Nodes of Yesod
| Nodes of Yesod | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Game No. | 539 | |
| Voting | 6.57 points, 7 votes | |
| Developer | Keith Robinson, Colin Grunes, Stuart Fotheringham | |
| Publisher | Odin Computer Graphics | |
| Musician | Fred Gray | |
| HVSC-File | MUSICIANS/G/Gray_Fred/Nodes_of_Yesod.sid | |
| Release | 1985 | |
| Platform | Amstrad CPC, C64, ZX Spectrum | |
| Genre | Grafik-Adventure | |
| Gamemode | Single player | |
| Operation |   
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| Media |  
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| Language | 
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| Information | Series: | |
Description[edit | edit source]
"Nodes of Yesod" is an adventure game that spans 256 screens. There is no scrolling; the screens are displayed using a flip-screen method. As astronaut Charlemagne "Charlie" Fotheringham-Grunes, the player explores a cave system beneath the lunar surface, inhabited by various hostile creatures. The player can be accompanied and assisted by a mole-like lunar inhabitant who digs passages between adjacent caves. The goal of the game is to collect a total of 8 keys within this labyrinth and use them to gain access to a monolith inside the moon, in order to ultimately disable the treacherous radio signals emanating from it.
Backstory[edit | edit source]
Returning from a leisurely Sunday breakfast, astronaut and aspiring superhero Charlemagne "Charlie" Fotheringham-Grunes discovers an uninvited visitor waiting for him in his rhododendron bushes. This visitor soon reveals himself to be the secretary of the "Commission for Solving Problems of the Universe" and has an urgent mission for Charlie: Encrypted messages are now being sent from the interior of the moon into the vastness of the galaxy, revealing the weaknesses of Earth's defense system to the cosmos.
To stop these treacherous transmissions, Charlie must collect eight chemical elements ("alchemies") in a cave system beneath the lunar surface and use them to gain access to a monolith inside the moon. On the way to headquarters, the secretary offers some advice: In particular, Charlie should capture one of the mole-like moon dwellers, as it can then dig passages between the caves in the moon's interior. Then, before he can even have lunch, Charlie finds himself aboard the next space shuttle bound for the moon.
Once there, he immediately notices a red spaceship parked on the lunar surface: Clearly, his mission hasn't gone unnoticed, and he's already expected...
The complete, detailed backstory of the game — including a precise description of Charlie's breakfast habits — can be found in the inlay of the cassette.
Design[edit | edit source]
The lunar landscape and the cave system that astronaut Charlie must explore are richly detailed and the colors are well-coordinated; the variety and mostly fluid animation of Charlie's enemies is impressive. Combined with the musical accompaniment, a melody that never feels intrusive or annoying, even after extended play, "Nodes of Yesod" is a very beautiful, atmospheric graphic adventure.
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Graphics[edit | edit source]
The graphical display takes place in multicolor text mode (screen memory starting at address $0400, character generator for the scenes on the moon in grid lines 0-175 at address $2000, for the status display in grid lines 176-199 at $0800). Only a 256x168 pixel section is used to display the cave system, and a 256x176 pixel section for the lunar surface. The transition from one screen to the next is smooth and typically takes 100-120 ms.
Astronaut Charlie is usually represented by two, and during a flip, by three monochrome sprites (sprites 0-2). While Charlie is on the lunar surface, the remaining five sprites represent the spaceship orbiting the moon (sprites 3-5) and the Earth rotating in the sky (sprites 6-7).
Since sprite 2 is only needed to represent the astronaut during a flip, it can also represent Charlie's mole in the depths of the maze. Sprites 3-7 represent his opponents, sometimes grouped in pairs. All collectible items — including the mole on the lunar surface — are represented by text characters.
Sound[edit | edit source]
Several alternating melodies accompany the different phases of the game. Individual events, such as contact with opponents or collecting objects, are also accompanied by short sound effects or audio sequences.
Hints[edit | edit source]
"Nodes of Yesod" takes place in a vast labyrinth beneath the lunar surface, whose passages are initially partially blocked and therefore inaccessible. The first task for the player-controlled astronaut, Charlie, is to capture a mole on the lunar surface. This mole then accompanies Charlie and digs connecting tunnels for him (see the left animation in the gallery in the section "Design").
The actual objective of the game "Nodes of Yesod" is to collect eight chemical elements of the same color ("alchemies") and use them to reach a monolith in the center of the moon. By destroying this monolith, astronaut Charlie is to fulfill his mission of silencing incriminating radio messages from the moon's interior. The chemical elements come in four different colors, with eight of each color hidden in the labyrinth. A framed picture in the room above the monolith indicates the chemical element that must be collected in the current game. Both the color of the alchemy to be collected and the position of the picture frame (and thus also of the monolith) change from game to game.
