🐰 Received: October 14th, 2022 🐰 Written: May 23rd-26th, 2023 🐰
Published by: Emotion Digital Software and B-Factory | [ ⬤ ]
Hello, gamers and readers alike, welcome to my blog and thank you for taking the time to tune in today, I really appreciate it. We are currently in the Year of the Rabbit.
Screengrabbed while watching La Mazmorra Abandon's Reach out for Gold MS-DOS Longplay and conradtrout's Trolls DOS full gameplay videos respectively on YouTube
During the British firm's tenure they developed games such as Turn n' Burn, Euro Soccer, Oscar, Reach out for Gold/Summer Olympix, Realm/Alien Terminator, and Time Paradox as well as licensed titles Elvira: The Arcade Game and Trolls.
Screengrabbed while watching Back to the Retro Games' Rally Championships and World of Longplays' Amiga CD32 Dangerous Streets gameplay videos on YouTube respectively
Alternatively, Flair Software also acted as publisher for other companies' games like Horror Soft's Elvira point-and-click graphic adventure games on the Commodore 64, Max Design GesMBH's 1869, InSide Team's Rally Championships, and Micromania Software's infamous tournament fighter Dangerous Streets*, the last of which was received so poorly in pretty much every category that it's been considered by many to be one of the worst games to come out of that genre.* I looked up that the game was made in my birth country Italy... 😩😭 I promise, I promise Italy has made more positive contributions to media than negative, I promise!
Screengrabbed four times while watching Dosgamert's MS-DOS Whizz Longplay video on YouTube which I then converted to .gif slideshow format
One of the video games Flair Software developed was the rabbit-centric isometric action game Whizz which was programmed by Phillip Scott, former Tynesoft graphic artist turned programmer, whose other programming credits consisted of the Ninja Rabbits games for MicroValue, Hirographics' Demon Blue, as well as Flair fare Elvira: The Arcade Game and Oscar just to name a few. Originally released on the MS-DOS computer in 1994 in Europe, it would also be converted to the Amiga and Amiga CD32 formats in 1995,
and even receive a 1996 SNES console port in both Europe and in North America courtesy of Titus Interactive. There were plans to even adapt Whizz to the Sega MegaDrive at the time, but it ended up never coming to fruition.
What makes the 32-bit console ports of Whizz stand out is that they're the only versions to also see a release in Japan, let alone a Flair Software title. The Japanese versions would be handled by Emotion Digital Software and B-Factory, with the former's publishing venues comprised of Activision's Return to Zork on the PlayStation One and Sega Saturn, Quantum Factory's MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat on the PlayStation One and Sega Saturn, the PlayStation One version of Saru Brunei's Jungle Park, and KID Corp.'s Saturn-only Hissatsu!, while the latter published for the PlayStation One Aim at Entertainment's port of the Cyberdreams and Destiny Software Productions co-developed psychological horror point-and-click graphic adventure Dark Seed II and Viacom New Media's MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head: Virtual Aho Shoukougun.
Images from GameFAQs
Konami would release the PlayStation One and Sega Saturn versions of Whizz in Europe on February and August of 1997 respectively, whereas Emotion Digital Software and B-Factory would release the Sega Saturn version in Japan on August 29th, 1997 followed by the Japanese PlayStation One release that September 18th. This review will mainly focus on the Japanese Saturn version.
Left: And he's off! | Right: Disposing of enemies will have them drop a randomly colored mushroom, if it's blue you should either steer clear of or destroy it
In the isometric action game Whizz you take control of the eponymous rabbit whom you can maneuver around in a diagonal four-square pattern where you press and hold up to head northeast, right to go southeast, down to move southwest, and left to walk northwest.
Left: Blastoff 🚀 | Right: Carried over by a moving platform
The default controls, which you can change in the options screen if you feel the need, are A and B to attack enemies by performing the spin attack and the C button to jump in the air, with your gained altitude depending on how lightly or how hard you pressed it.
