Description
Jet Set Willy is a computer game for the ZX Spectrum home
computer. Its release in 1984 was concurrent with
the height of the Spectrum's popularity in the early
1980s.
The game is a sequel to Manic Miner (1983), and is
largely credited with bringing the platform game to
the home micro scene. It was published by Software
Projects. In the game a very tired Miner Willy had
to tidy up all the objects left around his house
after a party. With this done his housekeeper Maria
would allow him access to his bedroom.
The game was written by Matthew Smith, hailed at the
time as a games-writing genius, who would eventually
vanish, allegedly turning up in a Dutch commune some
years later.
Ports to other computer platforms were also made:
Jet Set Willy II, an expanded version for the
Amstrad CPC, was later converted back to the ZX
Spectrum. Both games were also released for the BBC
Micro, Acorn Electron and the Commodore 64, with
some minor differences. A port of Jet Set Willy to
the Atari 8-bit family of computers was released by
Tynesoft. Apparently, the game was not as good as
the original, but the music for this port was done
by Rob Hubbard [1]. Software Projects made a port to
the Atari ST but it was never released [2].
The game became well-known for its peculiarities:
for example, Willy loses a life if he falls too far,
but if his fall causes him to enter another screen
before dying then the game will send Willy back to
where he entered the screen. On losing a life, Willy
therefore begins another fall, dies, is sent back
again and will die repeatedly with no possible
escape until his lives run out. Another peculiarity
of the game is that the in-game music changes pitch
everytime Willy loses a life.
One of the most infamous levels was called "We must
perform a Quirkafleeg".
In the 1980s, Matthew Smith suggested that he was
working on a further Miner Willy game possibly to be
titled either The Megatree or Miner Willy Meets the
Taxman. However, neither game has yet appeared.
|