In the labyrinth's corridors, there are also a total of 6 astronaut helmets, which not only grant the player an extra life each, but also replenish their supply of "gravity rods" up to the maximum of 6 rods. With their help, Charlie can paralyze some of his opponents or banish them from the current screen for a limited time.
The following four types of alchemy are available in the labyrinth:
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Controls[edit | edit source]
"Nodes of Yesod" 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 menu item "5. START GAME". If the key bindings have not been changed, the following assignments apply:
or Z : The astronaut or mole walks or flies to the left.
or X : The astronaut or mole walks or flies to the right.
or ; : The mole is activated; if the mole is already active, it flies higher.
or / : A gravity stick is placed; if the mole is active, it flies lower.
or SPACE : Jump; If the mole is active, he is recalled.- ENTER : Pause (resumes with another press of ENTER )
If the joystick is in its resting position, pressing the fire button or the spacebar makes Charlie jump vertically upwards. However, if the fire button is pressed while the joystick is pointing left or right, Charlie jumps in his current direction of travel, regardless of which way the joystick was moved. This not only takes some getting used to, but also makes quick changes of direction while jumping impossible, as the astronaut must first be turned around before jumping in the opposite direction.
Only in chimney-like rooms without platforms is there an additional mode of locomotion: If the fire button or spacebar is pressed while Charlie is standing motionless at the bottom of a screen, he begins to paddle his arms and fly upwards. Before takeoff, he must make sure he is facing a side exit he intends to reach during the flight:
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Screen Layout[edit | edit source]
Enemies[edit | edit source]
Most of the enemies that lurk in the caves beneath the lunar surface can be divided into two groups. The first group consists of adversaries who — sometimes across multiple screens — periodically travel a predetermined path and cannot be fought by Charlie. They are relatively large, some are elaborately animated, and they launch Charlie into the air if he comes into contact with them:
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A number of other, less dangerous enemies burst upon contact with Charlie, but in doing so, they drain his energy or paralyze him for a few seconds:
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The red astronaut steals one of the chemical elements our astronaut has collected. In this case, however, the alchemy is not permanently lost, but reappears elsewhere in the maze and simply needs to be collected again.
 Enemy astronaut |
Other Items[edit | edit source]
The following items have a special function. The teleporter (left image in the gallery) transports Charlie to a nearby room that might otherwise be inaccessible. If there is also a teleporter in the destination room, it is initially ineffective and only becomes active once Charlie has temporarily left the room. The mole (middle image) is Charlie's helper, which makes harmless enemies explode and digs tunnels to neighboring rooms. A gravity stick (far right), when placed by Charlie, provides protection for about 7 seconds; during this time, it paralyzes the red astronaut, makes harmless enemies explode, and prevents them from respawning.
 Teleporter |
 Mole |
 Gravity Stick |
Reaching the monolith is ultimately the goal of the game. It is located in a room that can only be accessed via a trapdoor; This door only opens if Charlie carries eight alchemies of the exact type shown in the framed picture in the room above.
 Monolith |
Tips[edit | edit source]
- The mole can not only dig tunnels into neighboring rooms, but also fight some types of enemies without taking damage himself. Occasionally, it is therefore advisable to let him "clear" the airspace.
- The gravity sticks can be used against annoying but harmless enemies, providing a few seconds of respite from the pests. However, they are much more valuable for blocking the red astronaut and thus preventing the loss of a painstakingly collected chemical element. At least some of the sticks should therefore be saved for this purpose.
- To be prepared for encounters with the red astronaut, it can be worthwhile to collect some chemical elements of an incongruous color as early as possible, as these cannot be used as keys in the current game. Since the red astronaut steals the alchemist furthest to the right, the alchemist can protect the valuable elements located to its left.
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Solution[edit | edit source]
Map[edit | edit source]
The following gallery shows the initial state of the labyrinth on the left, with examples of objects drawn in, before the mole has dug any passages between adjacent rooms. The image on the right shows the empty labyrinth with all passages fully revealed.
If the astronaut crosses the left edge of the labyrinth, he enters the room located at the same level on the right edge. Similarly, leaving the game board to the right leads back to the left edge. In this way, the lunar surface appears to expand infinitely; however, the rooms repeat every 16 transitions.
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Plan[edit | edit source]
The following animation shows an example of the starting position of all objects to be collected (chemical elements in red, green, blue, and purple; extra life in white), as well as the location of the starting room (gray rectangle) and the monolith (yellow rectangle) in 60 consecutive games. The objects are usually found in the same locations each time, but are randomly permuted before the start of each game. Normal paths are shown as double lines in this representation, while passages to be uncovered by the mole are shown as single, horizontal lines. Single, vertical lines represent trapdoors.
