Flip-screen Computer Games
Flip-screen computer games are computer games that do not update their drawspaces via interpolation or screen-scrolling. Instead, the drawspace switches to a new drawspace when the edges of the screen are reached. Often, the new screen is graphically contiguous with the one that came before, but such is not a requirement.
However, to be classified as flip-screen a computer game must feature contiguous exploration of an environment.
cf. Flip-screen cRPGs.
Early Flip-screen Games
Castle Wolfenstein 1981 Apple II
Silas Warner of Muse Software designed and coded Castle Wolfenstein in 1981 for the 48 kbyte Apple 2. Castle Wolfenstein features flip-screen exploration of a 60-room procedurally-generated castle. The object of Castle Wolfenstein is to find battle plans and escape the castle by means of stealth and violence. Castle Wolfenstein features 8-way movement and strafe-firing; that is, you can move in one direction while firing in another. Being (a seminal) stealth computer game, sound plays a part in CW. There are footstep, gun-fire and out-of-ammo sounds as well as "digitized" speech. Needless to say, CW was an amazing computer game in 1981.
Conceptually, "Wolfenstein 2D" is a 1984-level computer game. In terms of audio-visuals and gameplay, not so much. For example, the sprites flicker, the sound is harsh on the ears and chests take too long to open.
The movement, firing and viewport of Castle Wolfenstein was influenced by Stern Electronics' Berzerk shoot 'em up of 1980.
In turn, Castle Wolfenstein influenced id Software's Wolfenstein 3D.
Manic Miner 1983 ZX Spectrum
Matthew Smith's Manic Miner on the ZX Spectrum is not a flip-screen computer game because the next level or cavern is accessed via portal-exit rather than screen-edge exits. In Manic Miner a cavern is just a level, and passing through a portal simply switches to the next level. To be clear, this is not a criticism. Manic Miner was one of the most charming and fun-to-play computer games of the early 80s.
There are 20 separate screens or levels in Manic Miner.
Jet Set Willy 1984 ZX Spectrum
On the other hand, Matthew Smith's Jet Set Willy features contiguous horizontal and vertical edgescreen exploration of 60 separate screens. That is, one can take an exit to the north, south, east or west to explore the rooms of a mansion. In addition, rooms can be revisited. Thus Jet Set Willy is a flip-screen computer game because its exploration is contiguous, forming a map in the mind.
Technically, Manic Miner portal-transitions and Jet Set Willy edgescreen transitions are akin: they are simply updating to another screen; there is no seamless transition, no screen-scrolling. Only the transition-triggers are different, but Jet Set Willy is 4-way environmentally contiguous.
Impossible Mission 1984 Commodore 64
Dennis Caswell's Impossible Mission on the Commodore 64 also features contiguous screen-edge exploration via fancy wipe transitions. Featuring a rotoscoped avatar, automap, interactable pocket computer, interactable placeables, moveable platforms, digitized speech, vertically-scrolling elevator movement and Rogue-like procedural generation, Impossible Mission was an advanced platform-adventure game for 1984.
Knight Lore 1984 ZX Spectrum
Highway Encounter 1985 ZX Spectrum
Costa Panayi of Vortex Software coded Highway Encounter in 1985 for the ZX Spectrum. The best ZX Spectrum game ever made, Highway Encounter is an immaculately-presented isometric flip-screen computer game with excellent controls, mechanics and graphics. There are 30 separate screens in Highway Encounter.
Starquake ZX Spectrum 1985
Stephen Crow's Starquake of 1985 for the ZX Spectrum is a side-on flip-screen platformer that is practically perfect in terms of controls, playability and audio-visuals. There are 512 separate screens in Starquake.
Starquake was ported to the Atari ST in 1988 by Bubble Bus.
Labyrinth Commodore 64 1986
LucasFilm Games released Labyrinth for the Commodore 64 in 1986. Precursor to the SCUMM-engine games (Maniac Mansion of 1987), Labyrinth is an adventure-maze game that features a combination of flip-screen exploration and horizontal scrolling. Labyrinth also features an inventory, a scrolling list of commands, sprite-animations, sprite-scaling, ladder climbing and a Defender-like radar bar. Labyrinth was designed and programmed by Charlie Kellner and David Fox.
The Last Ninja 1987 Commodore 64
System 3's The Last Ninja (1987-1991) is an isometric flip-screen series of arcade-adventures for the Commodore 64. Last Ninja employs fancy screenwipes and screen-draws for its edgescreen transitions.
Last Ninja features 8-way movement on the playfield. In addition, you can punch, kick, stab, slash, block, throw, crouch, somersault and search.
You can find and wield several different weapons, such as ninjato, nunchaku, staff, shuriken and smoke bomb. Suffice it to say, Last Ninja was a technically-advanced computer-game for 1987. And it sold millions of copies from 1987 to 1991 as well.
Get Dexter Atari ST 1987
ERE Informatique released Get Dexter for the Atari ST in 1987. However, this is just a port of the original Amstrad CPC version of 1986 by Rémi Herbulot. The reason I add Get Dexter is because it is one of the first good flip-screen isometric adventure games to appear on 16-bit machines.
Lakers versus Celtics IBM PC 1989
Flip-screen Adventure Games (Point & Click)
Secret of Monkey Island IBM PC 1990 LucasFilm
Flip-screen and screen-scrolling.
Point-&-click adventure games mostly employed contiguous flip-screen presentation, but some also combined (non-smooth) screen-scrolling routines.
The flip-screen presentation of Secret of Monkey Island employs perspective changes and sprite-scaling. This mixes the presentation up a bit and also adds depth to scenes. SoMI also features (non-smooth) screen-scrolling.
Beneath a Steel Sky IBM PC 1994 Revolution Software
Flip-screen and screen-scrolling.
Future Wars IBM PC 1990 Delphine
Operation Stealth IBM PC 1990 Delphine
Cruise for a Corpse IBM PC 1991 Delphine
King's Quest 6 IBM PC 1992
Other Flip-screen Computer Games
And Exolon of 1987 is a side-on flip-screen run and gun:
Rambo 3 of 1988 is a top-down flip-screen run and gun (with a sprite-scaling level):
Flip-screen was common on some 8 bit microcomputers that lacked hardware scrolling, processing power and RAM, but I'd rather play flip-screen computer games than be assaulted by flickering slideshows in poorly-coded scrollers.
Those who can't code smooth scrolling routines should make their games flip-screen. As an aside, it is amusing to note that Morrowind's trashy engine evokes 3D flip-screen.
Some of the earliest isometric adventure and platform computer games were flip-screen, not scrollers.
However, Sandy White's Ant Attack of 1983 on the Speccy featured 4-way scrolling and verticality.
Flip-screen employment would persist in cinematic platformers many years after smooth scrolling routines were mastered.
cf.:
- A part of Computer Games Listed in Chronological Order
- A part of: History of 1990s Computer Games
- The First Flat-shaded Computer Games
- The First Texture-mapped Computer Games
- History of Shoot 'em Ups
- Return to: cRPG Blog (Master Index)
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