactive container from room C2, teleport from A4 to A6, and dispose of the canister.
Retrieve the key from room C1, use it to unlock room A5 from B5, and pick up the entry ticket for level 2. Then, from room C6, go to the control room and advance to the next level.

Level 2

Pick up the teleporter chip in room A3 and use it to teleport from D2 to B4. In room A4, pick up the drill on the far left. Then, instead of using the teleporter to return, take the elevator in room C4 and exit to the left in room C3 in time.
Use the drill to open the safe in room A2. Take the teleporter chip inside and place it in the teleporter in room D3.
Pick up the dynamite from room B2 and teleport from room D3 to E3. Exit the teleporter to the right and blast open the passage between E2 and F2.
Pick up the teleporter chip in room E2 and place it in the teleporter in E3. Then pick up the radioactive container from room F1, and teleport first from E3 to D3 and then from D2 to B4.
Dispose of the canister in room A4. Then take the elevator in room C4 and exit to the right in room C3. Pick up the shovel in C3 and teleport from D3 to E3. From F2, use the shovel to dig a passage into the room below, F3, and pick up the entry ticket for level 3.
Teleport from room E3 to D3, then from room A3 go to the control room and advance to the next level.

Level 3

Pick up the key from room A2 and use it to unlock the passage to C5 in B5.
In room C5, pick up the fuse in the upper left corner and go to A1. Insert the contact into the switchboard in the lower right corner; this will extinguish the arc in the left part of the room.
Exit the room via the trapdoor marked with arrows and pick up the teleporter chip in A1. Go to A6 and teleport to C1. Pick up the radioactive canister there, go to C3, and take the conveyor belt to A3.
Dispose of the canister in room A5, then teleport from A6 to C1 again. Pick up the Level 4 entry ticket in C2, take the conveyor belt to room C4, and from there, use the control room to advance to the next level.

Level 4

Pick up the teleporter chip in room C3 and place it in the teleporter in B2. Return to the next lower level via the trapdoor in C2, pick up the fuse in room A3, and teleport from B2 to D1.
Pick up the drill in room E1, leaving the fuse behind, and then teleport from D1 to B2. In room C2, use the drill to open the safe and pick up the dynamite inside.
In room B3, pick up the teleporter chip, leaving the dynamite behind. Then place the chip in the teleporter in B2. Next, pick up the dynamite from room B3 and teleport from B2 to D1.
In room D2, use the dynamite to blast open the passage to room E2. Pick up the teleporter chip in D2 and place it in the teleporter in D1. Then pick up the fuse in room E1 and teleport from E2 to F1.
Install the fuse in the control panel in the upper left corner of room G1. This will extinguish the arc on the right side of the room. In room F2, pick up the radioactive canister and dispose of it in E1.
Teleport again from E2 to F1, go through the now clear passage in G1 and the trapdoor in H1 to room H2, and pick up the entry ticket for Level 5 there. Go across the two conveyor belts from H2 to E2, then teleport from D1 to B2. From room C3, go to the control room and advance to the next level.

Level 5

Pick up the dynamite in room A1 and use it to blast open the passage to B3 in A3. Go through this passage to B1, pick up the teleporter chip there, and place it in the teleporter in room A1.
Pick up the fuse in room A2 and teleport from A1 to D4. There, insert the contact into the control box in C4 so that the arc goes out. Pick up the shovel and use it to go through the trapdoor in room D1 to D2. Use the shovel to dig a passage into the room below, D3, and pick up the drill there.
Go to room C1 via the conveyor belt in room D2 and use the drill to open the safe. Pick up the radioactive canister inside and dispose of it in room C2. Then pick up the teleporter chip and place it in the teleporter in room C3.
Return to room D2, pick up the key, and go to room C2 via the conveyor belt. Then teleport from C3 to B4.
Use the key to open the door to the adjacent room A4 and pick up the drill there. Then teleport from B4 to C3 and from D4 to A1.
Go to room B3, use the drill to open the safe there, and pick up the entry ticket for level 6 inside. Then go to the control room from room A2 and advance to the next level.

