Interpose X-mas Greetings: A Demi-God's Holiday Delight

The Interpose X-mas Greetings demo is a holiday treat that I'm glad to have finally played. It was only recently released, and I stumbled upon it while browsing for old games. The moment I started playing, I felt like I had been transported back to the golden era of MS-DOS gaming. This teaser for a full game is short, sweet, and packed with an impressive amount of content.

The gameplay itself is an extension of the original Interpose game, which I've always appreciated. You still get to pilot your spaceship through a beautifully designed asteroid field, dodging incoming projectiles and taking out enemies in a thrilling display of space combat prowess. The only difference this time around is that you're on a mission to collect as much money as possible before Christmas arrives, because, well, it's the holiday season! This added twist raises the stakes and provides an extra layer of challenge, making the gameplay even more engaging.

One of the standout features of Interpose X-mas Greetings is its shop system. You can spend your hard-earned cash on upgrading your shield, cannon, and other essential equipment at these conveniently located stores. This mechanic adds a welcome respite from the action, allowing you to catch your breath, save your game, and invest some of that well-deserved cash. The weaponry dispenser in particular is a treat, doling out all sorts of goodies, including special one-off weapons and spaceship add-ons that aren't available in the shareware version.

The shop system also includes a slot machine, which I have to admit I love – at least in this context. It's a fun way to pass the time, and who knows, you might even win some extra cash or items! The whole experience is designed to be short but sweet, lasting around five to ten minutes depending on how often you visit the checkpoint shops. Once you reach the final level, you'll face off against Backwards Santa himself – a simple yet satisfying boss fight that requires some dodging and weaving.

Throughout the demo, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia wash over me. The graphics, music, and overall aesthetic all scream "demoscene," evoking memories of old-school gaming communities and the excitement of discovering new demos on BBSes. I did some research and discovered that Twilight Zone Software was an offshoot of the demogroup Twilight Zone, responsible for a number of MS-DOS demos in the early 90s. This connection adds another layer of personal fascination to Interpose X-mas Greetings.

As I continued playing, I found myself appreciating Interpose even more than before. The game's design and mechanics are expertly crafted, making it a joy to play from start to finish. Even without knowing the full context or backstory behind this demo, I can confidently say that it's a high-quality holiday title that's well worth replaying each year.

In conclusion, Interpose X-mas Greetings is an excellent example of a shareware teaser game done right. Its unique blend of space combat, shop mechanics, and festive atmosphere make it a standout in the world of retro gaming. Whether you're a fan of demos, holiday games, or just great gaming in general, this demo is definitely worth checking out.

