The Genesis Matrix

The Game Room Part 2

Returning to the game room with to operate the Hangman puzzle properly nets players the next cyan key that was intended for this board.

Shifting to some genuine Super ZZT critter shooting is a welcome change of pace at this point. The game area is intended to be a cramped environment with close-quarters combat that isn't executed as intended due to the amount of time spent on the board before being able to open the door. As you can see, I had the majority of enemies already piled up at the entrance which meant doing quite a lot of shooting prior to even stepping inside.

The few creatures that hadn't made it to the entrance helped make the mini-game work a little better. The grid of small rooms forming a tiny maze keeps the action brief and perhaps if I had entered earlier with less ammo, might've been a bit more tense to navigate. What's here feels like it exists because it was a game on the BBS, and quite frankly that's fine. The Genesis Matrix is clearly meant to capture the environment its based on, and not just be another Super ZZT action adventure.

Three users can be found inside as well, which does liven up the experience to make it feel like you're not the only one playing the game and dealing with these tigers and rotons. One of them named Havok is even hostile. Talking to them displays a flashing message where Havok realizes you're new here and throws several stars in your direction. This gets completely lost since the message is immediately wiped out by the "Ouch!" of the stars thrown at point blank.

Another user warns you about his habit of attacking other players, but once more the surprising lack of of variety for user graphics means there's no way to tell who is supposed to be who until you commit to interacting with them.

The final foe is a dragon, which thankfully isn't made out of one of Super ZZT's immobile dragon pup enemies. Instead they're harmless not by unfinished design, but by misunderstanding ZZT-OOP. The dragon moves in a fixed pattern, screeches when shot, and dies after a few hits, opening the door to the treasure room when defeated.

Confusing conditions with labels means that while the dragon is meant to attack if the player gets too close, they can't actually do so as #if contact #contact is never actually executed anywhere to actually cause a jump to that label.

The dragon's hoard is a mix of ammo, gems, a bar of solid gold worth 1000 points, and even a stone of power. It was still early enough into the adventure that I wondered if the game would actually require collecting several stones as one does in Lost Forest. It's all for show here though and does nothing. Additionally, the trick to add a custom label to the status bar to track your stones or other custom counter is unused and possibly just unknown here. So instead for the rest of the game there's just going to be a "1" below the score with no indication of what that's all about.

Return To Main Street

As it turns out, that game is optional for progression. While I was in fact not making much progress, the stone of power being collected made me feel exactly the opposite at the time.

"Napoleon Alley" is the next location on the little row of buildings outside, and it's a fantastic place. The tilted perspective on display does a great job of making the lettering feel like proper graffiti instead of being presented head-on and being no different than how you might render a sign on a building.

The board is just another bit of scenery to take in. Although calling it a "board" is a bit of a misnomer, as this is actually still part of the outside board the game begins on, just taking advantage of Super ZZT's tweaked passage code to allow two-way connections on the same board. It's a great way to make use of all the space available as even with a lower portion of the board being dedicated to just this small alley, the opening field is still honestly a bit too big.

The one user here isn't Napoleon, but rather Eli/Avatar asking if you like the his game so far.

The player is not allowed to answer, but shoot, I was having fun.

The next building is "Taglines Anonymous" which is just a library of quotes, though not ones that I suspect the members of the Genesis Matrix came up with. A little more than a dozen lines are recorded for posterity here, and they're very much the stuff you'd see in a 90s email forward or perhaps as somebody's forum signature. If you're lucky, maybe you'd run across a car with one of these lines as a bumper sticker. If not, you might have to buy it on a mug from a Spencer's Gifts instead.

A sampler:

Though I will admit, I hadn't heard this last one before and do like it.

The final building of the cluster is the user directory. It's basically another set of scrolls (though objects so you can reread the information).

And it comes with this disclaimer! I expected this to be Eli admitting that these profiles are just made up, but it's the opposite! These are some pristine early online profiles, albeit trimmed down and limited to just the users that received cameos in this world.

It's even alphabetized! In total there are twenty-three profiles to read, making this one of the denser cameo games available.

This includes the author here who is now revealed to be sixteen years old at the time. Interests include necking, females, and weaponry. That's how they roll in Mordor I suppose.

Many of the other profiles do provide real names, and locations down to the city level so I don't think this information was actually altered in any way before being immortalized for all eternity in a Super ZZT world. Some users do purposely provide false info that might otherwise identify them, and if the storyland from earlier is any indication, plenty of the supposed 18 year olds are younger.

