Resource centre for ZX Spectrum games
using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
II. Jet Set Willy (JSW48)
C. Artistic modifications of the original Jet Set Willy
3. SURBITON
Authors: Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans (JODI)
Year: 2003
Language: English
SURBITON is one of JODI's artistic Jet Set Willy Variations. In this particular variant the protagonist, a BRIGHT white square, moves across screens which are either one colour (BRIGHT green or BRIGHT blue) or two colours (divided in half horizontally or vertically, BRIGHT blue and green). No other colours are present in the game, apart from some entirely black Fire cells. There are no guardians in the game.
Only one version of SURBITON seems to be currently available on the web, bearing a time stamp of March 2003. It is hosted within a ZIP package on Andrew Broad's archived website. The current set of variations hosted on JODI's website does not include any file of this project.
In further analysis, the title SURBITON will be spelled in all capital letters, corresponding to the current spelling of similar titles on JODI's website.
SURBITON is meant to be a work of art. It is playable, but apparently it was not its authors' intention that it should be played like a typical game, with the aim of actually completing it. The game is not toilet-completable by design, because Maria (or rather, the blank sprite thereof) is in room 61, inaccessible in the game. The code which checks if Willy is in the Master Bedroom has been modified accordingly (a value of #3D at #9538 points to room 61 being the Master Bedroom). Consequently, even if all items were collected, it would not be possible to trigger the toilet run (an invisible, blank sprite of the toilet is in room 33). This means that the game is not toilet-, bed- or Maria-completable.
The game is not item-completable, either. There are 250 items in the game and they are all amassed in room "59" (59). It is possible to collect 187 items safely. Three more items located directly above either the rightmost or the leftmost Fire cell could also be collected, but it would lead to a multiple-death scenario.
Number of edited rooms: 60
Number of rooms accessible without cheating: 60
Number of items to collect: 250
Bugfix needed after original release? N/A
(The game is apparently not meant to be completable.)
Spare lives at the start: 7
Completable? NO
(The game is not toilet-, bed-, Maria- or item-completable.)
Starting time: 00
(The timer has a double-digit format.)
Best documented completion time: N/A
(The game is incompletable. The best documented collection time of 187 items is 16)
Download links
|
Jet Set Willy Variations on JODI's website |
|
ZIP package on Andrew Broad's archived website, containing the game file in SNA format |
|
Game file in SNA format |
|
RZX walkthrough of the game showing the collection of 187 items |
Screenshot gallery |
Room 59 after the items that can be collected safely have been collected:
The Game Over screen:
| Back to the list of JSW48 games |