JSW Central - Resource Centre for ZX Spectrum games based on Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines

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

57. What a Wonderful World of Willie

Author: Jet Set Willie

Year: 2024

Language: English

What a Wonderful World of Willie is the first game released by Jet Set Willie. It was launched in September 2024. The author originally intended for the game to be a Willy title but without featuring Willy himself. After considering suitable names that still retained the spirit of the classic series, he settled on "Willie," as it felt fitting.

At the outset, Jet Set Willie envisioned two different concepts: an Indiana Jones-style exploration game and a spy story. The Indiana Jones-style rooms were developed first. However, it soon became clear that such a setting alone would require dozens upon dozens of rooms—potentially more than 256—to fully realise the idea, particularly when considering the inclusion of jungles and other locations. Given time constraints, he decided to merge the two ideas into a single game, managing to condense them into approximately 60 rooms.

Jet Set Willie believes that in classic JSW games, backgrounds often appear "empty," with platforms, walls, items, and guardians being the only visible elements against a typically black backdrop. Therefore, in What a Wonderful World of Willie, he sought to introduce a greater sense of depth by adding three-dimensional elements such as mountains, clouds, and other scenery behind the foreground platforms. Additionally, he designed certain rooms to allow players to move further into or away from the screen, enhancing the sense of space.

Rather than creating a conventional JSW game, Jet Set Willie aimed for something a little more unusual. He acknowledged that he may have unknowingly "reinvented the wheel" during development, as some of the effects and mechanics introduced may have been used in other games before. However, devising unique solutions to achieve his desired effects only added to the enjoyment of the creative process.

The original version of the game was significantly more challenging than the released one, as it was initially designed for the creator's own enjoyment. However, Jet Set Willie adjusted the difficulty level to make it more accessible to a wider audience. That said, the game still presents a deliberate level of challenge, as it is intended for experienced players. An extra degree of difficulty was incorporated to keep the game engaging and prevent it from feeling dull or too easy. In fact, after the initial few rooms, the game becomes slightly easier for a time. To accommodate all players, an infinite lives option was also included at the start, allowing anyone to complete the game if they choose (only the TZX file has this option, not the TAP one).

What may appear to be graphical corruption in the "lives left" section at the bottom of the screen is, in fact, an intentional design choice. The effect was deliberately created to make the remaining lives sprites more colourful.

The game features new title-screen and in-game music, as well as new sound effects.

In What a Wonderful World of Willie, unlike in many other games utilising the JSW game engines, there is no Maria, bed, or toilet. While there are items to collect, they do not need to be collected to complete the game; you just need to get Willie to the final room. Most items can be collected along the way, but not all of them.

The game was released in TAP and TZX formats. Jet Set Willie recommends using the TZX version for a full game experience, including loading screens and an infinite lives option.

Number of edited rooms: 64

Number of rooms accessible without cheating: 64

Number of rooms which need to be visited to complete the game: 64

Number of items: 177

Number of items which can be collected: 171

(Four items in "At last we'll meet!" [07] and two items in "This is my lucky day!" [29] are for decorative purposes only and cannot be collected.)

Bugfix needed after original release? NO

Spare lives at the start: 7

Completable without loss of life? YES

(The game is not item-completable, bed-completable, toilet-completable or Maria-completable. It ends when the protagonist reaches the final screen.)

Starting time: 7:00 am

Best documented completion time with no unnecessary loss of life: No walkthrough is publicly available yet.