Spindizzy Worlds
| Developer: N/A | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Electric Dreams | Sound: |
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| Year: 1990 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Maze | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
7/10 | |
This is a game someone must have told me about years ago. I added it to my list, promptly lost said list, and only recently rediscovered it in an unexpected way. Oh yes, allow me to indulge in a little storytelling!
Not long ago (in 2012…), I was looking for the game Forgotten Mine for some obscure reason and decided to download it from Emerald Web. Noticing the links were broken, I tried contacting the creator. That’s when I stumbled upon this page, where he recounts the site’s history, including a 2001 version hosted on Archive.org (Wayback Machine).
This thing is incredible! It lets you browse pages over a decade old and marvel—or cringe—at how various sites looked in their early days.
Naturally, I typed “dazeland.com” (absolutely not self-centered) and, oh my… Well, you’ll have to try it for yourself. Picture this: a six-million-colour photo as the background and MIDI music playing on every page! Frightening, I know.
Anyway, I spent some time poking around the ghost of my early 2000s site, eyes stinging, until I came across this infamous list (here).
And that’s how I rediscovered this game, Spindizzy Worlds, which I had utterly forgotten about. I hope whoever recommended it to me wasn’t waiting all this time.
Let’s get to it! This is a remake of Spindizzy (Atari ST, 1986), which also appeared on other 8-bit computers. You control something resembling a spinning top called G.E.R.A.L.D. (short for Geographic Environmental Reconnaissance And Land-Mapping Device), a surveying tool used to map planets before they’re destroyed. Right, then…
Some levels bear an uncanny resemblance to Marble Madness. Essentially, you explore isometric 3D levels, collect crystals and other trinkets for points, jump off ramps, activate clever mechanisms, and avoid bottomless pits and enemies—all within the time limit. Classic stuff!
Classic, perhaps, but excellently executed. The environments and puzzles are varied, and the difficulty is well-balanced.
Press “R” and “T” to change the view, “M” to display the map, and “Space” to stop the top.
The game was ported to the Super Nintendo in 1993 in a version that (apparently) features less responsive controls.
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