Resource centre for ZX Spectrum games
using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
Games of MM and JSW interest
I. Platform games similar to MM or JSW/probably enjoyable for MM and JSW fans
Area 51
Author: Jonathan Cauldwell
Year: 2004 (4K version) / 2005 (16K version)
Language: English
Area 51 is a platform game in the MM tradition. It started out as a 4K entry in the 2004 Minigame Competition and was later developed into a game for the 16K ZX Spectrum. The game's pace is the same as in MM thanks to its identical frame rate. There are some differences in the game's "physics": there are no crumbling cells, but instead platforms that appear and disappear. There are also deadly lasers and some special features unique to individual screens, such as the superfast rocket appearing at various altitudes in "Rocket test range" and droplets of heavy water in "Heavy water plant". The 16K version consists of 16 screens, presented to the player in a different random order each time the game is played.
GAME PREMISE: Fizzog the alien has crash-landed his space scooter on a primitive blue-green planet in the outer reaches of the galaxy, some 30,000 light years from the centre of the galaxy. As luck would have it, the technology needed to repair his scooter exists on this planet, but only at a mysterious location known as Area 51. Alas, this place is heavily guarded, so collecting all of the required components is going to be tricky. Fizzog needs the player's help to collect the flashing blue/red squares in order to proceed to the next level, while avoiding the patrolling nasties, spikes and the consequences of falling too far.
Links
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The game's home page on Itch.io |
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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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RZX walkthrough of the game |
Video
A walkthrough of the game on the JSW Central YouTube channel
Download the JSW Central video in its original Full HD quality or in an AI-upscaled 4K version |
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