It also gives us a much better idea of where this BBS was located, as the vast majority of actual cities and states are found in Massachusetts. Specifically near the tip of the state that's almost entirely surrounded by the Atlantic ocean. Falmouth, Mashpee, Bourne, Sandwich, show up numerous times. Otis, is an odd one out being on the opposite end of the state. For a more long distance connection, Psycho is located way out in Steffenville, Missouri! I wonder what led them to to the board.

The bios are pretty sparse in detail, more akin to filling out basic information than anything in-depth. There's not too much to learn about life in the early 90s that you wouldn't get by looking up what pop culture consisted of, along with some older pieces of media with enduring legacies. You'll see The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Dances With Wolves, Highlander, Monty Python, and there's even one user can't decide if they prefer Footloose or Terminator 2.

The hobbies are a bit more fun to read. A significant number of teen-aged boys are into GIRLS and SEX, often in allcaps. But don't think it's only the younger crowd dealing with their hormones as a thirty-something user lists "Swimsuit fashion photography" as one of their hobbies.

Lastly of note are the ages of these users. The vast majority are 20 or under, with a half a dozen users over 30 with one aged 42. One user claims to be 80, but the rest of their information makes me very much doubt its authenticity. Still, it's quite a range. When I would've been Eli's age, the ZZT community was folks on the cusp of finishing high school, and perhaps a year or two beyond that. Anybody in their 30s back then would have seemed ancient and/or alien. These days anybody under 30 is basically a baby. Apologies to any children reading.

I feel like I'm really skipping over these by not showcasing anything specific, but there's really not much to take in with most of these other than how badly they want to get laid. Yet, if you do play this one for yourself, it is quite enjoyable to go down the list, even if none of them are worth highlighting individually.

Files Are Stored In The Caves

While all the buildings have been exhausted, there are still two more locations in the world of The Genesis Matrix yet to be explored. This cave is of all things the place where the files are hosted.

The interior doesn't get off to a strong start with an immediate error being thrown. The good news is that the object in question exists to just make gems change color so it has no impact on getting through the game. The bad news is of course that this happens by merely entering the board so the playtesting is basically non-existent. While there are plenty of errors scattered throughout The Genesis Matrix, they're all pretty low impact like this one.

The metaphor here is also a bit strained. The cave is broken up into several small chambers with locked doors and signs explaining the contents. The contents are nothing more than keys, so there's no cool digital archaeology to be had here to let us know what files were being shared here. It would've been awesome if there was a ZZT directory with some file names, something like that could be gold for this early era of ZZT's history when we have so little information on what was actually published.

For the curious, the file libraries include "PC-PROG", "PC-SOUND", "PC-EDUCA", "PC-DESK", "PC-BBS", "GIFS", "FLASH", and "PC-GAMES". I am amused that despite being referred to as libraries, they're instead just openings in a cave system.

And there's no metaphor for the creatures inhabiting the cave. Previously they existed only within a game, but now they're just running loose. They start off in large quantities locked being walls that disappear after a few seconds to hopefully ambush the player when the walls vanish off camera.

Two sections are off-limits by default. The cave plays out as a key exchanging sequence to eventually reach a switch to open up the flash library. I'm not sure what this is, though I think it might be demoscene materials if BBS-Flash #1 on the Internet Archive is anything to go by. It also seems appropriate as this area is the region that will lead to the final showdown with the hacker that's been causing trouble.

The other locked up area is the games section which instead of a key, is loaded with ammo and gems intended to prepare the player for the final showdown. This isn't exactly needed as the game has been pretty generous with its ammo and for the most part lacking in enemies that can actually hurt the player.

While it's possible to just run straight to the file... cave and go directly to the boss fight from the start of the game, The Genesis Matrix is definitely more focused on sight-seeing, and there are still a few mysteries that need to be unraveled before we reach its conclusion.

The to-do list at this point is:

• Find the key to the Special Interest Groups section
• Gain access to the PC-GAMES library
• Find a way to reach the last game in the game castle

And at this point, I was out of leads. Everything that was left was off limits in some way, so I had to crack open the file viewer and start sussing out where to obtain these keys and flags.

Sadly, it's not a case of me missing something obvious. It's a case of Eli including a mandatory, invisible, and unhinted at secret. Back in storyland, a specific tile reveals a hidden 9th story which contains the key to the "Androids Battledome" that's been eluding me this entire game. Unlike the other stories that have some kind of detail, this one gets no overview existing entirely to provide the key.

Which at least means the top part of the castle is finally open, and it's another playable game, and setting a high score will net the player the key to the SIGs.