Level 6

Pick up the teleporter chip in room B1 and place it in the teleporter in A1. Then pick up the dynamite in room B2 and teleport from A1 to A4. Use the dynamite to blast open the passage to the adjacent room B4.
Go through the newly opened passage to room A3, pick up the drill, and return to A1 by elevator. Use the drill to open the safe and pick up the fuse.
Teleport from A1 to A4 again and insert the fuse into the fuse box in A5 to extinguish the arc. Then go to B3 via the conveyor belt and elevator, pick up the teleporter chip, and finally place it in the teleporter in A1.
Pick up the shovel in room A2, return to A1, and teleport from there to A4. Use the conveyor belt and elevator again, but this time exit the elevator to the right in room B5 and go to A7. Pick up the teleporter chip there and leave the shovel behind.
Place the teleporter chip in the teleporter in room B7, then retrieve the dynamite from B6 and finally teleport from B7 to A8. Use the dynamite to blast open the passage to the adjacent room B8, return to A7 via the elevator there, and pick up the shovel again. Then teleport from B7 to A8 once more.
Use the elevator in room B8 again, but this time exit the elevator to the right while still in B8. Use the shovel to clear the access to the Level 7 entry ticket and pick up the ticket, then go to room B4. Pick up the radioactive canister there and leave the entry ticket behind.
Go to room B2 and dispose of the canister. Then teleport from A1 to A4, retrieve the entry ticket left behind in B4, and go to B1. From there, enter the control room and proceed to the next level.

Level 7

Pick up the teleporter chip in room C2 and place it in the teleporter in C1. Then pick up the dynamite in room A1 and teleport from C1 to A4.
From room A3, use the dynamite to blast open the passage to room B3, then use the conveyor belt from B3 to C3. Briefly take the elevator there, but exit to the right while still in the same room. Take the elevator in D3 to D1 and pick up the radioactive canister.
Return to C1 via the conveyor belt, then dispose of the radioactive canister in A1. Then pick up the fuse in B1 and teleport from C1 to A4 again.
Go from A4 to D1 via the same route as before, and from there into the adjacent room E1. Install the fuse you brought with you into the control panel so that the arc goes out. Then, in the room below, E2, pick up the entry ticket for Level 8.
Return to room D1 and go via the conveyor belt to C1, and from there, finally, go through the trapdoor into the room below, C2. From there, enter the control room and proceed to the next level.

Level 8

Pick up the teleporter chip in room A2 and place it in the teleporter in A3. Pick up the dynamite in room A1, go back to room A3, and from there teleport to D1.
Go to C2 and use the dynamite to blast open the passage to the adjacent room D2. Retrieve the teleporter chip from room D2 and place it in the teleporter in D1. Then, in room D3, pick up the dynamite and teleport from D1 to A3.
In room A2, use the dynamite to blast open the passage to the adjacent room B2, then teleport back from A3 to D1. In room C1, pick up the teleporter chip and place it in the teleporter in room D2.
In room C2, pick up the fuse, then teleport from D2 to D4. Go to B4 and install the fuse in the control panel so that the arc goes out. Then, in A4, pick up the radioactive canister.
Return to room D4 and teleport from there to D2, then go to D1 and teleport to A3. Go to room B1 and dispose of the canister there. The robot's task is now complete, and the game is solved.

Cheats[edit | edit source]

In the CSDb there are several Cracks with a Trainer function. The trainers by Avatar and by Conquistadores (left and middle images in the first row of the gallery below, respectively) offer the most diverse selection. The trainer by Airwolf-Team (right image) has an unusual design.

Internal Data Structures[edit | edit source]

For developing custom trainer functions and for analyzing or manipulating the data used by the game, knowledge of memory allocation and internal operation is helpful. The following table therefore compiles a range of information about "Equinox".

