Spindizzy Worlds
Encyclopedia
Spindizzy Worlds is a puzzle video game published by Activision
, released on the Amiga
and Atari ST
in 1990. It was later released on the Super Famicom in 1992 and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
in 1993 by Ascii Entertainment. The game is a sequel to the 1986 video game Spindizzy. Like its predecessor it uses an isometric view
, and the player controls a spinning top kind of robotic devise named GERALD, a Geographical Environmental Reconnaissance And LandMapping Devise, that is tasked with exploring and mapping a star system before it is destroyed.
GERALD has limited controls only being able to move around with the use of breaking and accelerating. The player must guide the device through several levels, there are many hazards enemies and puzzles based on finding and pressing switches in the correct order and navigating thin pathways without falling off. GERALD cannot jump on its own but can reach higher platforms and traverse large gaps by accelerating and jumping over ramps or using moving platforms or warps. GERALD's health
, called fuel, depletes slowly over time or quicker when falling of ledges on touching enemies and hazards, it is replenished in small amounts after finishing a section of a stage and by collecting gems that are found around most levels.
To start, the level select screen has two clusters or, star systems Easy and Hard, named Easydizzy and Spindizzy in the SNES version. The harder system contains more complex level
and a higher number of levels than the easier system. In both clusters planets represent levels, and although the player has a choice of which to level to play, the easier outer planets must be completed before the harder inner planets can be selected. The central star is the final stage and can only be selected after all the others are beaten. The levels are all individually named giving a clue as to the theme of the level.
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
, released on the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
in 1990. It was later released on the Super Famicom in 1992 and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
in 1993 by Ascii Entertainment. The game is a sequel to the 1986 video game Spindizzy. Like its predecessor it uses an isometric view
Video games with isometric graphics
In video games, "isometric" refers to some form of parallel projection where the viewpoint is rotated slightly to reveal other facets of the game environment than are visible from a top-down perspective or side view, thereby producing a three-dimensional effect...
, and the player controls a spinning top kind of robotic devise named GERALD, a Geographical Environmental Reconnaissance And LandMapping Devise, that is tasked with exploring and mapping a star system before it is destroyed.
GERALD has limited controls only being able to move around with the use of breaking and accelerating. The player must guide the device through several levels, there are many hazards enemies and puzzles based on finding and pressing switches in the correct order and navigating thin pathways without falling off. GERALD cannot jump on its own but can reach higher platforms and traverse large gaps by accelerating and jumping over ramps or using moving platforms or warps. GERALD's health
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
, called fuel, depletes slowly over time or quicker when falling of ledges on touching enemies and hazards, it is replenished in small amounts after finishing a section of a stage and by collecting gems that are found around most levels.
To start, the level select screen has two clusters or, star systems Easy and Hard, named Easydizzy and Spindizzy in the SNES version. The harder system contains more complex level
Level (video gaming)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
and a higher number of levels than the easier system. In both clusters planets represent levels, and although the player has a choice of which to level to play, the easier outer planets must be completed before the harder inner planets can be selected. The central star is the final stage and can only be selected after all the others are beaten. The levels are all individually named giving a clue as to the theme of the level.