''Fungus'' is an auto-runner developed by Karl Hörnell and published by

Interceptor Micros Interceptor Micros, also known as Interceptor Software and later as Interceptor Group, was a British video game developer, developer/video game publisher, publisher of video games for various 8-bit and 16-bit computer systems popular in Western ...

. It was released in 1986 for

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

. The game revolves around a humanoid alien who is addicted to eating space

mushrooms A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

, and runs across other space islands to collect them while dodging hostile aliens who are trying to protect their island. The player can jump over gaps and move to the foreground or background of the screen to dodge things. ''Fungus'' is notable for being developed when Hörnell was still in

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

, during which time he learned

machine code In computer programming, machine code is computer code consisting of machine language instructions, which are used to control a computer's central processing unit (CPU). For conventional binary computers, machine code is the binaryOn nonb ...

to create his own Commodore 64 games, also handling the artwork himself. It was positively received by critics, who cited its graphics as impressive, and praised its gameplay, considering it above-average for a budget title.

Development

The game was developed while Hörnell was a student. Hörnell cited the theming around mushrooms because he "always found

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

to be kind of cool". He implemented the isometric perspective because he found it more visually advanced than typical sidescrollers. The founders of Interceptor Micros found the game so impressive that they invited Hörnell and his family to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, where he could finish the game. He described the meeting as awkward because they were "so far above imin every way" that he could not think of anything interesting to say.

Reception

Zzap!64 ''Zzap!64'' is a computer games magazine covering games for computers manufactured by Commodore International, especially the Commodore 64 (C64). It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact. The magazi ...

'' magazine rated the game highly, describing it as a "jolly good buy". While one of the viewers described it as "rather frustrating to play at first", he soon found it "compulsive" and "addictive", summing it up as a "pleasant game in every way". Laurie Simpson of ''

Commodore User ''Commodore User'', (also referred to as ''CU'') later renamed to ''CU Amiga'', is a British magazine initially published by Paradox Group before being acquired by EMAP. Timeline ''Commodore User'' was launched in October 1983 with an initial pr ...

'' magazine also gave the game a high rating, calling it "light-hearted" with a "professional polish". However, '' ASM'' magazine rated the game lower, still praising its graphics but particularly criticizing its gameplay. Retrospectively, ''

Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering Retrogaming, retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' ...

'' magazine called the game the "great-grandaddy" of the

endless runner Endless runner or infinite runner is a subgenre of platform game in which the player character runs for an infinite amount of time while avoiding obstacles. The player's objective is to reach a high score by surviving for as long as possible. Th ...

game ''

Temple Run ''Temple Run'' is a 2011 endless runner video game developed and published by Imangi Studios. The player controls an explorer who has obtained an ancient relic and runs from demonic monkey-like creatures chasing them. The game was initially r ...

''.

Legacy

Hörnell spent subsequent years developing ''Fungus 2'', an improved sequel in every respect, which he considered his

magnum opus A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

. The game was nearly complete in 1990, but

refused to publish it, considering Commodore 64-only games outdated. The damaged state of Hörnell's Commodore 64 caused him to cancel the game, as he could not afford a replacement. Many years later in 2021, the game was unofficially published by Frank Gasking and released online.

References

External links

*{{moby game, id=/65620, name=''Fungus''
''Fungus''
at Lemon64 1986 video games Auto-runner games Commodore 64 games Commodore 64-only games Interceptor Micros games Science fiction video games Single-player video games Video games about extraterrestrial life Video games about food and drink Video games developed in Sweden