Chimera (video game)

Chimera is an action-adventure video game written by Shahid Ahmad and published by Firebird in 1985.
Plot.
A huge spaceship threatens to destroy Earth. One person must board the vessel and activate its self-destruct mechanism to make it explode, saving Earth.
Gameplay.
In "Chimera", the player moves through an isometric maze of 8 x 8 screens. The player must gain access to hidden or blocked areas of the spaceship, often by finding items in order to circumvent various obstacles. Once the obstacles are disabled, the player may use items to create a warhead and carry it to one of the "blue" rooms of the ship. Upon activation of all four warheads, the player must reach the green room in order to complete the quest.
The player must also avoid running out of food or water, which are consumed more quickly while carrying something or when in a hot room. Both water and food can be found in the maze occasionally. If the player runs out of food or water, or tries to disable an obstacle with an incorrect item, the player dies and loses the game.
Upon completion of the game, the player receives a key combination granting access to a bonus game in which the player has to shoot at a row of items (similar to "Space Invaders"). It has been said that the bonus game on the Atari 800 crashed due to a programming error. However, the game's author claimed that the Atari 800 bonus game, "A Different Kettle of Fish", was working when the software was shipped to the publisher, Firebird Software.
Reception.
"Chimera is definitely graphically and sonically superior [...] but the gameplay is unfortunately [...] weak."<br>
Gary Penn in "Zzap!" issue jan. 1986
Legacy.
Twenty-five years after the release of "Chimera", original game designer Shahid Ahmad announced he was working on the 25th Anniversary Edition of the game, entitled "Chimera 2010", which was never completed. On 3 September 2017, Ahmad announced a VR spinoff "Chimera Zero" saying, "The only things "Chimera Zero" has in common with the 1985 original are the name, robots and an unashamedly sci-fi setting."