Resource centre for ZX Spectrum games
using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
II. Jet Set Willy (JSW48)
A. New games using Matthew Smith's original Jet Set Willy game engine for the 48K Spectrum and its modifications
27. Jet Set Willy: Willy's Flashback
Author: Visa-Valtteri Pimiä (jet_visy)
Year: 2001
Language: English
Jet Set Willy: Willy's Flashback is the only gamma-released JSW game for the ZX Spectrum by Visa-Valtteri Pimiä (jet_visy).
In the Readme, the author admitted that he had wanted to create a JSW game all his life, ever since he was five years old. The creation of such a game finally became possible with JSWED. However, he also noted that he hadn’t edited all the rooms—partly due to his being "lazy" and partly because he wanted to get the game out of his hands and move on to something new. Unfortunately, his next announced game, JSW: Willy Wonka, which was mentioned both in his internet posts and in Willy’s Flashback’s scrolling message, never materialised.
According to Visa-Valtteri Pimiä, Jet Set Willy: Willy's Flashback is best played with a mindset similar to that of playing Andrew Broad’s We Pretty, whose author did not mind if people found his game a bit strange.
In Jet Set Willy: Willy's Flashback, when Willy walks to the right, he appears to warp slightly. This effect was intentionally added to make ""the very easy beginner style game a bit harder". The author also wanted Willy to look as if he were sick or unwell, though the result makes him appear as if he is nodding.
The game is recognised by JSWED as using the Softricks game engine, which differs from standard JSW engine by featuring a double-length Guardian Class Table, leading to the relocation of the Item Table and the toilet sprite (John Elliott has analysed the Softricks engine in detail and documented these changes on his website). The two extra rooms from the Softricks editor are also present in the game file: "The Vault" (61) has been modified and is now "The Vault revisited", while "The Moat" (47) is unused in the game. However, Willy's Flashback lacks some typical Softricks engine features, such as a demo mode after the title-screen scrolly or the title screen being shown each time the player loses a life.
As originally released, Jet Set Willy: Willy's Flashback ends with Willy being repeatedly killed by the conveyor in "Security Monitor" (33). Visa-Valtteri Pimiä once confirmed that the conveyor was intentionally deadly, considering Willy’s repeated death to be "the true ending". However, this multiple-death scenario just before reaching the toilet creates a significant anticlimax. For this reason, a modified, toilet-completable version of the game was created in March 2025 and is available for download below to allow players to experience the game up to the traditional ending.
Number of edited rooms: 46
This number includes 37 new rooms and 9 unedited rooms from the original JSW that can be accessed by the player without using Writetyper or any other cheat, as discussed here. There is actually no need to enter them to complete the game, as there are no items in them. The author himself has confirmed he considers them to be a part of the game. On the contrary, he does not consider part of the game the other unedited rooms from the original JSW left within the game file, which can only be accessed using the Writetyper cheat.
Number of rooms accessible without cheating: 46
Number of rooms which need to be visited to complete the game: 36
("SPIKE ME !" [06] should be omitted as entering it results in a multiple-death scenario; the 9 unedited rooms from the original JSW do not need to be visited.)
Number of items to collect: 84
Bugfix needed after original release? NO
(A third-party-modified, toilet-completable version is available in addition to the original release.)
Spare lives at the start: 7
Completable without loss of life? YES (the original release is bed-completable only)
Starting time: 7:00 am
Best documented completion time with no loss of life: 7:36 am
Download links
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Game files of both the original and toilet-completable versions in TAP and TZX format |
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Toilet-completable version of the game in TAP and TZX formats with a Readme |
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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 toilet-completable version of the game showing the best documented completion time |
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RZX walkthrough of the original release of the game (showing a completion which is inferior to the best publicly available recording) |
Video
A walkthrough of the game on the JSW Central YouTube channel
Screenshot gallery |
New rooms
Rooms from the original JSW which can be accessed during gameplay without cheating (it is not necessary to enter them to complete the game, though, as there are no items there.)
Game Over
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