If you were a home computer gamer in the 1980s, especially on the Commodore 64 or ZX Spectrum, chances are you were familiar with Hewson Consultants. Founded by Andrew Hewson in 1982, the company became known for publishing standout titles brought forth by a then new generation of UK bedroom coders. A year earlier, Andrew had written Hints and Tips for the ZX80, a guidebook that sparked waves of aspiring developers to send him their game projects on cassette. Whilst getting drawn in to the business coincidentally combined with the ‘developer first’-driven spirit led to the formation of one of the most iconic UK publishers of the 8-bit era.
In the years that followed, Hewson Consultants was responsible for some of the most acclaimed titles on the C64 and Spectrum. Games like Uridium, Paradroid, Nebulus and Quazatron cemented the label’s place in gaming history. The company eventually evolved into 21st Century Entertainment, which found success again in the 1990s with Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies and other Digital Illusions classics.
Hyper Sentinel Fusion
Now, more than 20 years after 21st Century ceased operations, Rob Hewson carries the family legacy forward through Huey Games. While Huey is best known for its Smart Porting services, the team occasionally kicks off projects of its own and Hyper Sentinel Fusion is the latest.
Huey Games reached out to offer us an early look at Hyper Sentinel Fusion, and before long a prototype of the physical Mega Disk Limited Edition landed on our doorstep. Both the packaging and the game are still in pre-release state, but they’re far enough along to get us excited for what’s to come. The Kickstarter campaign is launching soon, with the backer page already live.
The Mega Floppy Micro Drive
One of the standout rewards in the Hyper Sentinel Fusion Kickstarter is the Mega Floppy Micro Drive, a custom USB drive disguised as a slightly oversized 3.5″ floppy disk. You won’t need to dust off your old USB disk drive — although, admittedly, that would have been a fun nod. The disk is thicker than a standard floppy and feels like a neat throwback.
We don’t yet know the full contents of the final edition, but our prototype came in a sturdy cardboard game box somewhat akin to classic C64, Amiga and DOS packaging from the late ’80s. Inside were a Steam key for the demo, some personal notes, a full-color manual and two awesome pins featuring Paradroid and Iridium’s player sprites.
Un-fused Hyper Sentinel
Hyper Sentinel Fusion is, at its core, a reimagining of Hyper Sentinel, the indie shooter released seven years ago. That game itself was a spiritual successor to Uridium, the iconic 1986 C64 release from Hewson Consultants. Both titles let you pilot a small fighter skimming across the surface of massive alien warships in a high-speed, top-view assault.
Like Uridium, Hyper Sentinel captured that “David versus Goliath” feel, letting you chip away at enormous battleships. Hyper Sentinel added weapons, level bosses and vibrant pixel art that echoed the style of Namco’s Pac-Man and Galaga revamps.
Paradroid infusion
Hyper Sentinel Fusion follows the Uridium blueprint more closely but adds a second phase lifted straight from Paradroid. In the original Uridium, you could land on enemy ships to destroy them. In Fusion, landing transitions you into a different top-down mission where you play as a droid infiltrating the interior of the battleship to basically destroy the bots and the core inside, and scavenge all its resources.
While the storyline of Paradroid – clearing Earth’s battleships of malfunctioning robots – is no longer part of the setup, the gameplay is surprisingly intact. The top-down interiors, computer systems and robots to take over or destroy all return. Gone are the elevators and multi-floor layouts. Everything takes place on a single floor to keep things fast and snappy.
It’s remarkable how well these two styles of gameplay mesh together. Sure, some of Paradroid’s more unique elements have been trimmed, but it’s all in service of pacing and rhythm. After completing your objective, you have a short window to escape the ship. Wait too long and your droid goes down with it, taking your hard-earned resources with it. The risk-reward balance here adds tension in a way that feels smart and satisfying.
Rogue-lite mechanics
So what do those resources do? This is where Huey Games introduces the third part of its pitch: Uridium + Paradroid meets Hades. The game fuses classic mechanics with rogue-lite progression. Although the stages are not procedurally generated, each failed run sends you back to a base where you can upgrade your ship, your droid or buy other permanent enhancements. When you head back out, it’s back to level one, in good old true rogue-lite fashion.
The state of play
The demo build Huey Games provided includes three stages and only a handful of upgrades. As expected for this phase of development, the rogue-lite systems are still light, but the foundation feels strong. Both game phases feel distinct and equally enjoyable. The balance is already impressive, with no clear weak link between the shooting and infiltration segments. Difficulty feels fair, and the variety of droids to take over you can control shows promise for future depth.
There are still a few lingering concerns. Without any true boss battles in the demo, it’s hard to know whether the game can sustain interest over 10 or 15 levels. That will depend on how much variety Huey Games can inject into upgrades, buffs and enemy designs. It’s a challenge most rogue-lites face, and one that separates the good from the forgettable. That said, there’s a lot to be optimistic about here. The core gameplay is solid, full of character and already blends nostalgia with modern design smartly.
Stay in touch, we’ll keep you updated with all the latest news on Hyper Sentinel Fusion.
