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A SELECTED HISTORY OF ISOMETRIC GRAPHICS

20/6/2016

28 Comments

 
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Have you played Lumo yet? You probably should, as it's splendid, and a love letter to a genre and style  that, for many of us, defines the moment we fell in love with games. And that style is this style: isometric graphics.

Though isometrics can most commonly be seen these days as throwaway map screens, for a time it was the go-to default for anybody who wanted to go: "Look what we can do!".

Because, y'know, why not... here's a brief history of isometric graphics in the 1980s.
ZAXXON (1982)
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These days Sega is best remembered for its own abject idiocy, which has obscured most of its considerable achievements, like Louis XIV trying to hide his weird bum smell with the juice of an orange. Among those achievements is no less a thing than this a thing: Zaxxon, the first ever isometric video game.

For some reason, I never played it, only ever seeing pictures of it in magazines, or lusting after the tie-in board game in my mother's catalogue. To my formative eyes, I could scarcely comprehend its 3D-ish visuals. Space Invaders suddenly looked very dated. The speed at which video game graphics were advancing gave many of us the "bends".
Q*BERT (1982)
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Gottlieb's Q*Bert was typical of its era, in that it wasn't quite like any other video game. Designers at the time were experimenting with the very idea of what a video game could be - and Q*Bert is testament to that.

To wit: it is a game starring a foul-mouthed, flaccid, gingery whimsy, attempting to change the colours of an isometric pyramid, while being pursued by snakes, orbs, and purple menaces. True fact: the game was developed under the working title "Snots and Boogers".
CONGO BONGO (1983)
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Sega reworked its Zaxxon hardware for Congo Bongo - a sort of isometric take on Donkey Kong, with a touch of Frogger lobbed in. Despite being a flop in the arcades, it was ported to numerous home systems, with mostly terrible results.

​The Atari 2600 version was notably shocking - the very definition of trying to force a heavily protesting Shakin' Stevens inside a traffic bollard.
BLUE MAX (1983)
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Released for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit, Blue Max was essentially a WW1 shoot 'em up with delusions of Zaxxon. It can also boast the accolades of being the first isometric game on a home system, and having being designed by a man named "Bob Polin".
ANT ATTACK (1983)
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Oh yes. This is when isometric really took off.

​Sandy White's Ant Attack turned many heads when it arrived on the ZX Spectrum. With its open world, choice of playing as a male or female character, and survival horror undertones, it was progressive for more than its visuals. Its empty, ruined, city location was also properly creepy in a way that few games manage these days.

Sandy White reused the game engine for the very similar Zombie Zombie. Unfortunately, by that time, White was left alone on the dance floor, waving his arms and shouting "Look at me, everyone! Look at my funny moves!", while everyone else descended on the buffet.
KNIGHT LORE (1984)
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Most of us remember where we were the day we read about Knight Lore. For many, it was a seismic shock akin to the assassination of JFK, or the day The Pope slithered out of a chimney. The screenshots seemed too good to be true... and yet they weren't.

Famously, Knight Lore was completed and ready for release prior to Ultimate's Sabrewulf - but the company held it back, for fear its next gen visuals might damage sales of Sabrewulf. They knew they had a hit.

​Looking upon it now, it's unrelenting to play, and thoroughly punishing... yet those graphics remain trouser-discoloringly extraordinary.
MARBLE MADNESS (1984)
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While Ultimate began wooing home gamers, back in the arcades, Atari's Marble Madness was happening: a game in which the player controlled a marble using a trackball.

Being released in the wake of the US video game crash of 1983, the unique control method was a result of Atari's intended refocusing on games which offered distinctive control systems. All I remember is it being impossible, and wishing I hadn't wasted my 10p. Adjusting for inflation, I could've bought a small bungalow for that.
HIGHWAY ENCOUNTER (1985)
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Released for most home computer systems at the time, but debuting on the Spectrum, Highway Encounter was another Zaxxon-flavoured shooter, which is perhaps best remembered for the vehicle you controlled. Suffice to say, it remains a mystery why the developers weren't sued by Terry "Mr Daleks" Nation, given its scarcely-disguised "pepperpot" vehicles.
PAPERBOY (1985)
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Another Atari game with a unique control system - in this case, the handlebars of a pedal bike - Paperboy needs little introduction, for gamers of a certain age. Typically for the era, the hardware had been recycled. In this instance, from the breastbone of a blue whale (the controllers used for Atari's Star Wars game). 
NIGHTSHADE (1985)
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Following Knight Lore, Ultimate Play The Game continued to develop its Filmation isometric graphics engine, unveiling Filmation II with Night Shade. Though it introduced scrolling to the firm's trademark isometric visuals, its impact was lessened - coming on the back of the Knight Lore-ish Alien 8.

