Closer Look Articles
Closer Looks are one of the main components of the Worlds of ZZT project. The Closer Look series consists primarily of (re)visiting ZZT worlds and looking at them from a contemporary perspective, attemping to give both a complete playthrough of them while also pointing out noteworthy design decisions.
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| Title | Author | Date | Category | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closer Look: Legend of Brandonia | Dr. Dos | March 1, 2021 | Closer Look | Good? Bad? Ugly? Brandonia is a divisive ZZT world and winner of a Featured Game award. |
| Closer Look: Growing Up | Dr. Dos | Jan. 31, 2021 | Closer Look | Growing Up takes a serious look about life as a teenager dealing with an alcoholic parent. Take a look at this short and emotional story. |
| Closer Look: Sid's Disaster | Dr. Dos | Dec. 31, 2020 | Closer Look | Stalagtite platforming in a ZZT game? An engine that's rock solid copes with design that puts a few cracks in this spelunking adventure |
| Closer Look: Z-Files v2.5.1 | Dr. Dos | Oct. 31, 2020 | Closer Look | More than 100 boards long and you can't even play it! Nadir's collection of ZZT tool kits focuses on one of ZZT's most distinct features |
| Closer Look: Escape From Zyla Island | Dr. Dos | Oct. 15, 2020 | Closer Look | What starts as an average ZZT action game quickly turns into a below-average ZZT action game. Sigh. |
| Closer Look: Yiepipipi | Dr. Dos | July 31, 2020 | Closer Look | Yiepipipi? Oeu. Oryan? Oeu. Esklello? Oeu! |
| Closer Look: Invasion ZZT Revision (Part 2) | Dr. Dos | July 15, 2020 | Closer Look | The long drawn out conclusion and a lot of PSAs about drinking and driving |
| Closer Look: Invasion ZZT Revision (Part 1) | Dr. Dos | June 30, 2020 | Closer Look | An alien abudction of the family dog turns into a fight for mankind's survival. Three kids on a heartwarming quest to save the Earth |
| Closer Look: Demos Without Finished Games | Dr. Dos | June 15, 2020 | Closer Look | Exploring several demos for games that were never finished |
| Closer Look: Baloo Episode 1, The Thunder Road | Dr. Dos | June 1, 2020 | Closer Look | What should be a generic edgy TaleSpin parody turns out to be a well-written game you can't help but love |
| Closer Look: Dragon Woods | Dr. Dos | April 30, 2020 | Closer Look | Good ideas and bad execution result in a fun yet flawed adventure in this self-described "comedy-rpg" |
| Closer Look: Secret Agent Chronicles (Mission Alpha) | Dr. Dos | March 31, 2020 | Closer Look | CIA Agent BILL vs. Dr. D in this unintentionally hilarious spy "thriller" |
| Closer Looks: Six Games With Six Boards | Dr. Dos | Feb. 15, 2020 | Closer Look | All cop-outs are bastards as we explore Police Quest plus five other extremely short worlds of dubious quality |
| Closer Look: Winter | Dr. Dos | Jan. 31, 2020 | Closer Look | Venture into the idle mind in this very much ahead of its time atmospheric puzzle world |
| Closer Look: Compound | Dr. Dos | Jan. 15, 2020 | Closer Look | ♬ Fix us a wire you're the Compound man ♬ Fix us a wire tonight ♬ Well man's destined to die from catastrophe ♬ While aliens watch in the night ♬ |
| Closer Look: November Eve (Files B and C) | Dr. Dos | Dec. 31, 2019 | Closer Look | Hunting down giant slimes, hidden gems, and programming bugs to save Puerto del Agua |
| Closer Look: A Dwarvish-Mead Dream | Dr. Dos | Dec. 15, 2019 | Closer Look | Save the dreamworld from reality in this everything but the kitchen sink RPG bursting with ideas and great art |
| Closer Look: November Eve (File A) | Dr. Dos | Nov. 30, 2019 | Closer Look | Xamboxumbadira is the powerhouse of the cell. |
| Closer Look: Village | Dr. Dos | Nov. 15, 2019 | Closer Look | Stop and admire the scenery on your quest for vigilante justice |
