''WingNuts: Temporal Navigator'' is a 2001 top-down

multi-directional shooter A twin-stick shooter is a subgenre of shoot 'em up video games. It is a multidirectional shooter in which the player character is controlled using two joysticks: one for movement on a flat plane, and one to aim and fire shots at enemies, Usually s ...

for

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

made by

Freeverse Software Freeverse Inc. (originally Freeverse Software) was a developer of computer and video game and desktop software based in New York City which was acquired by Ngmoco in 2010. Ngmoco was itself acquired later that year, and shut down in 2016. Hi ...

. It was inspired by arcade games ''

Time Pilot is a multidirectional shooter arcade game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and released by Konami in 1982. It was distributed in the United States by Centuri, and by Atari Ireland in Europe and the Middle East. While engaging in aerial combat, the ...

'' and ''

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

.'' In ''WingNuts'', the player navigates an aircraft around a two-dimensional map, and travels through time to fight robot planes and defeat the game's antagonist, Baron Von Schtopwatch. To progress, the player must destroy hostile aircraft and ground vehicles, while avoiding hazards and picking up "goodies". At the end of each level, a final boss appears, whose defeat unlocks the next level. Freeverse released a sequel, '' WingNuts 2: Raina's Revenge'' in mid-2006, and subsequently made the original game available on their website for free.

Gameplay

The player controls a pilot in a series of airborne missions, hopping to different geographical locations and time periods in search of the villainous Baron von Schtopwatch. The player's objective is to destroy enemy fleets, bomb ground installations, and reach level-specific objectives. Floating power-ups grant extra guns, or boosts to the player's s fuel and shields. The game features a variety of vintage and modern aircraft for the player to use, with the ability to collect and upgrade them as the player progresses through the game. The player is supported by an airborne aircraft carrier where they can land to swap their plane with any other unlocked plane. Once a player has destroyed all enemy fleet and ground weaponry, a boss character appears, whose defeat unlocks the next level. There are 30 levels in total.

Development

''WingNuts'' was originally released for

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...

and

classic Mac OS Mac OS (originally System Software; retronym: Classic Mac OS) is the series of operating systems developed for the Macintosh family of personal computers by Apple Computer from 1984 to 2001, starting with System 1 and ending with Mac OS 9. Th ...

. On

Mac OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

, the game's support for game controllers was non-functional until Freeverse released a patch in 2002, making ''WingNuts'' officially compatible with Mac OS X. ''WingNuts's'' game engine was coded by Freeverse employee Mark Andersson.

Reception

MacAddict ''MacLife'' (stylized as ''Mac, Life'') is an American monthly magazine published by Future US. It focuses on the Macintosh personal computer and related products, including the iPad and iPhone. It’s sold as a print product on newsstands, and ...

's Ian Sammis said ''WingNuts'' was "the sort of game you can easily play through the night, regaining awareness only when the glare from the rising sun finally causes you to lose a life." ''

Macworld ''Macworld'' is a website dedicated to products and software of Apple Inc., published by Foundry, a subsidiary of IDG Inc. It started life as a print magazine in 1984 and had the largest audited circulation (both total and newsstand) of Macin ...

'''s Peter Cohen said the game was "fun and extraordinarily well executed", and praised its graphics, sound effects and gameplay.

Awards

''WingNuts'' won ''

s 2002 ''Best Old-School Arcade Game'' award, and was the only game in ''Macworld'''s 2002 Hall of Fame to receive a five-mouse rating.

References

{{reflist

External links

* Archives of official website
August 2002March 2006
(archive.org) 2006 video games DeNA franchises Freeverse Inc. games MacOS games Single-player video games Shooter games Video games developed in the United States Windows games