The Gadget Helpline: RETRO REPLAY feature will bring you a weekly throwback to the days of old school gaming and will present a little history on the new wave of classic titles currently getting a revival on our modern gaming gadgets.
We recently discovered the eggciting new teaser for a remake of Dizzy – the fondly remembered hero from a time before Super Mario and Sonic were legends. This little guy was making an impression when games were still delivered by cassette tapes, but he was sadly forgotten over time as new more powerful games platforms arose to dominance. But not forgotten by all it seems and developer Codemasters has addressed the faithful by re-creating one of the more popular Dizzy titles – Prince of the Yolkfolk – for the Android running devices and Apple iPhone and iPad and it’s in shell-shocking HD!
Full Title: Dizzy – Prince of the Yolkfolk
Original Platform: Amstrad CPC / Spectrum ZX
Release Year: 1991
Publisher: Codemasters
For those too young to remember, the Dizzy games were very involving free-scrolling puzzle platformers, featuring a little wandering egg as main protagonist. Although the shape was not specifically intended to remain egg shaped, this was merely a framework that would make the character more articulate and moveable, the shape was so appealing that it stayed to become the familiar mascot. The first Dizzy game was subtitled The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure and was launched for Amstrad and Spectrum ZX computers in June 1986.
Prince of the Yolkfolk was the sixth title in the Dizzy series released in 1991 and is a mythical tale of magic, shivery and fantasy where the aim of the adventure if to rescue Dizzy’s egg-friend Daisy from the evil wizard known as Zaks. In the gameplay Dizzy could meet new friends and complete tasks by collecting items crucial to the progress of his quest in the fairy tale land of Keldor to ultimately free Daisy from the guard of a troll called Rockwart, defeat Zaks and restore peace to his kingdom.
Dizzy was famed for having a limited jump and the characters movement was remembered for being very stiff, this could cause difficulty in a number of situations but it never stopped gamers trying. With the new high definition gameplay control is set to be super-slick and controlled by touchscreen in the new smartphone version, rather than those clunky old joysticks – you know the ones with the sucker pads on the bottom! The game allowed gamers to freely roam Keldor from its treetops, to the deep caves (which included mine car rides!) and even the Pearly Gates to seek assistance from Saint Peter. Yes, the plot went a little off the rails in places!
Prince of the Yolkfolk was the second from final Dizzy game, followed up by Crystal Kingdom Dizzy in 1992 and then apart from a few appearances in compilation bundles and nostalgia packs on consoles such as Playstation 2, Dizzy vanished from gaming lore. That is until Codemasters founders, the Oliver Twins reformed to reboot the egg-traordinary adventure giving Dizzy one more roll around Keldor on Android gadgets and Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad!
The Oliver Twins talk about Dizzy then and now in this launch video:
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The Gadget Helpline: RETRO REPLAY feature takes a weekly nostalgia trip to look at some classic titles ahead of their exciting reboots and revivals on the new wave of next gen consoles. Last time we took a look back at some of the best games advertising to appear on our TVs following the appearing of the uninspiring first PS Vita promo!
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