If you've enjoyed this episode of LGR, be sure to check out previous years' videos for more holiday cheer. The ongoing saga continues here, and it's not going to end anytime soon. As always, thank you very much for watching!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enYeah, pretty good thrifting I find I gottasay!The heck is that?-This does not bode well.-Christmaasss!Alright what in -- Interpose?What in the world is this?C’mon.Oh no.Eugh.Really?Nope! Nope.Nope, nope, nope!Welp. I think I’ve seen enough.It’s December!That means it’s timefor Christmas Lazy Game Reviews.And he’s behind me, I don’t even care.I don’t even care anymore!-Christmaaasss!Greetings and welcome toanother month of Christmas LGR!And this year we’re kicking things off withInterpose X-mas Greetings, developed by TwilightZone Software and published by Webfoot Technologiesin 1996 for MS-DOS.And for any of you Legacy of Goku fans, yep,this is the same Webfoot behind those games!In fact you might’ve have seen their nameon any number of titles since the mid-90s.They were quite the prolific publisher oflicensed games for systems like the GameBoyAdvance and Nintendo DS, not to mention dozensof mahjongg and card game compilations.They’re still around too, as far as I cantell, though their website and social mediapages haven’t been updated in over a yearat the time of recording.Anyway, before they cranked out dozens ofDragon Ball Z, Hello Kitty, and My LittlePony games, Webfoot was an old school sharewarepublisher, signing independent developersfrom around the world and distributing theirgames online.Games like Twilight Zone Software’s Interpose,a side-scrolling spaceship shooter for PCscreated by a group of talented coders, artists,and designers out of Sarpsborg, Norway.And dang it, this is one of those sharewaretitles that I completely missed out on backin the day, and that just sucks.Scrolling shoot-em-ups were one of my absolutefavorite kinda games to play so Interposehere would’ve been my jam.Knowing there was a scrolling shooter thiswell-made that wasfree to download and I didn’t realize it?It induces a kind of retroactive sadness that’shard to describe.Like, I could’ve been playing this awesomenessbut nope, I was playing the shareware versionof Space Pilot for the hundredth time instead.Oh well.Despite personally missing out onits entire existence, Interpose seems to havedone well for TZS and Webfoot, enough to meritthe release of a second shareware version.That being Interpose X-mas Greetings in Decemberof 1996.It may sound like the title of a screensaverpackageor a greeting card publishing suite, but nope!It’s Interpose yet again, this time witha holiday makeover.The main menu now features a snow-coveredlogo and an ice-covered planet, as well asa Santa hat on our feline protagonist.Yeah you play a cat person defending a whole race of cat people, that’s kind of Interpose’s thing.This Christmas edition doesn’t feature anexpository intro sequence anymore unfortunately,but going back to the regular game real quick,the plot revolves around an ancient Earthruled by the Overlynxes.They’re a highly advanced and pacifist species,with supercomputers and spaceships and allsorts of stuff, living peacefully in harmonywith the universe.Until one fateful day when a far flung alienrace creates a new lifeform: humans.They send a whole buncha dudes, Rambo apparentlyincluded, across the solar system to takeover planet Earth and wipe out the Overlynxpopulation.One brave soul has the paws to fight backthough, jumping into a spaceship loaded withpowerful weaponry, and then blasting awaythe human invaders without remorse.And it’s this cat guy that you play in InterposeX-mas Greetings.But instead of an army of Sly Stallones you’refending off a slew of Santas.This is the work of the evil scientist knownas Atnas Sualc.As the backwards name implies, this is ananti-Santa type of fellow, and he’s builthis own fighting force of robotic reindeerand Santa clones.Naturally, his goal is to disrupt the world’sChristmas gift distribution at the North Pole,and you’ve been tasked with destroying AtnasSualc and his cybernetic minions before thereal Santa is replaced and Christmas is ruined.All you really need to know though is thatyou’re a battle-hardened cat guy with anawesome spaceship, so shoot anything thatmoves and try to avoid dying because unlikewhat you'd expect you do not have nine lives.Straight away it’s clear that the originalInterpose formula hasn’t been altered inany notable way whatsoever.Other than a wintry reskin with snow and presentslining the landscape, enemies composed ofCyborg Santas and Robo Reindeer, and a newbackground tracker tune with Christmassy implications?What you’re left with is a single new levelfor Interpose with a seasonal overhaul.And that’s genuinely not a bad thing, becauseInterpose was already awesome!Once again, I’m sad that I missed out onthis back when it came out because this issome quality shareware shmupping right here.It takes plenty of cues from classic horizontallyscrolling shooters, with R-Type, Gradius,Zero Wing, and Scramble being the most obviousto me.You begin with a few