Address	Content	Comments
$000E	Current Level/Current Room	Value range $00...$7F, Level in bits 4...6, Room number in bits 0...3
$0015	Carrying Item	$00=none, $01= (Bomb), $12= (Ticket Level 1), ..., $19= (Ticket Level 8), $22= (Drill), $23= (Dynamite), $26= (Battery), $27= (Barrel), $29= (Teleporter Chip), $2A= (Jar), $2B= (Key), $32= (Shovel), $35= (Fuse), $72= (Object "PETE")
$0019	Number of Lives	Value Range 0...3
$001C	Fuel Level	Value Range 0...102
$001E	Ammunition Level	Value Range 0...102
$2073-$2074	Time Remaining	Number of little endian repetitions until the next square in the display disappears
$2075	Time (squares)	Value range 0...6
$4963-$4965	Score	Packed BCD, little endian

Votes[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
8.00 points at 1 vote. You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	6	April 12, 2025 - "gut" - 21250 downs
Lemon64	6.85	April 12, 2025 - 33 votes
Ready64	6.5	April 12, 2025 - 2 voti
ASM (Aktueller Software-Markt)	Grafik 8/10, Sound 8/10, Spielidee 7/10, Spielmotivation 10/10	Ausgabe 6/1986
Amtix	91% (Presentation 91%, Graphics 92%, Sound 91%, Playability 93%, Addictive qualities 92%, Value for money 91%)	Issue 9 (July 1986)
Crash	87% (Use of computer 88%, Graphics 87%, Playability 89%, Getting started 85%, Addictive qualities 88%, Value for money 84%)	Issue 30 (July 1986)
Sinclair User	5/5	Issue 52 (July 1986)
Your Sinclair	8/10 (Graphics 8/10, Playability 8/10, Value for Money 8/10, Addictiveness 9/10)	Issue 8 (August 1986)
ZZap! 64	83% (Presentation 81%, Graphics 81%, Sound 66%, Hookability 85%, Lastability 82%, Value For Money 79%)	Issue 18 (October 1986)
Computer Gamer	Bright Star (Originality 2/5, Graphics 4/5, Use of machine 3/5, Value for money 3/5)	Issue 17 (August 1986)
Your Computer	4/5 (Graphics 5/5, Sound 3/5, Playability 3/5, Value for money 4/5)	June 1986
Amstrad Action	83% (Graphics 87%, Sonics 62%, Grab Factor 84%, Staying Power 82%)	Issue 10 (July 1986)
Tilt	4/6	N° 36 (Novembre 1986)
Universal Videogame List	3.7/5	June 15, 2023

Critics[edit | edit source]

Stephan64: "In Equinox, eight very different, lovingly and intricately designed cave labyrinths invite you to search for a radioactive canister that needs to be disposed of. The task can only be solved with a combination of quick reflexes, long-term planning, and good orientation. Since the labyrinths are always structured the same way, the game naturally loses its appeal once you've completed it — but until then, Equinox promises plenty of fun. The only downside is the nerve-wracking experience of the frantic shooting to fend off the enemies; 8 out of 10 points!"

Miscellaneous[edit | edit source]

Cover[edit | edit source]

Images of the cover and inlay can be found at "Spectrum Computing" (see section "Weblinks").

Theme[edit | edit source]

After the game starts, a three-part melody plays while the various elements of the game are presented on the screen. The first page of this theme song is shown below in standard musical notation. For creative reuse, the complete sheet music is also available as a PDF document (File:Equinox Theme PDF.pdf) and in ABC musical notation (File:Equinox Theme.abc.txt).