| Closer Look: Scarlet Green | Dr. Dos | Oct. 31, 2019 | Closer Look | A secret biological weapon has been set loose and only... the jerk who was well aware of it can save the day |
| Closer Look: ZZT's City + Interview With Stuart Hardwick | Dr. Dos | Oct. 15, 2019 | Closer Look | Contrasting the newly discovered Softdisk published version of ZZT with the Epic MegaGames version we all know |
| Closer Look: Fred! Episode 1: Space Fred! | Dr. Dos | Sept. 30, 2019 | Closer Look | EAT. THE. FLOWERS. |
| Closer Look: Atop The Witch's Tower | Dr. Dos | Sept. 17, 2019 | Closer Look | Thyer's first ever ZZT world: The story of a witch's anxiety and her sacrificial princess |
| Closer Look: ZZTV 3 | Dr. Dos | Aug. 31, 2019 | Closer Look | An experimental "magazine" for ZZTers to make anything they want |
| Closer Look: The Search For The Magic Flamingo | Dr. Dos | Aug. 19, 2019 | Closer Look | Search for a flamingo and find mediocrity and cameos instead |
| Closer Look: Dragon Ball Z:Saiyin and Namek Saga | Dr. Dos | July 31, 2019 | Closer Look | Over 9000 reasons this game is awful |
| Closer Look: Koopo The Lemming Part 2 | Dr. Dos | July 15, 2019 | Closer Look | In Part 2, Koopo finds his unique vision for his game by introducing a jetpack |
| Closer Look: Koopo The Lemming | Dr. Dos | July 2, 2019 | Closer Look | Oh No! More Lemmings Clones! |
| Closer Look: The Secret of Cannibal Island | Dr. Dos | June 16, 2019 | Closer Look | Better than the Best of ZZT, Janson shows a traditional key collecting game done almost right |
| Closer Look: Warlord's Temple | Dr. Dos | May 30, 2019 | Closer Look | Six arrows. More than enough to kill anything that moves. |
| Closer Look: The Cliff | Dr. Dos | May 15, 2019 | Closer Look | The cliff has killed another! Find the saboteur before they strike again |
| Closer Look: The Forests Will Echo With Laughter | Dr. Dos | April 20, 2019 | Closer Look | And it's whispered that soon, If we all call the tune, then Da Warren will lead us to reason |
| Closer Look: Nevada Bob 1: He's On The Job | Dr. Dos | March 27, 2019 | Closer Look | Good humor, great music, poor design, and the giant robot battle is optional? |
| Closer Look: Stupid RPG | Dr. Dos | Feb. 28, 2019 | Closer Look | The first of far too many in a long running series by a notable and divisive ZZTer |
| Closer Look: Freak Da Cat | Dr. Dos | Jan. 31, 2019 | Closer Look | Tired: "Press F to Pay Respects" Wired: "Press δ to Act Like a Snake" |
| Closer Look: Frost 2: Ice | Dr. Dos | Jan. 27, 2019 | Closer Look | Nadir's zenith, Preservation Through Piracy, a nearly unreleased gem capturing ZZT at its peak |
| Closer Look: ZZT Syndromes | Dr. Dos | Dec. 30, 2018 | Closer Look | I'm in this huge empty room with yellow walls... No matter where I go... those same horrible yellow walls... |
| Closer Look: Algorithm Part 1: Disco For Justice! | Dr. Dos | Dec. 18, 2018 | Closer Look | A rejected ZZTer returns with dated comedy and some fascinating self-insert protagonists |
| Closer Look: Run-On | Dr. Dos | Dec. 1, 2018 | Closer Look | Randomly generated ZZT action in this endless-feeling runner |
| Closer Look: Final Fantasy 2 | Dr. Dos | Oct. 30, 2018 | Closer Look | A unique take on FF2US/FF4J where the programmer doesn't know how #end works. |
| Closer Look: Jack O' Lantern | Newt/John D. Moore | Oct. 21, 2018 | Closer Look | Newt revisits his iconic ZZT horror game and explains just what the heck is going on |
| Closer Look: Ezanya | Dr. Dos | Sept. 21, 2018 | Closer Look | Commit war crimes in the name of the king in this early fantasy that stands the test of time |
| Closer Look: Shades Of Gray | Dr. Dos | Aug. 28, 2018 | Closer Look | The Town of ZZT has lost is colors. Who took them and why? |
| ZZT House Hunting | Dr. Dos | Aug. 19, 2018 | Closer Look | There's no places like ZZT homes. There's no places like ZZT homes. There's no places like ZZT homes. |
