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WONDERFUL DIZZY (SPC)
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Publisher: The Oliver Twins.
Developer: The Oliver Twins. Released: December 2020. Genre: Adventure. Posted 4th March 2023. By Tom Clare © 2023 |
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As video game mascots go, few can claim to be as iconic of the home computing era as Dizzy. The adventuring egg has, by all accounts, seen his legacy preserved with immaculate care, with barely a whisper to be heard throughout the twenty-eight years separating his seventh outing, Crystal Kingdom Dizzy, and his 2020 revival. Despite the enormous success of the original games, Dizzy was never subjected to any awkward redesigns, nor was he hauled over the coals of an ill-judged 3D reboot. Consequently, his image has remained unblemished, forever tied to an era he helped define. Almost three decades later, Wonderful Dizzy does no disservice to the series’ rich legacy. Indeed, Dizzy’s return plays out on what was always a happy hunting ground for the series: the ZX Spectrum.
Wonderful Dizzy is so clean a continuation of the adventurous egg’s glory days, you could have quite forgivably mistaken it for a sequel lost to time. The Oliver twins take the helm, aided by several talented programmers notable for the system’s incredible aftermarket output. The result is another latter-day success story for a system that again pushes beyond the apparent technical confines it appeared to have reached during the early nineties. In melding itself with the themes and the setting of The Wizard of Oz, we have a uniquely appetising proposition. A legendary video game series, paying homage to a landmark film.
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Wonderful Dizzy looks and runs better than any of its illustrious predecessors. It's an amazingly beautiful game.
Dizzy may not be a trailblazer of popular video gaming in 2020, nor is this game at the cutting edge of creative innovation. But that isn’t why you’re interested. It’s a game that might face criticism for its lack of raw, undiluted action; it’s certainly a little less intense in its gameplay and its challenges than a lot of other titles for the platform. However, we shouldn’t underestimate the emotional value of a game so stunningly realised. In nailing the presentation as well as its world-building through strong level design and dialogue, Wonderful Dizzy proves an enchanting adventure.
Front and centre is this most important point: Oz is a glorious place to explore. The Yellow Brick Road typically leads to safer, inhabited locations that give Dizzy a chance to engage in a chin-wag with the various witches, puzzle over some riddles and generally explore without too much danger. The world is a perfect fit for a Dizzy adventure. Whether you’re visiting the opulent Ruby Chateau with its chequered flooring and climbable curtain cords, the majestic Crystal Palace or the intimidating Dread Castle, each new screen is a joy to discover. Smartly considered colour schemes offer each area a distinctive identity, whereas the details, be it the furnishings or the architecture, look gorgeous.
Front and centre is this most important point: Oz is a glorious place to explore. The Yellow Brick Road typically leads to safer, inhabited locations that give Dizzy a chance to engage in a chin-wag with the various witches, puzzle over some riddles and generally explore without too much danger. The world is a perfect fit for a Dizzy adventure. Whether you’re visiting the opulent Ruby Chateau with its chequered flooring and climbable curtain cords, the majestic Crystal Palace or the intimidating Dread Castle, each new screen is a joy to discover. Smartly considered colour schemes offer each area a distinctive identity, whereas the details, be it the furnishings or the architecture, look gorgeous.
FOCAL POINT: A DIZZYING TRIBUTE
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Not content with delivering a near-perfect love letter to fans of the Dizzy series, Wonderful Dizzy also makes for a beautiful tribute to The Wizard of Oz. It brings to life many of the locations and characters synonymous with L. Frank Baum’s work, with the likes of the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow portrayed by members of the Yolkfolk. The most fitting ode, the one with the most impact, occurs at the very beginning of the game. As Dizzy’s hut lands in Oz having been swept up in a tornado, the first screen we’re treated to is its interior, at this point detailed entirely in white. In a lovely nod to an iconic cinematic moment, the player steps outside to discover a landscape positively bursting with vibrant colours. It’s an awesome homage to Dorothy’s arrival in Oz, which saw cinema-goers spellbound by the transition from black-and-white to the dazzling new frontier that was colour.
The Red Brick Road is where the player gets to exercise their platforming chops a little more. In the caves and the foothills, the challenge revolves around timing, choosing the right moments to dodge the various bats and spiders that patrol the area. The dark forest (another area brought to life through clever palette choices) feels isolated and ominous. It’s easy to lose your bearings and Dizzy must navigate to higher ground to find items of importance. This is a perfect place to practice his inimitable somersaulting jump. The controls are incredibly tight and responsive, Dizzy’s animations (such as eating or being stunned) add to the charm and it all runs with remarkable smoothness. Reach the end of the forest and you’ll discover the Cowardly Lion, hiding away in an area named “The Edge of Darkness”, one of the game’s many superbly resonant screens.
