Head Over Heels (game)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Head Over Heels | |
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| Developer(s) | Ocean Software Ltd |
| Publisher(s) | Ocean Software Ltd |
| Designer(s) | Jon Ritman (programming), Bernie Drummond (graphics), Guy Stevens (sound), F. David Thorpe (loading screen) |
| Release date(s) | 1987, 1988, 1989 |
| Genre(s) | Arcade adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, MSX, ZX Spectrum |
| Media | Cassette, Floppy disk |
| Input | Keyboard, Joystick |
Head Over Heels is an arcade adventure, originally released in 1987 for several popular 8-bit home computers, and subsequently ported to a wide range of formats.
Visually, Head Over Heels bears a number of similarities with Ultimate's Knight Lore and Alien 8. It uses an isometric engine that is similar to the "filmation" technique, first developed by the aforementioned Ultimate. Head Over Heels is the second isometric game by Jon Ritman and Bernie Drummond, after the Batman computer game.
The game introduces an original concept: the player controls (initially separately) two characters instead of just one. The two characters have different abilities (Head can jump twice as high, control himself in the air, and fire doughnuts from a hooter to paralyse enemies; while Heels can run twice as fast, climb certain staircases that Head cannot, and carry objects around a room in a bag), which become complementary when the player combines them together after about a sixth of the game. Compared to its predecessors, the game offers unique and revolutionary gameplay, more complex puzzles, and more than 300 rooms to explore.
Graphically, Head Over Heels has probably pushed the limits of the ZX Spectrum's display capabilities further than any other game. Drummond contributed some famously surreal touches, including robots (controlled by push switches) that bore a remarkable resemblance to the head of Prince Charles on the body of a Dalek (other peculiar heads included elephants); and staircases made of dogs that teleported themselves away as soon as Head entered the room.
Head Over Heels is remembered by many as a landmark in the computer game industry. In 1994 its authors wrote Monster Max; another isometric video game for the Game Boy. The game, although monochrome, is twice the size of Head Over Heels.
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[edit] Plot
Headus Mouthion (Head) and Footus Underium (Heels) are two spies from the planet Freedom. They are sent to Blacktooth to liberate the enslaved planets of Penitentiary, Safari, Book World and Egyptus, and then to defeat the Emperor to prevent further planets falling under his rule. Captured and separated, the spies are placed in the prison headquarters of Castle Blacktooth and must first escape, then break through the market to the orbiting Moonbase where they can teleport down to the planets to locate and reobtain the stolen crowns. Liberation of the planets and defeat of the Emperor will allow Head and Heels to return to Freedom as heroes.
Ritman admits that storyline lacked real connection to gameplay. In an interview for Edge (games magazine), he stated that he "made the whole game up and then added the bullshit in the last ten minutes."
[edit] Conversions and remakes
Head Over Heels was first released in 1987 for Z80-microprocessor-based home computers (ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX). Due to its huge success, it was later ported to other platforms including the Atari XL/XE and ST, Amstrad PCW, Commodore 64 and the Commodore Amiga.
The latest remake of Head Over Heels (for Windows, Mac OS, Linux and BeOS) by Retrospec is available as a freeware on their website.[1]. It was recently voted the second best remake ever by PC Zone magazine.
A different remake is available at helmantika.org [2], and a sequel is foreseen from the same authors.
[edit] Images
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[edit] Trivia
- The working title for the game was Foot And Mouth.
- This game is parodied in the DVD release of The IT Crowd series one. In the DVD menu system, a game very similar to Head Over Heels, but with characters from the TV show, is played while you choose an episode.
[edit] External links
- Entry at World of Spectrum (Spectrum version)
- Entry at Lemon64 (C64 version)
- Head Over Heels Review by Graham Goring
- CRASH review from 1987
- Your Sinclair review from 1987
- "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown" - analysis and dissertation of Head Over Heels at gamestudios.org.
- Head Over Heels at MobyGames
