Resource centre for ZX Spectrum games
using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
V. Jet Set Willy 64 (JSW64)
Games using John Elliott's JSW64 family of game engines for the 128K Spectrum
26. Manic Miner: The Lost Levels 128K
Author: Byron Needham
Year: 2024 (v. 1.0)
Language: English
Manic Miner: The Lost Levels 128K is a continuation of Byron Needham's earlier project, Manic Miner: The Lost Levels, which featured MM levels originally created for other platforms. The inspiration for this project came from "Manic Miner Ports" by RetroGamerDiaries. After watching the video, Byron wondered whether it would be possible to convert these levels to the ZX Spectrum format—a challenge he later accomplished using JSWED 2.3.7.
The original conversions were released as two separate game files: Manic Miner: The Lost Levels and Manic Miner: The Lost Levels DS. However, after discovering—through the work done on Manic Miner: Deeper and Down—the expanded possibilities offered by the JSW64 game engine, Byron decided to use this engine to merge all the Lost Levels into a single game file, while adding numerous features that were previously missing from the 48K releases due to game engine limitations.
As a result, Manic Miner: The Lost Levels 128K includes:
- 12 levels originally from the Oric-1;
- 10 levels originally from the Game Boy Advance;
- 2 levels originally from the Dragon 32;
- 2 levels originally from the BBC Micro;
- 1 level originally from the Nintendo DS;
- 1 level originally from the Amstrad CPC.
For a complete list of levels and their origins, please refer to the Readme included in the release ZIP. The Readme also details modifications applied to each level compared to the 48K releases.
At the end of the game, there is a final level, "AND FINALLY !" (28), which is not playable in the traditional sense. Instead, Willy performs a JSW-style toilet run, running into the Swordfish sign. As the air runs out, the player loses their remaining lives one by one. Once the last life is lost, the game proceeds to the Game Over screen and then returns to the title screen.
The game was released in June 2024. It utilises Variant Z, Hacklevel 12 of the JSW64 game engine.
Number of edited rooms: 29
Number of rooms accessible without cheating: 29
Number of rooms which need to be visited to complete the game: 29
Number of items to collect: 129
Bugfix needed after original release? NO
Spare lives at the start: 6
Completable without loss of life? YES
Starting time and the best documented completion time: N/A
(There is no clock in the game.)
Download links
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The game's homepage on JetSet Willy & Manic Miner Community |
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Official release of v. 1.0, including the game file in TAP and TZX format and the Readme |
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Game file in TAP and TZX formats |
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The page of Manic Miner: The Lost Levels on Spectrum Computing |
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The page of Manic Miner: The Lost Levels DS on Spectrum Computing |
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RZX walkthrough showing a smooth and efficient completion of the game without any loss of life |
Screenshot gallery |
