1986 System 3 Software (UK)
by the Sensible Software team
Twister was for awhile one of my most played games of 1986. It's in fact a different kind of platform game, with an unusual view. All the elements of platforming are present: jumping, collecting objects and power pils and avoiding and shooting enemies.
It's all great fun, once you get into the main action. And as the levels pass, tension and addictiveness start to build up.
Also the weird and strange plot just add more to the crazyness and addictiveness of the game.
by Sensible Software
Mystery solved! I always wondered about Twister and its intimate nature in the great scheme of things.
In other words, I never understood how it worked, or I never understood that I didn't understand how it worked.
It just went on and on without any progress or development, the same platforms, under the same green demons, picking up the same whatever's. Isn't it incredible what instructions can do? The game actually changes!
Other levels! Other stuff! First of all, I just had to STOP picking up anything. For example, the bombs drain your energy. But that was not a problem really, because it didn't kill me, I could go on for hours, thanks to the little shields with the "T" on them, which gave me back some energy [the red bar in the lower right of the screen]. But what about the magnets, those little bastards? They were the culprits. To gain access to the next level I had to pick up the four symbols of some mystical deck of cards, which coincidentally are the same as the more prosaic deck of cards we use for earthly entertainments: heart, flower, and the other two, whose english name I don't remember right now. The problem was that insisting on taking the magnets magnetized those symbols away from me, preventing me from being promoted to the next level. Learned the lesson? DON'T PICK UP THE MAGNETS!
So, Twister is a weird shoot'em up with a view from behind your character, and lots of green monsters and green busty women, but don't get too excited because of course they want to kill you, just like in real life. Moreover, you're fighting in your subconscious and it shows. In the second level you run on an ordinary grid lost in your head or even upside down, on a sort of ceiling, or mirror grid, and changing fast between the two can result quite useful in avoiding the nasties and take the items you need. So, not that bad, after all. Ok?
3,5/5
Review by YOR on 30 May 2022 (Rating: 4)
No, it not a version on that game with colours and a mat, you know the one, but instead it's a weird shooter with weird enemies to shoot. I have to say I was impressed with this, it looks and plays really well for what it is, but it can get too clustered for my taste. It was also quite difficult getting the items at times particularly ones you needed most like ammo. But saying that, I admire its look and feel, clearly the programmers had a goal to exceed the Spectrum's limitations and they absolutely succeeded.