Left: Spin towards that enemy now that you've got a red and white powerup | Right: Grassy plains
The goal of the game is to reach the finish line in the allotted amount of time you're given for the moment you step out of your starting position the timer will begin to count itself down. Along the way you'll be gathering gems and flags for points, hourglasses to slightly prolong your remaining time, particular blocks that enable you to break down any obstacle that match its texture, yellow mushroom icons to replenish a good chunk of your lost health, and keys to open up chests, cages, and doorways with keyholes on them.
Left: Mandatory spinners that will have you go in a random direction | Right: A playful sign of someone having just gotten through a bridge
There are also a multitude of enemies to contend with, most of which can be taken down by having Whizz spin towards them, at which point they'll drop one of two mushrooms: a healthy red one to slightly refill your lost health and an unhealthy blue one that depletes part of your health upon touching it, so you can either move around it or destroy it with the spin attack. If you leave the healthy mushroom out too long it will become an unhealthy one before long.
Left: Taking care of the sentient plank of wood | Right: Jumbo-sized red and white star
When it came to the Japanese version of Whizz there have been a few powerups added which do not appear in any other version of the game: a pair of running shoes to make you move at a considerably faster rate, a red and white icon that will allow you to take down any enemy that is red and white (which you cannot do otherwise), and a sparkling powerup that momentarily renders Whizz invulnerable to enemy attack.
Left: Waiting for the gate to rise back up in order to pass through | Right: Those cauldrons will drop a few gems below them
Each location consists of two to three segments, on occasion you might stumble across some floor switches to step on should you search the area thoroughly: red-colored ones to have a nearby rocket blastoff and yellow-colored ones to enable you to progress further. Failure to reach the finish line on time or having your mushroom health icon completely depleted will cost you a life and take you back to the present segment's starting position.
Left: Making your way through a row of rising and lowering platforms | Right: Scaling up retractable platforms with perfectly timed jumps
The original MS-DOS version of Whizz's visuals were worked on by "I Space", Duncan Hall, Kevin Mountjoy, Andrew Sharratt, and Mark Sample, which have been updated and received a colorful makeover for the 32-bit console edition, with the respective locations' backdrops being rendered very well. Grassy Plains has got different shades of green for each segment (with the occasional flowers and rocks here and there) with the rocky walls adorning the sides as you get a near photorealistic glimpse of sailing vessels sinking in the body of water below, Snowy Peaks is pleasant to look at with the vast array of mountains below you and the soft texture of the snow you tread on,
Left: Do the twister | Right: Hopping on small platforms above shark-infested waters
Sandy Shores has got waterfalls pouring from crystal blue waters with a neat dithering effect as you peruse on the sand (sometimes occupied by seashells on the side) and on pirate ships, and my favorite location design is Gamble Land with the playing field structured and held up by cards and dice with the collective floor designs based on a variety of games like dark green for pool, ladders from snakes and ladders, playing cards, and yellow Scrabble tiles while the background has got well-rendered card castles and snakes on the checker patterned floor. Even the title screen is rendered well. As far as the in-game visuals are concerned, this is the best Whizz has ever looked.
Left: Hopping above a red and white pyramid | Right: Temporarily invincible
Flair Software even updated the titular rabbit design in-game in an endearing manner here with his purple suit, fluid walk cycle, pink pads on his paws, and even gave him blue eyes. I like his spinning animation as he briefly twists around like a tornado (even when a life has been lost in the only instance of sprite scaling and rotation in the game as he spins himself out of the screen), and his idle animations when remaining still are cute, from breathing in and out to juggling to his subtle leg animations as a way for Whizz to get pumped. There were a handful of isolated instances when I noticed the Saturn port resorted to using his old model (particularly his face), but luckily said instances are subtle enough that they do not detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
Left: 🐧 | Right: About to enter a secret pathway
As far as the normal enemy roster is concerned there are small dinosaurs, sentient eggs and planks of wood, penguins, rolling snowballs, bears in thickly warm snow attire, crabs and lobster, green octopi, spinning tops, playing cards that flip around, snakes, and bombs with faces which blow up should you be at close range to them, et al, which all look and animate solidly and disappear in an explosion of stars upon being spun through by Whizz. The red and white enemies also look decent like the bulky stars with menacing grins, spinning pyramids, and bouncing beach balls.