 Schematic representation of the labyrinth with the initial position of all objects in 60 consecutive games |
Step by Step[edit | edit source]
- First, the location of the monolith must be determined, as well as the type of chemical element (alchemy) required to open the trapdoor to its chamber. Since the monolith can only be located in one of four possible positions in the labyrinth (see the plan above), the player systematically searches the relevant screens until they find the framed image that displays the required alchemy type.
- The player then explores the labyrinth, collecting only alchemy of the required type. If the maximum number of 8 alchemy items is reached prematurely because other types have been collected, these unsuitable items can easily be discarded as soon as a suitable alchemy is found: Repeatedly picking up the alchemy and will rotate it through the inventory until an unsuitable item can be left behind.
- With 8 matching alchemies (and hopefully a few gravity rods to fend off the enemy astronaut), you finally make your way back to the screen where the framed picture hangs. As you walk across this screen, a trapdoor opens, through which Charlie falls into the room with the monolith. His mission is thus complete, even though this is not displayed due to a bug.
Internal Data Structures[edit | edit source]
For developing your own trainer functions and for analyzing or manipulating the data used by the game, knowledge of memory allocation and internal workings is helpful. The following table therefore compiles a range of information about "Nodes of Yesod".
| Address | Content | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| $000B-$000C | Current Room | X and Y coordinates of the room currently displayed on the screen; Value range 0...15 |
| $001C | Number of lives | Value range 0...9 |
| $002D | Current room | Packed number (X-coordinate in the low nibble, Y-coordinate in the high nibble) of the room currently displayed on the screen |
| $002E | Key color | Alchemy to be collected in the current game ($00: , $01: , $02: , $03: )
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| $0066 | Mole status | $00=not captured, $01=captured |
| $00AD | Room of the picture frame | Packed number (X-coordinate in the low nibble, Y-coordinate in the high nibble) of the room in which the picture frame is located |
| $00BB | Remaining Energy | Value range 0...63 |
| $86BF | Number of Gravity Sticks | Value range 0...6 |
| $950E-$9515 | Found Alchemies | Color codes of the alchemies found so far ($00: no alchemy, $02: red, $04: purple, $05: green, $06: blue) |
| $A9D0-$A9F5 | Rooms with Objects | Packed number (X-coordinate in the low nibble, Y-coordinate in the high nibble) of all rooms that can contain an alchemy or an extra life |
| $AA1C-$AA41 | Objects | Type of object in the assigned room ($00: , $01: , $02: , $03: , $04:  , $FF: already collected)
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| $B230-$B24F | Visited Rooms | Bitmap, a bit is set for each visited room ($B230 Bit 7..0 = leftmost 8 rooms of the top level, $B231 Bit 7..0 = rightmost 8 rooms of the top level, $B232 Bit 7..0 = leftmost 8 rooms of the second-to-top level, ...) |
Cheats[edit | edit source]
In the CSDb Are there any cracks with a trainer function? The Hackersoft version "Nodes of Yesod +23P" is particularly noteworthy, with its numerous variations (left image in the gallery below).
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Votes[edit | edit source]
| Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote): | ||
| 6.57 points at 7 votes (rank 654). You need to be logged in to cast a vote. | ||
| C64 Games | 6 | November 29, 2025 - 21358 downs |
| Lemon 64 | 7.77 | November 29, 2025 - 69 votes |
| Kultboy.com | 8 | November 29, 2025 - 1 votes |
| ZZap! 64 | 95% (Presentation 92%, Graphics 96%, Sound 94%, Hookability 97%, Lastability 94%, Value For Money 93%) | Issue 6 (October 1985) |
| Crash | 93% (Use of computer 92%, Graphics 96%, Playability 93%, Getting started 91%, Addictive qualities 90%, Value for money 89%) | Issue 19 (August 1985) |
| Computer Gamer | Originality 5/5, Graphics 4/5, Use of machine 4/5, Value for money 4/5 | Issue 5 (August 1985) |
| Sinclair Programs | 78% | Issue 34 (August 1985) |
| Sinclair User | 4/5 | Issue 41 (August 1985) |
| Your Computer | 4/5 | Vol. 5 No. 8 (August 1985) |
| ZX Computing | 4/5 | August/September 1985 |
| Commodore Horizons | Graphics 7/10, Sonics 8/10, Gameplay 7/10 | Issue 24 (December 1985) |
| Amstrad Action | 62% (Graphics 60%, Sonics 42%, Grab Factor 60%, Staying Power 64%) | Issue 10 (July 1986) |
| Amtix | 90% (Presentation 89%, Graphics 90%, Sound 87%, Playability 92%, Addictive qualities 93%, Value for Money 86%) | Issue 10 (August 1986) |
| Universal Videogame List | 4.9/5 | March 16, 2023 |
Critics[edit | edit source]
Stephan64: "Nodes of Yesod is a beautiful graphic adventure with a huge, detailed labyrinth, a helpful mole as a fun new addition, a pleasant musical score — and totally annoying controls and far too many pesky enemies, so that sooner or later you give up in frustration and play Starquake instead. Furthermore, the title screen's scrolling text is missing the disclaimer that no moles were harmed in the making of the game, and a bug ultimately prevents you from completing it: 6 out of 10 points for the poor execution of a truly good game idea."