By the time its follow-up Gunfright was released later that year, the market was beginning to tire of Ultimate's peddling of the same wares. You know: like a friend you have who once made a good joke, and now won't stop repeating it.
FAIRLIGHT (1985)
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Demonstrating conclusively that Ultimate no longer had the monopoly on ZX Spectrum isometric games, Fairlight was one of many similar titles released in the wake of Knight Lore, which built on the genre. See also The Great Escape, Movie, Amaurote, and La Abadia del Crimen, whatever that was.
BATMAN (1986)
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The cover artwork of Jon Ritman's Batman game was somewhat misleading. The gorgeous airbrushing by Bob Wakelin failed to hint at the stunted homunculus you'd actually be controlling. Nevertheless, the game was well received - managing to refresh the isometric genre with a subtle adventure game element, puzzles, and - amazingly for the era - continues. 

How Batman-y was it though? Frankly, about as Batman-y as somebody playing the role of Macbeth while dressed as Batman.
HEAD OVER HEELS (1987)
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The second game from Jon Ritman and artist Bernie Drummond, Head Over Heels remains fondly remembered - and is likely the highpoint of isometric visuals for the ZX Spectrum.

The complex gameplay - the player controlled two characters, who could come together to combine their abilities - was tough as nails. However, it also delivered on the promise of the genre in ways which others failed to match. It was, from this point, mostly downhill.
WHERE TIME STOOD STILL (1988)
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Being released by Ocean at the scrag-end of the ZX Spectrum's dominance - and only for the Spectrum 128k - Where Time Stood Still was also available on the Atari ST. Inspired by the works of Arthur Conan Doyle and B-movies, it dropped a group of contemporary characters into a prehistory lost world.

It was, perhaps, a last hurrah for 8-bit isometrics. The following year, Peter Molyneux's Populous would do a lewd and mocking dance at its funeral.
FROM THE ARCHIVE:
10 TERRIBLE RETRO "SEX" GAMES
15 HORRIBLE RETRO GAME ADS
MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO GAME QUOTES


28 Comments
Leigh
20/6/2016 01:08:54 pm

You clearly didn't ply Shaky with enough gin beforehand.

Also, what are your thoughts on Quazatron and/or Magnetron? WHAT ARE THEY? What! Are? They.

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Andrew Gillett
20/6/2016 01:59:51 pm

Little Big Adventure

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Nonshinygoose
20/6/2016 02:11:47 pm

That was from the '90s

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Tinker's Cuss
20/6/2016 02:15:28 pm

Um, aren't Paperboy and Blue Max oblique projection as opposed to isometric?

Also: Last Ninja 2 was pretty good on the Speccy, and although outside of your 80's remit by a few years, UFO Enemy Unknown is probably my all time 'isofave'. On the Amiga!

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Mr Biffo
20/6/2016 02:23:08 pm

Yes, you're the second person to point out the difference between oblique and isometric. Frankly... I don't care.

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Tinker's Cuss
20/6/2016 03:05:02 pm

Well I'm happy that my 1988 GCSE in Tech Drawing has finally served me in life. Time to tick that bugger off the Bucket List.

Voodoo76
20/6/2016 03:28:46 pm

haha what a loser Biffo, and to think I used to respect you. I can't believe you've got your obliques and isos mixed up.

Mr Biffo
20/6/2016 05:13:10 pm

It's my biggest shame to date!

Rob Ace
20/6/2016 05:35:56 pm

Ha I knew someone would have done the pedantry for me already.
Biffo is clearly just another corrupt game journo who doesn't care about truth.