Fastloader[edit | edit source]

The cassette version of Equinox (found in Ric64's Tape Archive) uses a software fast loader that precedes the actual program data. It is loaded as a standalone program (consisting of the BASIC line 10 SYS2061 and a 505-byte machine language program) and started with RUN. It then loads the loading screen (an 8000-byte monochrome bitmap copied to address $E000...$FF3F, and 1000 bytes of video RAM with associated color information to $CC00...$CFE7) and the actual program (address range $0A06...$BBC4) sequentially, verifying each by calculating a checksum. In case of an error, the fastloader triggers a reset of the C64; otherwise, it starts the game with an absolute jump to address $0B09. The start and end addresses of all memory areas, as well as the game's start address, are stored as constants in the fastloader, making it unsuitable as a general loading routine for programs in the recording format used here.

The fast loader is strikingly amateurishly programmed and uses both the functions of the CIAs and the addressing modes of the CPU 6502 only in a remarkably cumbersome way. For example, to distinguish between 0 and 1 bits, it compares the state of a timer started at $FFFF in CIA 2 with a constant threshold, instead of using a suitable starting value to make this distinction based on a possible timer underflow. The two indirect addressing modes are used for loading and checking the program data, with the corresponding index register always having the value $00 and the address pointer being incremented byte by byte; furthermore, the checksum is not calculated "on the fly" during loading, but only afterwards in a separate subroutine.

In the first phase of the loading process, horizontal colored stripes are visible on the screen, followed by the loading screen (see figure on the right). Compared to the Kernal's cassette routines, the fast loader accelerates the loading process by a factor of approximately 3.5 through optimized encoding (encoding 0 and 1 bits with only one pulse each, no duplicate storage of program data). Thus, loading Equinox takes only about five minutes, while the Kernal's cassette routines would take more than 17 minutes for a file of this size.

Video Recording[edit | edit source]

Complete Solution to the Game

Easter Egg[edit | edit source]

In the first level, near the control room, there is an object labeled "PETE" whose function is unclear. The object can be picked up, carried, and dropped again by picking up another object, as usual, but it does not serve any function at any point in the maze. An analysis of the routine called when using equipment (located in memory at address $22E5) even shows that the identifier $72 of the "PETE" object has no functionality assigned to it. It is therefore completely unclear what purpose this item serves — whether, for example, it is meant to encourage the player to search for a (non-existent) easter egg, or whether it is a remnant of an easter egg on another hardware platform that was incompletely ported to the C64.

What is the purpose of the mysterious object labeled "PETE"?

Highscore[edit | edit source]

Modification after loading, before starting the game

In the following high score list, each player can immortalize their personal best score. Since the level reached is not displayed on the screen and the last displayed room — for example, during a brief return to a lower level — is not meaningful, the list is sorted exclusively by the score achieved.

Unfortunately, if the game is not completed, the screen only displays the terse message "GAME OVER" at the end of the game, so the game progress cannot be documented by a screenshot. The following procedure should serve as a remedy: For entries in the high score, the crack of "The Goonies" is used and modified after loading, but before starting, by the BASIC commands POKE 13419,240:POKE 13420,254. This causes the program to enter an endless loop immediately after the game ends, providing ample opportunity to take a screenshot. A subsequent press of RESTORE returns the player to the start screen, from where a new game can be launched.

Ivanpaduano - 3050 (02.09.2023)
Stephan64 - 2525 (27.06.2023)
Niemand - 0 (tt.mm.jjjj)


	#2 Stephan64		#3 Niemand

Links[edit | edit source]

(1986 video game) Wikipedia: Equinox (1986 video game)

Magazine

ZZap64 test report , Tipps (S. 76f)
Amstrad Action test report (pp. 62)
ASM test report (p. 31)
Crash test report (p. 34)
Amtix test report (pp. 86)
Computer and Video Games test report (p. 8)
Sinclair User test report (p. 31)
Your Sinclair test report (p. 68)
Computer Gamer test report (p. 59)
Your Computer test report (p. 46)
MicroHobby test report (pp. 12)
Tilt test report (p. 26)