The Collection Chamber: REBEL RUNNER: OPERATION DIGITAL CODE

YOUR LUCK IS ABOUT TO RUN OUT

You are the last Ranaxian rebel, and the only hope to save your planet from certain doom. But that makes you the most wanted guy in the solar system, and your only chance for survival is to run.

Experience non-stop action, as you run for your life in Microforum's newest simulated 3D battle game, Rebel Runner - Operation Digital Code. It's kill or be killed, as you pump out realistic looking fireballs and devastating sonic blasts in a battle with some of the deadliest creatures in the galaxy.

You'll face an endless barrage of bizarre aliens as you fight your way through detailed alien environments. With each new level, the enemies grow stronger, the battles become harder and your chances of survival grow slimmer. You've been luck so far, but your luck is about to run out!

Rebel Runner - Operation Digital Code combines the best elements of arcade - style action games, with simulated 3D environments that put you at the center of a deadly extraterrestrial war. So get ready to target, then run for your life, because the fate of the planet is in your hands!

Rebel Runner - Operation Digital Code features:
A horizontal perspective that takes scrolling games to a whole new level
Dynamic fight sequences and devastating weapons, in non-stop, arcade-style action
Realistic, fluid character movement lets you run, jump, squat or roll your way out of any tough situation
Deadly enemies and realistic looking fireballs provide for maximum carnage!
A hi-tech weapons system that lets you "lock on" with voice cued, cursor targeting

~ from the back of the box

While you know plenty of videogames hailing from Japan, you might not know of many from South Korea. Especially PC games from the 90s. That would be because not many came to the west. A trio of titles from Family Production would be the exception, and Rebel Runner: Operation Digital Code was one of them.

Coming to the US and Europe in 1996 courtesy of Microforum, it tried to stand out with some handsome pre-rendered art style and explosive platforming, but with a budget release it would quickly descend into the type of obscurity that not even the developer's other western games - Shakii the Wolf and Iron Blood - could fall into. Having not played those other games (yet), I can't comment on their quality but having tried Rebel Runner myself, I can kinds see why.

Walk past these gates to activate a checkpoint (left).
When you die - which will be often - you'll respawn at the last one (right).

Rebel Runner seems to lack a personality. You are a generic blond-haired army guy with dreams of being Duke Nukem. He's escaped the prison of some evil alien overlords determined to take back control of his occupied planet. This means blasting some mole-like figures and giant spiders with "realistic looking fireballs". Some enemies go down in one hit, other take several but if you hand around too long they'll repeat on you regardless.

Your fire attack is limited to the amount of energy you have, as indicated on the top left corner. Each flame from your hands drains the meter a little but scattered around each stage and dropped by every defeated enemy are floating blue orbs to replenish it. If you store up enough, the attack will level up becoming a triple spread attack or a massive blast of plasma. Should you hold down the attack key, our hero will stand in place allowing you to precisely aim a charged shot, but good finding an opening to actually use this successfully.

A double jump will not only let you reach higher places, but also damage any enemy directly below it (left).
Hold the attack button for an aimed charge attack. When timed well, they're best used at bosses (right).

The most common attack I tended to use would be the double jump. Tap the attack key in mid air, and a blast of fiery energy will not only propel you upwards a little way, but also hurt anything directly beneath it. Thinks of it like Mario's bonce-bop and you have the idea. The graphics and mechanics are all pretty decent, so it's a shame that the game is almost unfair in its brutal difficulty. That energy bar also acts as health, and more often than not it will be on the lower side of the spectrum. This means one-hit kills, and they really suck. A death will take you back to the beginning of the stage or last checkpoint you walked through but those troublesome enemies won't stay dead. They'll easily gang up on you leaving you to frustratingly fumble over the finnicky controls causing your death yet again. It doesn't help that a slip of the Up key will dive you head-first into the maws of danger.

Outside of the control quirks and unpolished presentation, the biggest mark again this game is its high difficulty curve. A YouTube longplay - the only one on the website - indicates that there is a infinite energy cheat (which is essentially god mode) but I couldn't find it. Sometimes a game needs such a thing to be remotely enjoyable, and for me Rebel Runner: Operation Digital Code seems to be one of them. Unless you're a truly masochistic player, you may want to give this one a miss.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses the DOSBox-X build of DOSBox to bring the game to modern systems. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 89.2 Mb. Install Size: 183 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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