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

I. Manic Miner (MM)

Games using Matthew Smith's original Manic Miner game engine for the 48K Spectrum

21. Manic-4-Noobs (M4N) / MANIC-minor (M-m) / Manic Miner 40th Anniversary Tribute (MM40th)

Author: Bob The Polar Bear

Year:

Manic-4-Noobs (M4N) - 2021

MANIC-minor (M-m) - 2021

Manic Miner 40th Anniversary Tribute (MM40th) - 2023

Language: English

Manic-4-Noobs (M4N) is a MM remake by Bob The Polar Bear. Version 1 of the game was gamma-released in mid-May 2021. The release of the final version followed two weeks later, with a few slightly tweaked layouts and graphics, one additional music track and one additional "bleep" track.

The room layouts generally either mimic or resemble the original MM and guardian paths have not been changed, while the graphics have been modified heavily. The author has also enhanced the game with "snippet routines", such as "Key-Collect-SFX, Alt-Music, Add new font, Switch-Activation-SFX, Willy-And-Friends-Dance, Add title text, Add grass blocks, End-Of-Game-Partial-Shutter-Wipe, Custom end of game message for each level, Display cavern number|difficulty indicator|music on/off icon toggle, Drop-Splat-SFX, Short-Delay-Air-End, Music-Speed-Red-Zone", as well as a few other small tweaks.

MANIC-minor (M-m) is a second incarnation of the game, released in October 2021. It is an easier variant, aimed particularly at young people ["ages 6 to 12 (and the young at heart)"]. You can only play the game three times in a row; after completing it for the third time, it returns to the title screen. This is to discourage kids from spending too long playing it. The Solar Beam in cavern 19 is half as powerful as in the original game and disappears after the last item is collected. According to the author, "more experienced players may find the tweaked caverns too easy", while Manic-4-Noobs is "a more challenging alternative".

Manic Miner 40th Anniversary Tribute (MM40th) was created to celebrate four decades since the release of Matthew Smith's first classic platformer. The starting point for this effort was MANIC-minor. Bob decided to tweak the caverns so that they would be the hardest he would like to play. He also worked to spread the overall difficulty (of all 20 caverns) more evenly through the game, making the easy caverns a bit harder and the harder ones a bit easier. According to the author, the game does not contain "tricks" but it does contain parts that are deliberately sneaky, and it is "still very much aimed at Old Hands and Grizzled Veterans". MM40th was released in August 2023.

Manic-4-Noobs, MANIC-minor and Manic Miner 40th Anniversary Tribute were discussed and their releases were announced on the Central Cavern - The Wonderful World of Willy Facebook Group.

Manic-4-Noobs

Number of rooms: 20

Highest documented score:

- upon reaching the swordfish sign: 35,502 points;

- upon first re-entry into the first cavern: 36,716 points.

MANIC-minor

Number of rooms: 20

Highest documented score:

- upon reaching the swordfish sign: 37,780 points;

- upon first re-entry into the first cavern: 39,067 points.

Manic Miner 40th Anniversary Tribute

Number of rooms: 20

Highest documented score:

- upon reaching the swordfish sign: 36,682 points;

- upon first re-entry into the first cavern: 37,888 points.

Download links

Official release	Official release of Manic-4-Noobs

Official release	Official release of MANIC-minor

Official release	Official release of Manic Miner 40th Anniversary Tribute

Direct game download	Game files of all three incarnations of the game in TAP and TZX formats

Spectrum Computing	The page of Manic-4-Noobs on Spectrum Computing

Speccy Screenshot Maps	The map of Manic-4-Noobs on Speccy Screenshot Maps

JSW Central	RZX walkthroughs of all three incarnations of the game showing the highest documented scores