The game is again pretty basic. A few objects wander around around randomly, taking gems if the player comes in contact with them. Strangely, here Eli is using #if contact correctly allowing the enemies to actually be a threat. The corners have two hatches that gems can be deposited into, but only once. As soon as you make your deposit the game ends and you're scored on what you collected, so it's important to grab basically all the gems. Of course, gems are gems, and there have been plenty more scattered throughout the game which let you be a little more lax about actually grabbing every last one.

Collect enough, and a flag will be set to mark your victory, allowing you to unlock some new dialog with Eli back in Napoleon's Alley and be presented with the white key

And here are the SIGs. And Belcho.

This last region of the BBS is actually kind of unique. Not only are there enemies and users in the same area, but also sinkholes that when stepped on instantly end the game! I'm not a fan. At least the hint system is here to provide a strategy of firing a bullet and using it to identify the sinkholes without falling in. The sinkholes are also coded to reveal themselves when shot so it's not just a matter of making a mental note anywhere your bullets abruptly disappear.

The room is divided in two by a river as is the norm for Super ZZT worlds apparently. There are still some keys to collect to proceed which are out in the open and require nothing special to obtain.

Like the file archives, the themeing here is simply writing out some text. So while you get an idea on what groups were available, there's nothing really of interest in these special interests. Somebody in the cooking SIG mentions posting a new recipe. Somebody in the music sections asks if you've a fan of Megadeth or Metallica. In the musician area a user says they're currently in a group that is going to cover some songs by The Doors for a talent show. By modern Internet standards these discussions seem outright saccharine.

Your goal is this key to the PC-GAMES library. It's unusual that this key is the only key that was made an object while the rest of the game sticks with the built-in style.

Although the key isn't the end of the SIG section (or the sinkholes). For players that are interested in exploring the last remaining corner, they can pick up an assortment of gems to satisfy their curiosity with.

Heading back to the file caves to collect the bounty, the player will have more than enough ammo and health for their big fight. Remember too that Super ZZT bumps up the resources given by items. Each ammo here is worth ten shots rather than five, and gems have become a much better source of healing, restoring ten health rather than just one. Since all forms of damage still take ten health, this is a pretty massive amount on top of the already vast amount of health gained from picking up so many gems over the course of the game.

The mystery element of who you've been after has played next to no role in the game. Despite the pretense of getting to play detective, the player doesn't actually ask any questions to anybody. You can skip this room entirely and just go onto the final fight without the full context of the hacker abusing a coding oversight. It seems that naming yourself "new" causes an overlap of commands for creating an account and sending a private message to the user named "new". Man, hacking used to be easy.

The caves hold a second instance of a tile that blends in perfectly with its surroundings actually being a hidden object as well. This time it's not mandatory, and I only found out about it because I was digging through the game to find the key to the SIG forest. Touch this wall behind one of the key to discover a hidden path to an additional cache of gems and ammo that puts the one in PC-GAMES to shame. It's massive. The board takes up roughly a quarter of a Super ZZT board and fills half with gems and then a quarter with ammo by placing it every other tile. An included scroll says there's no way you can lose the fight now, and they're definitely not wrong.

Eli does assume the player will get the PC-GAMES key as entering the boss room displays a message naming New regardless of whether or not the player has any idea who that is. From here the game takes a small shift to pure action, going Cyber Purge as you fight through three viruses in color coded chambers.

Spectacular it ain't. The first virus moves and shoots until you shoot back a few times before exploding into "little pieces of silicone chip and circuit-board".

The second is similar except the virus throws stars. They do this slowly enough that it doesn't feel miserable or anything, though as I first went in here prior to exploring everything my health made it a lot tougher to tank. Dodging isn't an option here since the room is too small to really hide, and the stars will be generated faster than they'll disappear on their own.

They do at least get unique death messages!

The final virus before facing New is the most unique and works well with the cramped arena. The virus itself is just one object of many. Even though it can't attack the player on its own, the other objects will drain your health if you stand next to them. Here you can try and dodge to a limited degree as the objects don't specifically seek the player. You need to step carefully to get up close to the main virus as shooting the others will only result in being told that you shot the wrong pillar.

Once they've all been defeated, a path to the center of the room will open leading to New.

New, of course, doesn't fight directly, opting to use one last virus rather than face justice.

THE WORM!

So let's pause for a moment here to ponder some things.

The Genesis Matrix, as a Super ZZT adventure isn't all that great. You get some pockets of monsters, and a few basic objects to drain gems or shoot tanks in the game room, but if you went into it expecting something like Monster Zoo, you'd be disappointed. That doesn't mean it's a bad game by any means. It just means the game is really a game about seeing cameos of fellow BBS members, maybe having some laughs at their portrayals, and for those of us playing 30 years later it provides a glimpse into a community long forgotten.

