Game Catalogue
The complete Novagen Software catalogue -- four titles spanning 1985 to 1992.
Mercenary: Escape from Targ
You are a mercenary whose ship has crash-landed on the hostile planet Targ. Your mission: find a way off. Mercenary dropped players into a fully free-roaming 3D vector world with no hand-holding -- explore the city, trade with locals, steal vehicles, and unravel conflicting agendas from two warring factions. Originally released for C64 and Atari 8-bit in 1985, with Amstrad CPC following the same year. Enhanced versions for Amiga, Atari ST and DOS arrived in 1986. Paul Woakes pushed 8-bit hardware further than most thought possible with smooth solid-filled 3D graphics at a time when the technology was barely understood.
Backlash
A sharp departure from the open-world formula of Mercenary, Backlash put players in the cockpit of a gunship for a fast-paced horizontally scrolling shoot-em-up. Released in 1988 for Amiga and Atari ST, the game showcased Novagen's technical versatility -- proving the studio could deliver a polished arcade experience just as convincingly as a sprawling 3D adventure. Players navigate waves of enemy craft across varied terrain, with tight controls and fluid sprite work that held up well against the competition of the era. While it sold respectably, fans and critics alike continued to clamour for a return to the Mercenary universe.
Damocles: Mercenary II
The sequel to Mercenary expanded the scope dramatically: an entire solar system to explore, with nine planets and dozens of moons rendered in real-time 3D. A rogue comet called Damocles is on a collision course with the inhabited world of Eris, and you are hired to stop it -- or profit from the chaos. Released in 1990 for Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS, Damocles was critically acclaimed for its astonishing scale and the freedom it afforded players. Multiple solutions exist for the central crisis, and the game rewards lateral thinking. Many consider it the pinnacle of Novagen's output.
Mercenary III: The Dion Crisis
The final chapter in the Mercenary trilogy brought a more narrative-driven experience to the series. Set on the planet Dion, the story unfolds through a richer cast of characters and a more elaborate mission structure than its predecessors. Released in 1992 for Amiga and DOS, the game arrived late in the 16-bit era as the market shifted toward CD-ROM titles. The 3D engine was refined once more, offering greater environmental detail. Though commercially overshadowed by the changing landscape of home computing, Mercenary III provided a satisfying conclusion to the series and cemented Paul Woakes' reputation as one of the most technically gifted programmers of the era.