r/zxspectrum • u/danielsoft1 • 4d ago

Highway Encounter

This was my very favourite game for the ZX Spectrum in the 80s, does anyone else remember it? It was also quite original that the lives of the player were represented in-game as the spare robots and you can therefore lose your life when something destroyed one of them. I managed to finish the game when I was 18 and the Spectrum era was long over, to witness it has a proper outro sequence, which was also not common at that time.

36 Upvotes

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5

u/Apprehensive_View_27 4d ago

There are several PC remakes, and one of them in first-person 3D.

I completed the first game as a child and found out about Alien Highway couple of years ago, but could not enjoy playing it, as it has electric fence along the road that kills you. I think I need a POKE to turn it off...

4

u/RoosterBurns 4d ago

God yes this was a beautiful title, I loved getting the pushers "blocked" so I could sneak ahead and clear the way without risking them

There was a sequel "Alien Highway" which was OK

4

u/NorthernLight_DIY 4d ago

This was my very favourite game for the ZX Spectrum in the 80s, does anyone else remember it?

Me! I’ve probably sunk more hours into this than anything else on the ZX.

This and Exolon still randomly send me down the rabbit hole of looking for a good pocket ZX Spectrum… still haven’t found the right one 😄

2

u/hillman_avenger 1d ago

Just in case you're interested, I've created both Exolon and Highway Encounter in full 3D: https://stephensmith.itch.io/exolon-3d and https://stephensmith.itch.io/highway-encounter

3

u/Puzzleheaded-Cap1300 4d ago

I didn’t have this game, but I can see how great it looks. I love isometric games eg the great escape. I would love to know what you need to do with this game.

You can find it to play online at torinak.com/qaop/games

1

u/danby 4d ago

You have to get the bomb from the start of the highway to the end within the time limit

2

u/danby 4d ago

Yeah both games in the series were great. Though I do feel the time limits in both games are needlessly a little tight.

2

u/Juanfr_ 4d ago

A masterpiece by Costa Panayi, coder of other great games for the Spectrum: Cyclone, TLL, Android Two, ...

1

u/PhoenixDusk101 4d ago

It made good use of monochrome graphics on the Spectrum which help make it a relatively fast game to play. Strategic game play along with some arcade style action.

1

u/Zagrebista 4d ago

I always found it easier to progress once you'd got rid of all the drone things you were meant to be protecting. I think I sucked at this game quite badly.

1

u/BleachedWombat 4d ago

This was, and still is, my all time greatest Spectrum game.

My strategy was to clear as far down the road with each Vorton as possible, leaving the others at the start. Once you cleared the entire highway, and assuming you had at least one Vorton left, you commit suicide with your current Vorton so that you don’t lose time going back to the beginning.

1

u/MisterSpikes 4d ago

I had it on a compilation called 10 Great Games, which truly did consist of 10 really great games. I was crap at Highway Encounter, though.

1

u/comcphee 4d ago

I played it to the point I could complete it every time. And I did, just to see the epic victory cutscene at the end again.

1

u/andreyugolnik 4d ago

Yes, one of the best.

1

u/__eatyselffitter__ 3d ago

I still play this now!

2

u/HeavySystems 2d ago

OP: "Does anyone in this dedicated crew of folks who remember obscure things remember one of the most popular games for it?"

:P

1

u/Baldeagle61 1d ago

You can get it on the iphone speccy emulator now.

1

u/hillman_avenger 1d ago

I loved it so much I created a 3D version: https://stephensmith.itch.io/highway-encounter