<s>
Switchblade	B-Application
is	O
a	O
1989	O
side-scrolling	O
action-platform	O
run	O
and	O
gun	O
video	O
game	O
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
Core	O
Design	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
Graphics	O
in	O
Europe	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
home	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
gameplay	O
consists	O
of	O
run	O
and	O
gun	O
action	B-Application
mixed	O
with	O
platforming	O
and	O
exploration	O
elements	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
main	O
single-button	O
configuration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heavily	O
drawing	O
inspiration	O
from	O
both	O
Japanese	O
and	O
Western	O
pop	O
culture	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
various	O
games	O
,	O
Switchblade	B-Application
was	O
solely	O
created	O
by	O
Core	O
Design	O
co-founder	O
and	O
Rick	B-Application
Dangerous	I-Application
designer	O
Simon	O
Phipps	O
in	O
his	O
spare	O
time	O
,	O
who	O
took	O
a	O
year	O
and	O
a	O
half	O
to	O
complete	O
it	O
while	O
working	O
alongside	O
on	O
other	O
projects	O
at	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
platform	O
,	O
the	O
title	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
other	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
and	O
consoles	O
including	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Amstrad	B-Application
GX4000	I-Application
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
,	O
each	O
with	O
several	O
changes	O
and	O
additions	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
its	O
original	O
release	O
on	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
Switchblade	B-Application
garnered	O
mostly	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
who	O
praised	O
multiple	O
aspects	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
anime-inspired	O
presentation	O
,	O
visuals	O
,	O
sound	O
design	O
and	O
gameplay	O
but	O
others	O
criticized	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
slow	O
pacing	O
,	O
controls	O
and	O
difficulty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
critical	O
success	O
would	O
prompt	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
sequel	O
eight	O
months	O
later	O
;	O
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
a	O
new	O
team	O
at	O
Gremlin	O
Graphics	O
without	O
the	O
involvement	O
of	O
Phipps	O
and	O
garnered	O
a	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
the	O
public	O
as	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
title	O
upon	O
its	O
release	O
on	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
but	O
was	O
not	O
widely	O
ported	O
to	O
other	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Switchblade	B-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
action-platform	O
game	O
with	O
run	O
and	O
gun	O
elements	O
where	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
Hiro	O
on	O
his	O
quest	O
through	O
a	O
subterranean	O
labyrinth	O
in	O
Undercity	O
,	O
fighting	O
against	O
enemies	O
and	O
avoiding	O
hazards	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
reunite	O
16	O
scattered	O
fragments	O
of	O
the	O
sacred	O
Fireblade	O
sword	O
and	O
use	O
it	O
against	O
Havok	O
,	O
an	O
evil	O
entity	O
who	O
broke	O
free	O
from	O
his	O
imprisonment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
of	O
the	O
actions	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
are	O
performed	O
different	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
version	O
,	O
with	O
one	O
button	O
and	O
a	O
joystick	O
in	O
the	O
home	O
computer	O
versions	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
d-pad	B-Device
and	O
two	O
buttons	O
are	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
GX4000	B-Application
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Losing	O
a	O
life	O
gives	O
Hiro	O
a	O
brief	O
period	O
of	O
invincibility	O
but	O
once	O
all	O
lives	O
are	O
lost	O
in	O
the	O
playthrough	O
,	O
the	O
game	B-Application
is	I-Application
over	I-Application
,	O
forcing	O
players	O
to	O
restart	O
from	O
the	O
beginning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Switchblade	B-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
post-apocalyptic	O
future	O
where	O
the	O
Undercity	O
in	O
the	O
Cyberworld	O
of	O
Traxx	O
has	O
been	O
submerged	O
into	O
chaos	O
and	O
slaughtering	O
with	O
the	O
awakening	O
of	O
Havok	O
,	O
an	O
evil	O
entity	O
who	O
broke	O
free	O
from	O
his	O
ten	O
thousand-year-long	O
imprisonment	O
once	O
the	O
sacred	O
Fireblade	O
shattered	O
into	O
pieces	O
and	O
lost	O
its	O
power	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
death	O
of	O
the	O
Blade	O
Knights	O
order	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Switchblade	B-Application
was	O
solely	O
created	O
by	O
Core	O
Design	O
co-founder	O
Simon	O
Phipps	O
in	O
his	O
spare	O
time	O
and	O
became	O
the	O
first	O
title	O
he	O
wrote	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
but	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
its	O
development	O
process	O
,	O
it	O
took	O
approximately	O
eighteen	O
months	O
in	O
reaching	O
completion	O
while	O
he	O
began	O
and	O
finished	O
various	O
other	O
projects	O
at	O
his	O
company	O
,	O
most	O
notably	O
Rick	B-Application
Dangerous	I-Application
,	O
with	O
Phipps	O
stating	O
he	O
desired	O
producing	O
a	O
project	O
that	O
felt	O
similar	O
to	O
arcade	O
and	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
titles	O
during	O
this	O
era	O
due	O
to	O
his	O
fascination	O
with	O
Japanese	O
artwork	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
pieces	O
of	O
media	O
from	O
both	O
Japanese	O
and	O
Western	O
pop	O
culture	O
served	O
as	O
sources	O
of	O
inspiration	O
for	O
the	O
project	O
such	O
as	O
Akira	O
,	O
Blade	B-Application
Runner	I-Application
,	O
Cities	O
of	O
the	O
Red	O
Night	O
,	O
Mad	B-Device
Max	I-Device
and	O
The	O
Wild	O
Boys	O
music	O
video	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
video	O
games	O
like	O
Bubble	B-Application
Bobble	I-Application
,	O
Ranarama	B-Application
and	O
Underwurlde	B-Application
,	O
which	O
would	O
influence	O
various	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
product	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
disadvantages	O
with	O
the	O
ST	O
hardware	O
that	O
also	O
affected	O
its	O
design	O
structure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Switchblade	B-Application
was	O
first	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
and	O
later	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
in	O
Europe	O
in	O
December	O
1989	O
,	O
with	O
minimal	O
differences	O
between	O
each	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1990	O
,	O
an	O
enhanced	O
conversion	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
Graphics	O
for	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Application
GX4000	I-Application
and	O
made	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
Mode	O
1	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
a	O
320x200	O
resolution	O
display	O
and	O
more	O
colors	O
on-screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
by	O
Gremlin	O
as	O
well	O
in	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
Piko	O
Interactive	O
ported	O
and	O
released	O
Switchblade	B-Application
worldwide	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
Jaguar	I-Device
after	O
acquiring	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
title	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
brand-new	O
hand-drawn	O
cover	O
art	O
by	O
Simon	O
Phipps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
upon	O
the	O
original	O
ST	O
version	O
,	O
this	O
version	O
features	O
music	O
from	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
port	O
came	O
in	O
2019	O
,	O
featuring	O
redrawn	O
visuals	O
and	O
a	O
rearranged	O
soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Switchblade	B-Application
received	O
mostly	O
positive	O
reception	O
since	O
its	O
release	O
across	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
had	O
already	O
been	O
in	O
development	O
by	O
the	O
time	O
Switchblade	B-Application
was	O
released	O
eight	O
months	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
and	O
garnered	O
critical	O
success	O
that	O
prompted	O
its	O
creation	O
,	O
but	O
Phipps	O
had	O
no	O
direct	O
involvement	O
in	O
its	O
development	O
and	O
was	O
handled	O
by	O
a	O
new	O
team	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1991	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
that	O
the	O
enhanced	O
Amstrad	B-Application
GX4000	I-Application
console	B-Device
port	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
was	O
published	O
and	O
received	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
and	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