And then Eli just absolutely nails the aesthetic of Super ZZT's official releases and comes up with an incredible concept for a boss fight???

Short of the tricks pulled off in Tyrobain, which came out a good twenty-four years after this one, this is undoubtedly the best looking thing I have ever seen in Super ZZT. The worm takes the "Giant Purple Land Squid" and moves the fight to the water. While the player is being swirled around a whirlpool, tentacles are instead poking out of the water, writhing and attempting to grab hold of the player. I've seen plenty of giant bosses in ZZT, but this one not only has a sense of scale thanks to the unknown mass below the water's surface, but it also makes great use of Super ZZT's water currents. Those currents always seemed to be the most exploitable new element added to the series, and boy this if this isn't the perfect example of Super ZZT water done well.

As much as I may gush though, while Eli has a sudden unprecedented boost in showmanship with the worm's design, the fight still suffers from his lack of coding experience with Super ZZT. The tentacles only check if they're in contact with the player once every eleven cycles, making what would be a powerful attack dealing forty health worth of damage into a scenario where the player almost always slips away unscathed. The tentacles use #bind as well, so while they're meant to take five shots to destroy, after you deal four damage in total to all of them, they'll all die in one hit afterwards.

The tentacles are also the worm's sole attack so it's very easy to just shoot all the tentacles away and make them completely harmless. Eli is obviously quite proud of this creation, and deservedly so. The only other release credited to his name is Worm, another Super ZZT title, which demonstrates the same boss and gives detail to its Dune inspiration. This version lacks the water current and just doesn't look as impressive to me on a black background. Here though, it's really a sight to behold.

When you've finally conquered the worm, New is booted from the BBS and permabanned, allowing the board to return to its previous peaceful state and the game ends.

Surprising ending there Tremblay.

Final Thoughts

As a cameo game, and a cameo game for a community whose overlap with ZZT is rather minor, this is a tough one to recommend on that front. Unless you happened to be in eastern Massachusetts in the early 90s the people depicted here are unknowable. As a historic piece there's not a lot of concrete information to provide insight into life online thirty years ago. The profiles are bare-bones. The actual conversations with users mostly amount to them explaining things in game, save for the SIGs section which instead has people saying "I like Metallica" in the music section. For those who were active on BBSes back in the day, I don't think there's a whole lot to learn from this one.

For somebody like me, who missed out on them entirely, I can't help but be charmed by this little world. The details may be lacking, yet it's clear that this game is a labor of love written by a sixteen year old who cared about this online community. He made friends, made games, played games, shared stories, and wanted his community to continue to be a space free of those that would harm the group. The users, even if they're not entirely truthful in their profiles are local people sitting down at computers and forming genuine bonds with one another. They are knowable and not just words on a screen. While most ZZT cameo games made sure to dunk on the outcast of the week, this game is nice to everyone. The harshest criticism being that some of these stories aren't as exciting (whether that be "captivating" or "erotic") as they want to be. Nobody is being told to fuck off and die because they're bad at Yahtzee or Androids Battledome, and mother and son can both comfortably participate in the same community.

Perhaps it's not the full picture. Unsurprisingly Eli focuses mostly on his peers, and admits to there actually being hundreds of members rather than the cozy two dozen that get an appearance here. Even realizing this is just part of the whole, I just can't imagine the BBS being hostile, and it's a refreshing change of pace from later ZZTer cameo focused worlds that I have to steer around to try and focus on the positive aspects of ZZT's history even in darker times. The Genesis Matrix seems relaxed and welcoming. It's a place for everyone and while I'm sure it had its share of drama from locals and outsiders alike, what's depicted here is the kind of community that's comforting to imagine.

For those looking for an exciting Super ZZT adventure, this cameo world won't cut it. For folks with an interest in the early days of online activity, the surface-only details honestly mean it still doesn't have much to offer. The invisible story that needs to be found to play one of the games, acquire the SIG key, and then acquire access to the PC-GAMES section is also rather rough to deal with without being aware of the secret. This makes it rough to recommend to others that re playing it rather than reading this. Were it not for that, it's still a hard sell thanks to how unusual it is, but that's also what makes it so interesting to experience. The Genesis Matrix is one of those games to play specifically because it's so different than its peers. While it's not an educational game, it does give me similar vibes to edutainment ZZT worlds like Mission Renaissance or Everglades National Park, the sort of worlds where you're just glad somebody made them even if there's not much to "get" out of them today. They use ZZT as a tool not for imagining rich story-filled worlds or twitch gameplay, but to capture something unique in the medium because it's the medium they know.