Resource centre for ZX Spectrum games
using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
IV. Jet Set Willy 128 (JSW128)
Games using John Elliott's JSW128 game engine for the 128K Spectrum
12. Jet Set Willy 5: ZX Heroes
Author: Igor Makovsky
Year: 2002
Language: English
Jet Set Willy 5: ZX Heroes was the second JSW game created by Igor Makovsky. He made it out of nostalgia for the 1980s, a time when one did not need to constantly upgrade computer memory and video cards, but would just turn on their Speccy, load games using a cassette recorder and enjoy them. Igor wanted to create a unique game that would transport the player back to the simplicity of those days. As a result, Jet Set Willy 5: ZX Heroes, released in December 2002, is a tribute to over 30 ZX Spectrum games, with a room dedicated to each of them.
The story: In the ZX world, where all ZX games coexisted peacefully, game heroes socialized during the computer's downtime. Dizzy visited Rockford from Boulder Dash, Brian Bloodaxe paid a visit to Technician Ted and all was well. However, King Spectrum, the ruler of this gaming realm, decided to upgrade to a new and powerful computer boasting 10000MHz, 100000MB RAM and a superior video card. Ecstatic about the new possibilities, he immersed himself in the new games, neglecting his kingdom. This neglect caused chaos as game worlds collided, heroes fought and the entire ZX game universe began to collapse. To save it, Willy must collect all flashing items and present them to the distracted king. Seizing the moment, Willy will then reach the computer's energy device and turn it off once and for all.
The game is easy to complete and boasts a rich atmosphere. Each room features distinct sprites; there are no sprites that appear in more than one room.
The game uses Hacklevel 8 of the JSW128 game engine.
Number of edited rooms: 80
Number of rooms accessible without cheating: 80
(41 of them [technical room numbers 100-140], which are part of the final sequence, are only accessible during the toilet run, if the game is completed in a normal way, or by taking the Secret Passage.)
Number of rooms which need to be visited to complete the game: 78
(If the game is completed via the Secret Passage, only 3 rooms need to be visited plus the 41 of the final sequence.)
Number of items to collect: 256
(The game's status bar erroneously shows 255 items to collect.)
Bugfix needed after original release? NO
Spare lives at the start: 7
Completable without loss of life? YES (bed-completable only)
(The game is not toilet-completable, because - by conscious design - it does not conclude with the traditional scene of Willy reaching the toilet. Instead, a final screen is presented - the [unnamed] "END" room [140] - through which Willy falls continuously, barely visible and discernible only through occasional flickering. In addition to completing the game in the conventional manner, the player can reach this ending via a Secret Passage intentionally crafted by the author, without collecting any items.)
Starting time: 7:00 am
Best documented completion time without loss of life: 7:57 am (7:02 am via the Secret Passage)
Download links
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Game file in TAP and TZX formats |
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The game's page on WoS |
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The game's page on Spectrum Computing |
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The game's map on Speccy Screenshot Maps |
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RZX walkthrough of the game showing the best documented completion times |
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RZX walkthrough of the game on the RZX Archive (showing completion times which are inferior to the best publicly available recordings) |
Video
A walkthrough of the game on the JSW Central YouTube channel (showing the game completed both in the conventional way and via the Secret Passage)
A complete screenshot gallery will be presented on this page in the future.
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