Jon Ritman did the programming and Bernie Drummond did the graphics. And the result was: Head Over Heels – an isometric platform game, published by Ocean Software, and featuring two different characters who can combine to become more agile.
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Head Over Heels Week
Happy April Fools Day!
A celebration of jokes and humour, and – in our world – video games.
Written by Jon Ritman, with graphics by Bernie Drummond, Head Over Heels was first released in 1987 and is still a fantastic game to play now – across a number of different formats.
So every day this week we’re going to be celebrating Head Over Heels – a classic 3D platform game like no other – starting with the ZX Spectrum original, and covering all the different versions of the game as the week progresses.
Anyway: welcome to April. You lovely gaming fools.
The King of Grabs
Head Over Heels on The King of Grabs:
ZX Spectrum version, Commodore 64 version, Amstrad CPC version, MSX version, Atari 800 version, Atari ST version, Amiga version, PC version, Head Over Heels Week
Popeye, ZX Spectrum
DK’Tronics‘ 1985 release Popeye is notable for its use of large, colourful animated character graphics, the likes of which had not been seen before. At least not at the time of release on the humble ZX Spectrum.
Ranarama, Atari ST
Ranarama, by Steve Turner of Graftgold, originated on the ZX Spectrum in 1987, and was later converted to the Atari ST, Amiga and Amstrad CPC.
Populous, PC
And here is the PC MS-DOS version of Bullfrog‘s classic Populous (1989), for comparison’s sake.
Populous, Amiga
Bullfrog‘s classic ‘God game’, Populous, was first released on the Amiga in 1989. It broke new ground with its ingenious mix of real-time strategy and sandbox-style landscape-building.
Flicky, Megadrive/Genesis
Ports of Sega‘s own classic arcade games were often fab on the Megadrive/Genesis, and Flicky is one of the best.
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament, Megadrive/Genesis
One of the best games on the Sega Megadrive/Genesis, Micro Machines 2 (1994), by Codemasters, is a super-fast, overhead racing game for up to four players. It is the sequel to Micro Machines on NES.
Continue reading Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament, Megadrive/Genesis
Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Super Nintendo
Konami‘s classic Super Nintendo platform game, Legend of the Mystical Ninja (1991), is about as much fun you can have on this particular system – it is just so chock full of variety and fun that it is undeniably one of the best games on the SNES.
Continue reading Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Super Nintendo
Boulder Dash, Arcade
This 1990 arcade version of First Star‘s classic Boulder Dash dispenses with Rockford as we know (knew) him, and replaces him with a miner’s hat-wearing boy, although this doesn’t affect the game negatively.