| Closer Look: Card Prime | Dr. Dos | July 30, 2018 | Closer Look | Expert programming crams a collectible card game into ZZT! |
| Closer Look: Caves of ZZT | Dr. Dos | July 22, 2018 | Closer Look | "Life's real tough, ain't it?" - the unloved and forgotten original ZZT world |
| Closer Look: Pokemon Twin Pack | Dr. Dos | June 10, 2018 | Closer Look | Prepare for trouble, and make it double with this typical example of converting Pokemon to ZZT |
| Closer Look: Scooter | Dr. Dos | May 23, 2018 | Closer Look | Guinea Pig Fact: A game being adorable can't make up for unresponsive controls |
| Closer Look: Angelis Finale | Dr. Dos | May 14, 2018 | Closer Look | Overclocking ZZT to turn it into a viable medium for a fast paced action game |
| Closer Look: Wasteland | Dr. Dos | April 29, 2018 | Closer Look | Commodore takes his first step on the journey of becoming one of ZZT's best in this 2003 post-apocalyptic adventure |
| Closer Look: War of ZZT | Dr. Dos | April 23, 2018 | Closer Look | War!! W-War is breaking out fast! |
| The Best of ZZT | Dr. Dos | April 4, 2018 | Closer Look | A list of 20-something ZZT worlds worth your time |
| Closer Look: Goldeneye ZZT Demo | Dr. Dos | Feb. 17, 2018 | Closer Look | "Goldeneye hardly redfines the genre. The graphics are excellent except for the blocky human figures." |
| Closer Look: Mr. Shapiro Cares Not For Lies | Dr. Dos | Feb. 9, 2018 | Closer Look | Structured nonsense, and lots of cheese based random humor. <s>YES</s> |
| Closer Look Live: The Mercenary | DavidN/Dr. Dos | Jan. 30, 2018 | Closer Look | A pre-recording playthrough of the ZZT world "The Mercenary" by DavidN (2002), with the game's author providing guest commentary! |
| Closer Look: Gem Hunter Special Edition 1.5 | Dr. Dos | Jan. 23, 2018 | Closer Look | Collect 31 gems hidden across an island in this remake of Tseng's original entry in his iconic series |
| Closer Look: 4 | Dr. Dos | Dec. 31, 2017 | Closer Look | 4's scores were better years ago. |
| Closer Look: Indiana Jones: The Search For King Solomon's Mines | Dr. Dos | Dec. 11, 2017 | Closer Look | That belongs in a museum |
| Closer Look: Adventure of Sam | Celine Kalante | Dec. 6, 2017 | Closer Look | The Museum's first guest post! Taking a look at a previously unpublished first game and its many flaws. |
| Closer Look: Sewers of ZZT | Dr. Dos | Nov. 30, 2017 | Closer Look | Town of ZZT but reimagined to be about the author's friend circle. |
| Closer Look: Sivion | Dr. Dos | Nov. 20, 2017 | Closer Look | One of ZZT's finest - A detailed fantasy adventure through the kingdom of Bespin. (Oh, and the password is BARNEY) |
| Closer Look: Nextgame 33 - SOS, Please! | Dr. Dos | Oct. 31, 2017 | Closer Look | Set sail on the DIEtanic in this second washed up half of NextGame 33 |
| Closer Look: Nextgame 33 - MadGuy's Reign of Terror | Dr. Dos | Oct. 25, 2017 | Closer Look | Covering 50% of this 33% complete game where 0% of the jokes land |
| Closer Look: Teen Priest | Dr. Dos | Oct. 20, 2017 | Closer Look | All Teen Cops Are Bastards. A lot of content warnings in this overshadowed and oh-so-edgy adventure |
| Closer Look: Defender of Castle Sin | Dr. Dos | Sept. 25, 2017 | Closer Look | Defend Castle Sin from intruders both good and evil to keep an ancient portal sealed and secure |
| Closer Look: Meet The Tardigrades! | Dr. Dos | Sept. 15, 2017 | Closer Look | A magical mystery tour of an odd cross between Star Wars and the Beatles |
| Closer Look: School ZZT | Dr. Dos | Sept. 4, 2017 | Closer Look | A back to school special looking at what's considered the worst ever ZZT game |
| Closer Look: Flower of Light | Dr. Dos | Aug. 31, 2017 | Closer Look | Quest for the mythical flower of light to cure your father's blindness |
