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Cyborg Hellgate Full/Lite (Amstrad CPC 128k/v9990/v9938)

CYBORG HELLGATE Amstrad CPC Editions CYBORG HELLGATE brings the ZX Spectrum Next's Defender-style bullet hell to the Amstrad CPC in three editions: the standard CPC Full Edition, the optimised LITE Edition, and the CPC + V9990 Edition with the Next-style presentation. Defend the planet. Rescue the humanoids. Fight mutants, mines, fireballs, swarms and increasingly insane bullet patterns. And whatever you do, don't let them all reach the HELLGATE. The Game Lander ships grab humanoids from the planet and carry them away, turning them into mutants. Shoot the lander and catch the falling humanoid before it's lost. But the landers are only the beginning. Face Baiters, Bombers, Pods, Fireflingers, Dunderheads, Yellowbelly, Fudd and Big Dud, each adding another threat to the battlefield. Every 5th wave brings the Yellowbelly Dogfight. Every 10th wave brings the Fireflinger Showdown. Every 8 humanoids rescued advances the level. Every 5th level becomes a MECHRA boss level, with another giant mech added as you progress, eventually reaching five. The game never ends. The HELLGATE The HELLGATE isn't just an obstacle. Fly into it and you can be taken directly to a humanoid in trouble. If you're carrying 4 or more humanoids, fly into the HELLGATE heading right before wave 10 and you'll warp three waves ahead, with a bonus. Ghosto Hold the Ghosto control and your ship flickers into an almost untouchable state. Bullets pass through you. Anything you touch dies. Ghosto drains while held, so use it when you really need it. More can be earned through score bonuses. MECHRA Power Collect P pickups to increase your power. Ten P pickups give you a power level, while a large P gives you an entire level. There are five power levels, each changing your laser. Lose a ship and you lose a power level. Gems also appear throughout the game. Guard The Guard gives you a temporary barrier that destroys every bullet on the screen. You start with three Guards, with more available as you collect P pickups. HIT Chain Destroy enemies quickly to build your HIT chain. Every link becomes worth another 10 points, rewarding aggressive play and keeping the pressure on. Bullet Hell The further you progress, the worse things get. Faster shots and paired shots appear from level 4. Fans of three appear from level 7. Pods, Dunderheads, Bombers and Fireflingers add rings, mines, fireballs and other attacks from level 3. Then come the giant mechs, filling the screen with fans, rings and spirals. Three CPC Editions Amstrad CPC — Full Edition The standard 128K CPC edition contains the complete CYBORG HELLGATE gameplay, including the full enemy cast, scanner, HELLGATE, Ghosto, Guard, power levels, HIT chain, bullet hell and giant mech battles. The standard CPC edition manages approximately 16–19 frames per second, depending on what is happening on screen. This edition does not have selectable difficulty levels. Requirements Amstrad CPC 6128Or CPC 464/664 with an additional 64K RAM Amstrad CPC — LITE Edition The LITE edition is designed to reduce the workload on standard CPC hardware. It removes the scanner, simplifies the information panel and reduces background effects. Selected distant enemies sleep until the view approaches, reducing their processing workload. The core gameplay remains intact, with the same basic pace as the full CPC edition. This edition does not have selectable difficulty levels. Requirements 128K Amstrad CPC Amstrad CPC + V9990 Edition For CPC systems equipped with a Yamaha V9990, CYBORG HELLGATE gets the full Next-style presentation. The CPC's Z80 runs the game while the V9990 handles the graphics, including the scrolling world and hardware sprites. This allows the game to run at approximately 25 frames per second — the Next's pace in real time. This edition includes the full game and the Next-style presentation, including: Full scanner and scrolling planetFull enemy castHELLGATE and warpGhosto and GuardMECHRA power levels and HIT chainBullet hell and giant mechsTitle and game-over screens This is the only CPC edition with five selectable difficulty levels. Requirements Amstrad CPC 6128, or CPC 464/664 with an additional 64K RAMYamaha V9990 hardwareDisc drive or Gotek The V9990 must be connected at the supported hardware address. The game displays on the V9990 monitor; the CPC monitor shows only a small amount of loading text. Difficulty — V9990 Edition Only The five selectable difficulty levels are available only in the CPC + V9990 Edition. They are not available in either the standard CPC Full Edition or the CPC LITE Edition. DifficultyBonusEASYBonus every 10,000 pointsMEDIUMBonus every 50,000 pointsHARDBonus every 100,000 pointsVERY HARDBonus every 100,000 points, but no extra shipINSANEAs VERY HARD, starting with one ship The bonus provides a ship, a smart bomb and more Ghosto on the appropriate difficulty. Your selected difficulty remains set from game to game. Controls ControlActionQ / AUp / DownO / PThrust Left / RightSpace / ZLaserB / MSmart BombHHyperspaceGGuardI / N (hold)Ghosto Joystick supported. On the title screen, O / P or the joystick left/right selects the difficulty in the V9990 Edition. Space or joystick fire starts the game. Demo A V9990 demo build is available. It contains the same game but stops when the game reaches level 4, before the first giant mech boss level. V9990 Performance and Testing The V9990 Edition has been optimised to keep the game at the Next's pace. Performance tests show approximately 24–25 fps through normal play and the first giant mech level, with busy bullet-hell sections maintaining 25 fps for most frames. The V9990 Edition has been tested using the NTC V9990 test harness and the 1984 CPC emulator with a PowerGraph V9990 configuration. Three ways to play. One CYBORG HELLGATE. Defend the planet. Rescue the humanoids. Build your HIT chain. Survive the bullet hell. CYBORG HELLGATE never ends. Amstrad CPC + V9938 Edition (Experimental) For CPC systems equipped with a Yamaha V9938, CYBORG HELLGATE gets 16-colour graphics and hardware sprites. The V9938 handles the graphics while the CPC's Z80 runs the game, targeting approximately 25 frames per second. This edition uses the LITE gameplay rules to reduce the workload on standard CPC hardware. 256 × 212 resolution16-colour graphicsNo scanner or starsDotted groundInformation panel only while TAB is heldDistant aliens sleep until approachedNo dunderheadsFive selectable difficulty levels Requirements Amstrad CPC 6128, or CPC 464/664 with an additional 64K RAMYamaha V9938 video card with 128K VRAMMonitor connected to the video cardDisc drive or Gotek Experimental: Tested using the NTC timing harness and emulation, but not tested on a real CPC with a V9938.© 2026 Cyborg Unicorn Pty Ltd