Left: Elevated to the top occupied by a thickly dressed bear 🐻 | Right: Oh, those poor paws of his must be freezing given he's walking through an icy bridge
Whizz's soundtrack was initially composed by Keith Leary and David Murrant, which is every bit as bouncy and lighthearted as you can get in a game like this which works with its playful tone. Murrant also composed music for InSide Team's Rally Championships and Studio 33's Newman Haas Racing but for the most part has worked on sound design
whereas Leary's music portfolio also comprised of Traveller's Tales' Toy Story Racer, Magenta Software's Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat, Idol Minds' Neopets: The Darkest Faerie, and Nu Generation Games' Winter Sports, and even worked on mixing Philip Morris' music for Psygnosis' The Adventures of Lomax/Lomax in Dolby Surround sound.
Left: Jumped through a hoop | Right: Hopping from box to box
Like the visuals the soundtrack has been updated in 32-bit console format, with a nice sound quality, and even though it's not a big soundtrack I love that the Sega Saturn game disc doubles as a soundtrack CD when inserted on a player (bar the cutscene music). Grassy Plains' theme is enjoyably catchy as it incorporates the English nursery rhyme "London Bridge is Falling Down" into the mix, Snowy Peaks' theme is simultaneously bouncy and atmospheric given the snowy environment,
Left: Find a fish for the whale and it'll give you a ride across | Right: Don't stand too close to the landmines when they go off or you might lose considerable damage
Sandy Shores' theme has got an engagingly bouncy rhythm to it, and Gamble Land's theme is joyously pleasant to listen to which perfectly complements the game-themed area. 😄 During the in-between cutscene there is a theme where you only ever hear it for roughly twenty seconds in-game but is actually much longer than that. 😔 I always feel bad for composers who pour their heart in creating a long and protracted number for a part that was designed to be brief, that hardly seems fair.
Left: 🦀 | Right: Sand bridge crumbling behind you
The sound effects for this version of Whizz are decently chosen, like the jingle sound for when you gather flags and gems, the munch sound for when a mushroom is consumed, the clicking sound for when you step on a floor switch, the creaking sound for when a doorway is open, the jackpot sound for when Whizz wins at slots, the amusing sound of footsteps as you're walking through a secret pathway, and unexpectedly a stock gunshot sound for the exploding landmines and sentient bombs.
Left: Push the switch in the direction of your choice... | Right: ...so you can be shot out of the cannon in the direction of your choice
There are three difficulty modes in Whizz, and what makes them distinctive is the amount of time you're given to start with meaning you'll not be able to explore the given area as thoroughly on hard mode as you would on easy for the harder the difficulty the less time you have. Should you be able to launch every rocket in the present portion of one of the four areas you'll be granted a continue, though whether you are able to or not is completely up to you for it is not mandatory. If you lose your last life at any point on Snowy Peaks, Sandy Shores, and Gamble Land, you'll be given a six-character password which you can enter in the options screen to start from the beginning of any one of these three later areas.
Japanese Saturn back cover image from GameFAQs, screengrabbed World of Longplays' Whizz PlayStation video on YouTube
Curiously, upon closer inspection, the back of the Japanese Saturn jewel case and the instruction manual feature screenshots from the PlayStation One port which is evident due to the different-looking HUD design (among other things). I get it, though, by this point the Sony version had been around for half a year and visually it is similar, but by the same token I can't help but wonder if the Japanese version of Whizz released by Emotion Digital Software and B-Factory was a budget release if they didn't have the resources to use the screenshots from the very version they were releasing? 🤔
European Saturn back cover image from GameFAQs, Amiga Whizz screenshot from MobyGames
The 32-bit console versions at least have an excuse of almost looking 100% identical if you didn't pay attention to the details, but shockingly when it came to the PAL release by Konami the back of the European Saturn jewel case showed images not from the console release but from the Amiga version... which is definitely not the version being sold here as it is noticeably different visually. 😖 What in the ever living world??
Left: Puddle jumping | Right: Juggling 🤹
Last April I invested in an American Sega Saturn console along with Sega's Clockwork Knight, a decision I admit was crazy but definitely worth it as it's grown to become my third favorite video game console. 🤗 After ten American Saturn games in my collection I wanted to experience some Japanese Saturn fare so I decided to purchase an Action Replay Plus cartridge in order to play games not of this region.
