Brutal and hectic fantasy hack 'em up
This is one of the lesser known releases from Hewson, a 1980s company responsible for classics like Uridium, Nebulus and Cybernoid, and while it might not be quite up the standards of some of their previous games, it remains a fun hack 'n' slash adventure. The basic premise of the game is simple enough, and is a sort of fantasy-themed platformer similar to Ghosts & Goblins but with a few neat twists. The main part of Onslaught sees players wading their way through a series of side-side-scrolling levels, engaging in brutal, gore-soaked combat with the myriad enemies which populate the land. Once all these mighty warriors have been bested, you must climb the level's castle and defeat its ruler before moving on to the next similar stage, and with the ultimate aim of defeating each boss in order to restore peace to the land. While similar to the likes of Turrican 2, Rastan and Savage, Onslaught scores some extra points for the sheer brutality of its combat, which is also highly varied, with vertically scrolling sections and a fast pace. Furthermore, it is a an undeniably pretty game, with gorgeous old-school graphics that are vibrant and detailed and with smoothly animated and chunky sprites and environments. The sound fares less well, being simply a collection of seemingly random bleeps which have little bearing on the actual gameplay. However, if you can get past this minor niggle, then Onslaught makes for an enjoyable piece of retro action, with plenty of hectic battles and an abundance of action.