Despite what the Tinman might believe, the game shows no shortage of heart. It’s littered with humorous dialogues and loving references, though nothing too heavy-handed. Outside the Emerald City, you’ll encounter two guards in a furious debate as to the relative merits of the ZX Spectrum and the Commodore 64. For Dizzy to get inside, he’s going to need to distract them: a copy of Crash and a copy of Zzap!64 should do the trick! Elsewhere, you’ll see Dizzy embracing his kleptomania and witness a humorous tete-a-tete with the Wicked Witch of the West after attempting to dissolve her with a bucket of water. Gently self-deprecating, Wonderful Dizzy’s dialogues are sparky and regularly amusing.
Despite what the Tinman might believe, the game shows no shortage of heart. It’s littered with humorous dialogues and loving references, though nothing too heavy-handed. Outside the Emerald City, you’ll encounter two guards in a furious debate as to the relative merits of the ZX Spectrum and the Commodore 64. For Dizzy to get inside, he’s going to need to distract them: a copy of Crash and a copy of Zzap!64 should do the trick! Elsewhere, you’ll see Dizzy embracing his kleptomania and witness a humorous tete-a-tete with the Wicked Witch of the West after attempting to dissolve her with a bucket of water. Gently self-deprecating, Wonderful Dizzy’s dialogues are sparky and regularly amusing.
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There are hints of the Illusion games as Dizzy must skip across a sequence of clouds before sinking through them, whilst the Pirate Bay and its brightly-coloured shops is reminiscent both of Wonder Boy and Shantae. Dread Castle has a door puzzle that sees the player having to manoeuvre an obstructing panel out of the way with switches, as well as a dragon who needs to be neutralised with a sleeping draught. The title music is immediately likeable and catchy, whilst the in-game BGM, which proves at once infectious, magical and a little bit ominous, is outstanding.
There’s loads of exploring to do and to beat Wonderful Dizzy, you’ll need to learn the lay of the land, which is a pleasure unto itself. Completing every task (a few dozen item-related fetches) should take a good while, but to grant Dizzy his return home, the player must collect 99 gold coinstars found throughout Oz. Fortunately, relatively few of these are obscurely placed. Should the player locate the hidden 100th coin, the reward is an extended, complete ending, which is a lot of fun.
There’s loads of exploring to do and to beat Wonderful Dizzy, you’ll need to learn the lay of the land, which is a pleasure unto itself. Completing every task (a few dozen item-related fetches) should take a good while, but to grant Dizzy his return home, the player must collect 99 gold coinstars found throughout Oz. Fortunately, relatively few of these are obscurely placed. Should the player locate the hidden 100th coin, the reward is an extended, complete ending, which is a lot of fun.
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The levels of background detail help give Oz an impressive sense of depth and direction
Fans will find little to grumble about. Mostly, it’s small, specific design choices. The “bunch of poppies” item is placed in an obscured spot that also overlaps an area that depletes the player’s health. Likewise, a cog in the caves is easy to overlook, because when Dizzy enters the screen to an apparent dead end, he’s stood directly in front of it, so it can be easily overlooked. Still, this amounts to little more than nit-picking.
It’s to be hoped we won’t have to wait another twenty-eight years to see Dizzy again, but if this is to be his Spectrum swansong, it’s hard to think of a better way to bow out. Wonderful Dizzy takes all of the adventuring aspects and personality that made the series so popular and does a superb job of integrating the Yolkfolk into the world of Oz. The programming is excellent and the graphics possess what is undoubtedly the finest mix of detail and performance the series has ever seen. Wonderful being the operative word, we could hardly have hoped for more.
It’s to be hoped we won’t have to wait another twenty-eight years to see Dizzy again, but if this is to be his Spectrum swansong, it’s hard to think of a better way to bow out. Wonderful Dizzy takes all of the adventuring aspects and personality that made the series so popular and does a superb job of integrating the Yolkfolk into the world of Oz. The programming is excellent and the graphics possess what is undoubtedly the finest mix of detail and performance the series has ever seen. Wonderful being the operative word, we could hardly have hoped for more.
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VERDICT
"Oz is a glorious place to explore. The programming is excellent and the graphics possess what is undoubtedly the finest mix of detail and performance the series has ever seen. Wonderful Dizzy well and truly lives up to its name." OVERALL: 9/10 |