Power Factor (1993). Play online

Summary

Power Factor puts you inside a virtual‑reality simulator where you assume the role of Redd Ace, a pilot hunting the Sinlendo Techmods through the sprawling Ceegraian Power Station. The game’s meta premise—a game inside a game—was unusual for a handheld in 1993 and gives each of the eleven stages a clear objective: locate the six hidden bomb components needed to blast the alien biomechanical invasion.

The controls are crammed into the Lynx’s four buttons: A and B fire the Transmat MOW rifle (unlimited standard shots, a limited stock of charge shots), up on the D‑pad doubles as a jump and down engages the fuel‑limited rocket pack for short‑range flight. Shields absorb damage and can be replenished, while optional menus let you inspect collected weapons, bomb pieces, and a map of the current area.

Originally a near‑finished Atari ST project titled Red Ace by Red Rat Software, the title was rescued after the studio folded and handed to Hand Made Software for a Lynx conversion. Critics praised its detailed sprites, fluid animation, and monster‑sized bosses, though opinions on the digitized soundtrack and crowded button layout were split. The unreleased ST version resurfaced in 2005 as a leaked ROM.

Storyline

Power Factor drops you into a meta‑gaming scenario. At the Atarian Leisure Moon resort you control a tourist who steps into a virtual‑reality simulator, adopting the persona of the legendary pilot Redd Ace. The game’s narrative frames the action as a recreation of Ace’s famous clash with the Sinlendo Techmods, a hostile force from the parallel dimension of Ceeg. Those invaders have breached Ace’s home universe to seize bomb components hidden inside the Ceegraian Power Station. Your mission, as Redd Ace, is to recover the components and shut down the alien threat, echoing the historic battle that saved his world.