Gamer Flashback: Werewolves of London

Let’s travel back to the 80s, 1987 to be exact, and have a look at one of the video games lost to time – Werewolves of London. This single-player game was released for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and the Amstrad CPC… yeah, it’s that old.

Werewolves of London is set in, well, London obviously and the player’s goal is to kill each of the eight members of an aristocratic family who put a curse on you, resulting in a daily transformation into a werewolf.

The actual gameplay is fairly innovative for the times. The player starts off as a human who has to roam the streets of London, from the Underground to Hyde Park, to find items which will be used later in the game. When the clock hits midnight, the player will transform into a werewolf, this is the time when they need to track down their eight targets and kill them (you can even eat their bodies) all while trying to avoid the cops who can shoot or capture you.

Unlike most traditional 8-bit games, the game changes in difficulty in response to the player’s actions. For example, the more people the player attacks while in werewolf form, the more active the police become. When you are in werewolf form and are touched by a police officer with handcuffs you are put in jail. The player won’t be released until they transform back to a human, however, you can escape through the sewers by finding a crowbar. On a sick and twisted note, eating family members and NPC gives extra health, but being shot results in a constant health drop. Finding bandages can heal you, but if your blood-bag reaches empty, the game is over.

Sounds pretty badass for an old game, it would be pretty awesome if they remade it for new consoles. I would play the hell out of it if they did! What about you?

– Moonlight

By moonlight

One of the writers for werewolves.com, as well as vampires.com.

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