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RG
20/6/2016 03:40:27 pm

Also 90's and therefore illegal to mention on this page - "Escape From the Planet of the Robot Monsters" was awesome!

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Spiney O'Sullivan
20/6/2016 04:07:31 pm

I was going to post exactly this. Fantastic game.

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RG
21/6/2016 09:34:58 am

Just checked - It was 1989!

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Paul Jon Melon
20/6/2016 03:41:27 pm

Never played When Time Stood Still. Looks braw. Might look it up on some awful browser game thing where I can abandon it after 5 minutes instead of having to play it to death as it's all there is plus it took ages to load so I may as well stick with it.

That Batman game, though! The magical music. Magical.

Looking at these games is mainly a reminder of how goddamn difficult games used to be. Not better times, just different.

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Stay
21/6/2016 11:47:56 pm

I mate bought this and we played it loads. I only managed to escape once and with a single character. Its a little bit hard and everything wants to eat you.

Just like the Great Escape the game is open and the 4 team members all have their own AI which you can tweak so they don't just run off and start murdering everything that moves or simultaneously aggravate village of cavemen and a nearby t-rex.

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Chris
23/6/2016 09:43:58 am

I always wanted When Time Stood Still, it got rave reviews at the time and looked awesome. Many years later I finally got round to loading it up in an emulator. Unfortunately it appears to be one of those games where reading the instruction manual is mandatory, and if you have a slightly hooky copy and/or can't be bothered to read the instructions you won't have a clue what's going on. Suffice to say I abandoned it after five minutes, although it did look like it might have been good had I understood what was happening.

r3fresh
20/6/2016 08:17:34 pm

Last ninja was great. Oh and that one where you was a prisoner of war. Forget it's name

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r3fresh
20/6/2016 08:19:58 pm

The great escape. That was it

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Daniel
20/6/2016 09:33:49 pm

Can we include Snake Rattle and Roll? It was released in 1990 but if the millennium taught us anything it's that the next era doesn't begin until the year ends in a 1...

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Mr Biffo
20/6/2016 10:30:19 pm

It's too late... too late for all the suggestions... I failed. FAILED!

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Michael Evers
20/6/2016 10:36:33 pm

Monster Max on the original GameBoy is a lovely swansong for the Knight Lore style games. It is by the same team (Ritman and Drummond) who made Batman and Head Over Heals and it is very much a spiritual successor to Head Over Heals.

Knight Lore's gameplay is far better and less harsh once you finally 'get' it. Ultimate didn't make it obvious what you had to do or how seemingly impossible rooms can be easily navigated with a few simple tricks. It took me 20 years to finally appreciate this game and switch from a doubter to a staunch supporter.

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Kara Van Park
20/6/2016 11:01:05 pm

Iso and Oblique. It's the new GamerGate

"It's about aspects in games journalism."

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r3fresh
20/6/2016 11:03:20 pm

Uridium. That was good. Was that isometric?

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Kelvin Green link
21/6/2016 07:12:21 pm

No, that was a top-down side-scroller. Lovely scrolling on that.

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The School Boy
21/6/2016 12:31:25 pm

Rentakill Rita was my introduction to the isometric world, trying to squish bugs with puzzles and traps. Upon death, it gave you a score and a rating, invariably calling me a "whazzock"

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Simon W
21/6/2016 08:10:08 pm

YES. Quite a few budget isometric games as I recall. Chimera, Cylu, Super Hero, Molecule Man. And Amaurote as mentioned by Biffo. Shame the Pickford Bros are a pair of bell-ends.

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Walter Peck
21/6/2016 01:20:53 pm

I nominate Bombuzal on the Atari ST with its unlistenably bad sound-effects.

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Bentley Bear
21/6/2016 05:27:42 pm

No love for Crystal Castles? Always liked that dans l'arcade.

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Kelvin Green link
21/6/2016 07:16:32 pm

I was always quite fond of the Fairlight-esque Nosferatu, but it was ruddy difficult, as I recall, and as slow as a glacier.

Arnie on the C64 was also good fun, but that came out in 1992, so doesn't count.

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