Left: Impressive how Whizz can ride on a surfboard steadily without any waves around 🏄 | Right: Jumping out of the exit of a secret path concealed by a beach towel
Even though I owned Titus' SNES port of Whizz, I genuinely was curious about the Sega Saturn edition now that I had the means to play it, so I decided to order it on eBay on October 2022 with it arriving two days later (sweet!). Whizz marks my twelfth Sega Saturn game on the whole, and the second Japanese Saturn game in my collection after Success' Popoitto Hebereke. I briefly covered my thoughts on Saturn games 10 through 16 on the first of my two-part Random Saturnday III post back in February 2023.
Left: Funnel jumping | Right: Sauntering away from a beach ball bouncing back and forward
Whizz is not a game I'd ever call great or groundbreaking even as it does not try to be anything more than it is: a pleasantly harmless and enjoyably lighthearted time once in a while, and that's perfectly fine. When I got to play the Japanese Saturn version of Flair Software's isometric game, I found it more aesthetically appealing than Titus' SNES conversion and had more fun with it control-wise. I found 32-bit Whizz close to solid, which is better than okay (which was how I felt about 16-bit take).
Left: Don't dawdle and weave around the beach screens to grab that hourglass | Right: Let's enter that barge (or bounce on the inflatable castle, that works too)
It does have simple gameplay, but I think it works given the near-labyrinthine setup of these areas. Sure, it falls under the category of isometric games from the '90s where there are no shadows whatsoever, but fortunately it's not too difficult to ascertain where something is adjacent to Whizz as the difficulty, time running against you notwithstanding, is not too demanding and is manageable once you figure out how to navigate these locales.
Left: Taking the sub | Right: Careful with that spinning top
What I like the most about this game are the numerously creative and inventive scenarios to overcome specific obstacles, even those with helpful items exclusive to certain areas: walking through a roller where it ends with a gate rising up and dropping down, hopping to the upper region by perfectly timing your jumps through retractable platforms, finding a pair of tennis rackets to walk through the thick snow, riding a sled, safely being escorted to the other side by a whale after feeding it fish, cautiously maneuvering around a beach filled with landmines, running against the current until you reach the end, being shot out of the cannon towards the position you pushed the switch beforehand,
Left: ♠ | Right: Get all three red symbols and win a prize
jumping through a series of puddles and hopping from one funnel to another, stepping on the "Hi" or "Lo" switches which slowly create a path for you should you have pressed the proper switch relating to the card it landed on, gathering a few coins to play the slots which will spit out a bridge of coins should you win, riding a knight chess piece through a zig zag pattern, and collecting the individual combination numbers to the safe so you can enter it, et al. There are even rare instances where you're forced to touch a bottle of poison which slowly drains Whizz's health until you come across a nearby first aid kit. All this and more does a nice job of keeping the proceedings fresh.
Left: Wait for the bishop to move from its spot to exit the chess playing field | Right: You'll occasionally come across sentient bombs
There is also a decent amount replay value going for this game as the area designs are fairly nonlinear and there are certain times where there is more than one way to reach a specific point, there is no right or wrong way in this regard. You can pretty much explore to your heart's content (time willing), and Whizz is also one of those games that rewards your thorough search for it might lead to a secret compartment or a nearby rocket to blastoff.
I do like how each version has him wear differently colored attire: red in the MS-DOS original, cyan on the Amiga, blue in the SNES, and purple in the 32-bit edition
One of the failings of the SNES version of Whizz is the lack of a proper setup in-game because you're thrust there without any context given to you. Nintendo probably took issue with the original intro with the rat using its shotgun to shoot at Whizz's hot-air balloon therefore causing him to plummet to the ground, but with the 32-bit edition they changed it from that to having a bird fly fast and peck it, so... Titus could've used literally anything, anything, but they didn't. In regards to the title character in the SNES version I felt there was very little in the way of charm,
Left: Jump over the checker pieces to remove them (red or blue, it's up to you) | Right: Heeheehee, look at Whizz riding the dart as if it were a broomstick, that's hilarious 🤭
but with the 32-bit edition that's a different story: Whizz is fluffier, adorns a likable shade of purple, his eyes are blue, his animation is smooth, and has got endearing idle animations. Now that's a dapper rabbit that's worth going "awww" over, and the Japanese cover really helps with that. 😍 On top of the Saturn version having smooth scrolling, not only is it the best Whizz has ever looked out of the two versions I've played, it is also the best Whizz the rabbit has ever looked as well (CG cutscene model notwithstanding).