Miscellaneous[edit | edit source]
Cover[edit | edit source]
Cassette[edit | edit source]
Fastloader[edit | edit source]
The cassette version of "Nodes of Yesod" uses the software fast loader "Novaload". During loading, the fast loader's start message is displayed first, followed by a game loading screen.
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Inlay[edit | edit source]
Images of the inlay can be found at "Spectrum Computing" (see section "Weblinks"). The game's backstory from the inlay can be found here.
Bugs[edit | edit source]
- The game's objective — to unlock the trapdoor to the room containing the monolith using eight chemical elements of the same color and thus locate it — can indeed be achieved. However, unlike the game versions on other computer types, the game does not end here. Instead, the astronaut is simply trapped in a room he cannot leave, but also, due to the lack of opponents, he no longer loses energy and therefore no more lives. Since the reset button is also blocked (see section "Trivia"), the player's only option is to use the power button.
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- The animation of the astronaut and the enemy cockroach exhibits graphical glitches. The following sequences show this in slow motion; in the remaining animations in this article, the glitches have been partially corrected so as not to distract from the actual gameplay.
 A distracting bar flashes regularly above the cockroach. |
 During the astronaut's rotation, the individual frames are in the wrong order. |
Screenshot comparison[edit | edit source]
In 1986, the game "Heartland" features a reunion with astronaut Charlie — however, he has since switched to the dark side of the force and now fights as a servant of the evil Midan against the (player-controlled) good wizard Eldritch:
Astronaut Charlie |
 Opponent "Astronaut" in the game "Heartland" |
Video Recording[edit | edit source]
Longplay of "Nodes of Yesod" on the C64
Trivia[edit | edit source]
The game's authors attempted to make it more difficult to analyze and save the program code of "Nodes of Yesod" by using the identifier "CBM80" at address $8004 to simulate the presence of a cartridge, so that a reset would not reset the computer, but would only display the following message on the screen:
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Highscore[edit | edit source]
Because the game "Nodes of Yesod" cannot be successfully completed due to a bug, the following rules apply to entries in the high score list:
- The top spots are reserved for players who have reached the room containing the monolith (ideally documented by a screenshot showing Charlie in an enclosed space — and, with luck, the monolith as well). Within these spots, the timer value determines the ranking; the fastest player (with the lowest timer value) takes first place.
- Following this are all entries where astronaut Charlie did not successfully complete his mission, sorted in descending order by the percentage of performance shown on the screen at the end of the game.
- Stephan64 - 24% (05.04.2023)
- Nobody - 0 (tt.mm.jjjj)
- Empty - 0 (tt.mm.jjjj)
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| #2 Nobody | #3 Empty |
Links[edit | edit source]
- C64Games.de - Game No. 1623
- Lemon64 - Game No. 1805
- Gamebase64.com - Game No. 5287
- C64.com - Game No. 1728
- ready64 - Game No. 1286
- CSDb all entries
- Nodes of Yesod at MobyGames
- Magazine
- Test Report No. 3139 on Kultboy.com
- Happy Computer test report (p. 169)
- ZZap64 test report , hand-drawn game map (S. 76)
- Home Computing Weekly test report (p. 14)
- Crash Magazine test report (pp. 12)
- Popular Computing Weekly test report (p. 45)
- Sinclair Programs test report (p. 15)
- Sinclair User test report (p. 24)
- Your Computer test report (p. 29)
- Your Sinclair Review (p. 73) Tips (p. 35)
- Your Spectrum test report (p. 41)
- ZX Computing Review (p. 79) test report (p. 11)
- Commodore Horizons test report (p. 11)
- Computer Gamer test report (p. 75)
- Amstrad Action test report (pp. 50)
- Amtix test report (pp. 92)
- Microhobby test report (pp. 12)
