Fantastic Dizzy

Codemasters
Industry	Video game development and publishing
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Fantastic Dizzy (1991), other Dizzy series games

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Fantastic Dizzy, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 9 August 20252 sources

Fantastic Dizzy (known as The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy on the NES) is a 1991 video game developed by Codemasters and forms part of the Dizzy collection. The title was launched across various platforms, including the Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System, Game Gear, Nintendo Entertainment System, Amiga, and MS-DOS.

Although initially planned for release during the 1990 Christmas season, disputes between Codemasters and Nintendo concerning the Game Genie caused a delay, pushing the launch to April 1991. This setback affected sales figures, with only 125,000 copies sold instead of the projected 500,000. Nevertheless, the game was honored as the "NES Adventure Game of the Year 1991" by Game Players Magazine and received the Parents Choice Award. It incorporates many puzzles recycled from earlier entries in the series and was among seven titles compatible with the Aladdin Deck Enhancer.

Plot

The antagonist, wizard Zaks, enchants the Yolkfolk and abducts Dizzy’s girlfriend, Daisy.^[1] Dizzy’s mission is to undo Zaks’ spell and save Daisy from his castle floating in the clouds.

Characters

All 16 characters from the series appear in Fantastic Dizzy. While numerous Yolkfolk are under Zaks’ enchantment, others encounter different obstacles. Prominent figures include Good Wizard Theodore, Blackheart the Pirate, the Palace Guard, Prince Clumsy, Rockwart the Troll, Shamus the Leprechaun, and the Shop Owner.^[2]

Locations

Throughout his quest, Dizzy visits a variety of environments such as the secret Yolkfolk treehouse complex, a mine shaft, Keldor city, a pirate vessel, a castle, open grasslands, Carber Bay, a cemetery, and Zaks’ Cloud Castle. The gameplay primarily involves horizontal scrolling with occasional vertical segments. New screens appear when Dizzy climbs ladders or jumps off-screen. The background cycles between day and night during play.

Gameplay

Combining platforming with adventure mechanics, Dizzy cannot defeat enemies directly but must solve puzzles by moving objects to designated spots. Players are tasked with gathering all 250 stars scattered throughout the game world. The title revisits familiar puzzles and settings from previous installments while incorporating arcade-style minigames inspired by earlier series entries like Bubble Dizzy.

Stars

The total number of stars varies by version—either 100 or 250—and collecting them all is necessary to confront Zaks in the final battle. Some stars are hidden within minigames that require multiple attempts to uncover. Trying to enter Zaks’ tower without all stars causes an electric door to stun Dizzy.

Objects

Dizzy can carry up to three items simultaneously, including keys and puzzle-related objects. These items often need to be exchanged with other characters or placed in specific locations to advance or unlock new areas. Certain objects also offer protection against hazards, similar to gameplay mechanics found in Puggsy for Sega consoles.

Minigames

Several key minigames are integrated into the experience:

Mine carts: Players guide mine carts along perilous tracks collecting stars while avoiding dangers such as falling rocks and dead ends; difficulty escalates near the conclusion.
Dizzy Down the Rapids: Present in 8-bit versions only; Dizzy rides a barrel downriver dodging obstacles and gathering stars; this minigame is absent from 16-bit and Amiga CD32 editions.
Castle Capers: A shooting challenge where Dizzy wields a crossbow to gain an advantage over trolls occupying the castle; failure results in losing a life.
Bubble Trouble: Dizzy must reach an island before running out of oxygen by hopping on air bubbles of various sizes that burst after use. This minigame was later released independently as Bubble Dizzy.
Theodore's magic puzzle: A timed sliding puzzle (4x4) that rewards extra lives; complexity increases with each additional life earned.

Damage indicator

The game includes a damage meter that operates inversely to the health system; as this gauge fills up, Dizzy loses one life.

Reception

Entertainment Weekly gave the title an A− grade, praising its intricate puzzles and captivating soundtrack. In 2017, GamesRadar placed it 30th on their list of top Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games.

Review scores were predominantly favorable across various platforms. Amiga Computing rated it at 80%, Amiga Force at 86%, and Amiga Format at 87%. Publications centered on Sega consoles also delivered strong evaluations: Sega Pro awarded a score as high as 92%, Sega Master Force gave 87%, and Mega magazine rated it 80%. Computer and Video Games assigned a 78% score for the PC version and 80 out of 100 for the Sega Mega Drive edition. Other critiques showed some variation, such as Electronic Gaming Monthly’s moderate NES rating of 20/40 contrasted with a better Sega Mega Drive score of 34/50, while PC Zone offered a lower mark of 50/100.

In summary, the game was well-received for its engaging gameplay and design across diverse markets, solidifying its commercial success within the early 1990s gaming sector.

External links

↑ NES instruction booklet, p. 3
↑ Nes instruction booklet, pp. 9-21

[p3-1] NES instruction booklet, p. 3

[pp11-2] Nes instruction booklet, pp. 9-21

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