Left: Whizz is a real knight rider | Right: Card propulsion system
When it came to promoting and marketing the game, the gaming press felt the need to use inappropriate urination jokes simply based on the title choice, and quite honestly I feel that was very unfortunate. They're out of place, one, they're not respectful to gamers and children alike, two (not to mention very lazy), but also they sound less like an endorsement to play the game and more like a total turnoff. It's retroactively embarrassing that no one in the business said, "Woe betide anyone who genuinely thinks jokes like these are a good idea". 😩 Whizz deserved so much better than that.
Left: Crossing a bridge of coins | Right: Healthy mushroom 🍄
There are better games that share the isometric perspective, on the Sega Saturn and elsewhere, like Tamsoft's SteamGear Mash and Traveller's Tales' Sonic 3D Blast/Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island for instance but taken on its own merits Whizz is pleasantly lighthearted nondemanding fun while it lasts in the forty or so minutes it takes to beat it.
Left: Carried over by a balloon as big as him 🎈 | Right: Finished 🏁
Chances are more people have played Whizz on the SNES than anywhere else due its availability in North America outside of just Europe, but if you own a Sega Saturn console and an Action Replay Plus cartridge (if you live in North America) I do recommend checking out the Japanese version to see how it compares to the 16-bit take or if you haven't played the game in any format and are simply curious to play it. Personally, I consider this to be best version of the dapper rabbit's venture.
My Personal Score: 6.5/10
● In irrelevant news, last week while it was free to watch on YouTube I saw John Carpenter's movie adaptation of H.F. Saint's Memoirs of an Invisible Man. I liked watching Chevy Chase take on a serious role which he did a good job at, the chemistry between him and Daryl Hannah was very charming, I liked the late Shirley Walker's soundtrack (especially the love theme), ILM's invisibility effects hold up well for 1992, William A. Fraker's cinematography was enthralling, Sam Neill's Jenkins was such a deplorable villain but damn if he didn't play the role with such charisma, I liked seeing Donald Li again in a bit role after Big Trouble in Little China, it was refreshing to have an invisibility story that highlighted the negative aspects of the condition (even if said condition occurred in a cliched fashion, it's hard not to feel empathy for Nick) and on the whole I thought it was enjoyable. I didn't see it as a comedy, though, there were some funny bits but I saw it as more of a drama, thriller, and romance. I do feel a bit bad for liking it given I read that Chase and Hannah gave John Carpenter trouble during production, but still I can't deny that I liked it. Not top-tier Carpenter, mind, but I thought it was well-made.
● Also in irrelevant news, this week while it was free to watch on YouTube I watched Robert Zemeckis' Romancing the Stone for the first time, it was nice to finally watch one of the influences of the Nee Brothers' The Lost City from last year (which I liked, but that's neither here nor there). Wow, what a quick-paced and enjoyable film this was, oh my goodness, Dean Cundey's cinematography was superb as always, Alan Silvestri's music was fantastic, the late Diane Thomas' screenplay was so good (it's so sad how she was taken so soon), and Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner both were so good and had a believable chemistry! 😃 Danny DeVito's Ralph was alright, I wasn't really invested in his character. Amazing to think that Douglas had a busy production career in 1984 with producing this movie and executive producing John Carpenter's Starman (which I loved). I wouldn't mind watching the sequel The Jewel of the Nile by Lewis Teague one day (I caught a tiny bit of it on TV one time but that's it), even though I read that it had a troubled production, I want to see more Jack Colton and Joan Wilder.
Thank you for reading my review, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think (neither spam nor NSFW is allowed); hope you have a great day, be a kind human, and take care! 🙂