lives and a simple cannonthat shoots forward in three directions atonce, and along the way you’ll uncover power-upsand upgrades by taking out enemies.Cannon upgrades augment your ship to the pointwhere you’re shooting in half a dozen directionsat once, and weapon pickups provide an arsenalthat’s far more powerful, with things likestraightforward missiles, air-to-surface carpetbombs, and screen-clearing nukes.But beyond its immediate arcade influences,Interpose has enough twists on the mechanicsof those arcade classics that it's quicklygranted its own alluring quality.For one thing, touching stationary objectsand terrain won’t kill you, at least not immediately.Your ship simply stops moving and the scrollingcontinues until you’re all the way to theleft, at which point it’ll warn you you’reabout to die before you explode.There’s also a rechargeable shield system,granting you multiple direct hits from enemycraft and ammunition before you’re takenout and lose a life.And finally, your shield, cannon, and weaponscan all be upgraded by visiting shops andspending the money you’ve picked up alongthe way.This is the point where I went from simplyappreciating Interpose to deeply enjoying it.These shops provide a much-needed respitefrom all the ongoing action, giving you achance to catch your breath, save your game,and invest some of that hard-earned cash.The weaponry dispenser on the left doles outall sorts of goodies, from shield rechargesand cannon upgrades, to special one-off weaponsand spaceship add-ons.And a couple of these weren’t found in theregular shareware version either, so you geta bit more to play with as a result.And if you’ve already got whatcha want,or you’re simply feelin’ lucky, there’salso a slot machine in the other corner totempt your inner compulsive gambler.Augh, I love a good gambling mechanic!Er well, this kind anyway, the kind in oldDOS games that aren’t tied to anything onlineand ruin the game progression or whatever.Just good old basic slots, fruit machines,one-armed bandits, coin-operated salary stealers!It’s a fun way to piddle away the moneyyou picked up from the exploded corpses ofyour enemies and maybe make a bit more tospend on guns.Especially since Interpose X-mas is so ridiculouslyshort.Yeah, it’s only one level.This is effectively a teaser for a sharewareversion of a full game, after all.The whole experience only lasts about fiveto ten minutes, depending on how often youvisit and how long you stay in those checkpointshops.And once you reach the final bit of the levelyou’ll come to face to face with backwardsSanta himself, the only boss in this versionof the game.Simple enough to defeat: dodge his swarmsof projectiles and hit him with enough ofyours without dying too much, and there yago.The world of cat people can continue celebratingthe holidays as usual, and you’re greetedwith the actual x-mas greetings that the titlepromised in the first place.High score achieved, order screens commence,good stuff man, good stuff!And that’s about it for Interpose X-masGreetings!It’s a short but sweet little game thatabsolutely leaves you wanting more, much more.Making it effective both as a shareware teaserfor the full game, but also as a holiday tie-inthat’s not overly holiday-ish.There’s just enough seasonal glitz goingon to get the point across, but it’s notoverflowing with obnoxious visuals or cheesyChristmas music to the point of annoyance.It’s a quality special edition of a pre-existingquality game and that’s that, putting itright up there with classics like Jazz JackrabbitHoliday Hare and Holiday Lemmings.Not only that, but both Interpose and thisChristmas edition have an air of demoscenearound it that I absolutely appreciate.Everything from the music, to the art style,to the animations, to the anti-aliased text,to the fact that it’s called “X-mas Greetings.”Now, “greetings” or “greetz” havebeen a staple of demogroup messages and cracktrossince the dawn of computerized time, so thefact that they called this “X-mas Greetings”instead of “X-mas Special Edition” orwhatever?Yeah it all just screams “demoscene,”you don’t even have to look it up it’s so obvious.Of course when I did look it up, the answerwas unsurprising to say the least.Twilight Zone Software was an offshoot ofthe demogroup Twilight Zone, responsible fora number of MS-DOS demos in the early 90s,providing yet another degree of personal fascinationregarding Interpose and its Christmas spin-offhere.Either way though, point being that I thinkInterpose is awesome for a multitude of reasons,I’m still sad that I didn’t get to playit back in the day, and the X-mas Greetingsversion is now way up there on my list ofquality Christmas titles to replay each year.Now if you’ll excuse me,I’ve had a clone breathing down my neck this whole time and it’s getting weird.And if you enjoyed this --CHRISTMAS!--if you enjoyed this episode of LGR then--CHRISTMAAASS--DUDE!If you enjoyed this episode of Christmas LGR,then do check out the previous years’ videos.The ongoing saga is strange, and it’ll continuefor the next couple weeks here too.As always though, thank you very much forwatching!-Christmas!-Shut up.\n"