The Emperor Must Die

The Emperor Must Die is a combination arcade game and text adventure for the Dragon 32/64.

The Galactic Emperor has become so corrupt that, throughout the inhabited planets of the Empire, underground movements have arisen. These movements are looking for someone who has the skill of a rocket pilot, the eagle eyes of a marksman gunner, and the sheer determination to accept the task of assassinating the Emperor. The player and Captain Phoenix must show they are up to the task.

In the first arcade section, the player controls a spaceship that moves laterally, and fires directly forwards. The player has limited fuel, and must survive enemy ships, space mines, and power barriers. The player must visit three of the first five planets to receive a password to start the first adventure.

In the text adventure component, the player has been tasked by the Central Computer to prove they are worthy to kill the Emperor. They are dropped in an unknown land, and must find the transporter disc to return. A map helps guide the player's movement on the planet's surface, and the player must scavenge for weapons to fight off attacking monsters. All commands are via VERB NOUN entry.

By completing the adventure, the player is given a password to access further action sequences, which will ultimately provide the passcode to access the final adventure sequence.