EATER vs WATCHERS (Tetsuya Narumi)

Title – EATER vs WATCHERS
System – MSX
Author – 鳴海　達也 (Tetsuya Narumi)
Publication – Micom BASIC (マイコンBASIC) February 1985
Page Scans – 1 2
Preserved By – TWE
Recommended Emulator – openMSX

Download ROM

Loading the Game –

Two versions of the game are included:
– eatwatch.wav, a cassette-tape recording of the original game;
– eatwatch.dsk, a floppy disk image of the translated game.

For eatwatch.wav:
– After booting the machine, insert the tape image;
– Type ‘CLOAD’ and press Enter;
– After the game loads, type ‘RUN’ and press Enter to star the game.
For eatwatch.dsk:
– Insert the disk image in the first slot, then boot the machine;
– The game should load and start automatically.

Game Instructions –

Move with the arrow keys and use Space to choose the food once you reach it.
Get the food while avoiding being spotted or running out of power.
You’re immune while staying in the yellow space and also get some points while inside it.
Different kinds of food increase (or reduce) your power differently.

Article Translation –

EATER vs WATCHERS

STORY

This is the Winter Intensive Entrance Exam Preparation Center. Lectures take place during the day, and students stay in private rooms where they rigorously study at night. If you slack off even a little, you’re taken away by the monitors. No one knows where they take you, though…
Īta just arrived 2 days ago. He’d heard of how hard it was to endure the strict regime, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad… especially given how didn’t have any time to eat anything.
When night fell and all were returning to their rooms, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh. “Uuuugh, I’m so hungry…”
Just then, he felt the smell of sukiyaki come from somewhere…

How to Play

The yellow space in the upper left corner is Īta’s room; the red 👄 inside it is Īta himself. Use the cursor keys to move him.
Your objective is to aim for the Sukiyaki hot pot in the lower right corner. Oh right, don’t be too hasty! Those moving white 👀s are the monitors. If those jerks see you, you’re out.
So, when you finally reach the hot pot, you’ll see the name of the food in the red box in the upper left corner. By pressing the Space key at the right moment, you’ll be able to regain a considerable amount of power.
Since Īta is preparing for his entrance exams, it’s his job to study; because of that, your basic means of scoring is by studying (staying inside the room). You’re also given a great amount by eating food. Of course, if you run out of power, you’re out.

[ CHECKER FLAG ]

Editor: This one always uses 3 REM statements in sequence, that’s pretty wasteful…
Dr. D: Yes, but they clearly delineate each routine, which makes it easier to read the code.
To make it even easier to read, I’ve made a list of variables, too: A() is the score of each food, W() is the WATCHERS, X and Y are your coordinates, NX and NY are the hot pot’s coordinates, SX and SY are the room’s coordinates, and H, SC and RD are the power, score and round, respectively.