| Closer Look: Fantasy World Dizzy | Dr. Dos | Aug. 18, 2017 | Closer Look | An eggselent conversion of Codemaster's 1989 puzzle platformer |
| Closer Look: Modern ZZT Editing With KevEdit | Dr. Dos | July 10, 2017 | Closer Look | Because ZZT's Own Editor Is So 1991 |
| Closer Look: Nightplanet | Dr. Dos | June 24, 2017 | Closer Look | The winner of the first ever 24 Hours of ZZT contest |
| Closer Look: City of ZZT | Dr. Dos | June 19, 2017 | Closer Look | Trust me and we will escape from the City |
| Closer Look: Psychic Solar War Adventure Code Analysis | Dr. Dos | May 29, 2017 | Closer Look | ZZT has no random number generator, but it does have lions. Exploring how a complex RPG engine works |
| Closer Look: Psychic Solar War Adventure | Dr. Dos | May 24, 2017 | Closer Look | Psychic twins reclaim the sun in this impressively coded and impressively grindy RPG dungeon crawler! |
| Closer Look: The Making of Quickhack | Dr. Dos | May 10, 2017 | Closer Look | The first ZZT game of 2017, made in 72 hours for the Ludum Dare! |
| Closer Look: Edible Vomit | Dr. Dos | April 30, 2017 | Closer Look | D.A.R.E. to dream as Freddy the ferret trips out on his search for the perfect drug |
| Closer Look: Forrester | Dr. Dos | April 15, 2017 | Closer Look | A Super ZZT inspired MegaZeux world exploring memory and being forgotten. |
| Closer Look: ZIG | Dr. Dos | April 10, 2017 | Closer Look | ZIG combines ZZT's simplicity, MegaZeux's power, and Super ZZT's lack of interest from the community. Exploring ZIG and all its releases! |
| Closer Look: Doom | Dr. Dos | March 21, 2017 | Closer Look | You're trying to say you like DOS better than me, right? |
| Closer Look: Oaktown | Dr. Dos | March 12, 2017 | Closer Look | So much promise. So little ammo. |
| Closer Look: Yapok-Sundria | Dr. Dos | Feb. 25, 2017 | Closer Look | Rancid meatloaf and cans of V8. |
| Closer Look: ZZTer Comics | Dr. Dos | Jan. 31, 2017 | Closer Look | Over 1000 ZZTer produced comic strips now available on the Museum of ZZT! |
| Closer Look: Aceland | Dr. Dos | Jan. 23, 2017 | Closer Look | MEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW (You microwaved a cat) |
| Closer Look: Frost 1; Power | Dr. Dos | Jan. 9, 2017 | Closer Look | ZZT's best looking game is also it's furriest. |
| Closer Look: Nightmare | Dr. Dos | Dec. 31, 2016 | Closer Look | Hello, mortal. I am the Sandman. And you are my prisoner. |
| Closer Look: Virus 302: Special Edition | Dr. Dos | Dec. 19, 2016 | Closer Look | I [Dr. Dos] made a bad game when I was 10 and I made it worse when I was 13. |
| Closer Look: Turmoil | Dr. Dos | Dec. 10, 2016 | Closer Look | "I've checked your bacground in the space marine database. you have an impressive record." |
| Closer Look: MST3K | Dr. Dos | Nov. 27, 2016 | Closer Look | Just repeat to yourself, "It's just a game, I should really just relax" |
| Closer Look: Smiley Guy | Dr. Dos | Nov. 20, 2016 | Closer Look | Part human, part machine, all weird. |
| Closer Look: The Underground Bugtown of ZZT | Dr. Dos | Nov. 13, 2016 | Closer Look | This game is slightly confusing! |
| Closer Look: CAT, CAT, THAT DAMN CAT | Dr. Dos | Oct. 29, 2016 | Closer Look | One cat's journey to find their missing owner... or food |
| Closer Look: The Lost Monkeys | Dr. Dos | Oct. 23, 2016 | Closer Look | Travel from island to island in search of Alex and Daisy in this charming and colorful adventure. |
| Closer Look: Merbotia | Dr. Dos | Oct. 8, 2016 | Closer Look | HEY, MOM, THE BED RAN AWAY AGAIN, you shout. -- It's Merbotia, a short and humorous adventure by Sonic256! |
| Closer Look: Pop | Dr. Dos | Sept. 28, 2016 | Closer Look | A surreal adventure game about escaping from a dimension where gods observe the curious and watch their attempts to escape. |
| Closer Look: 640x350x16 A History of ZZT's Graphics | Dr. Dos | Sept. 18, 2016 | Closer Look | Exploring graphical evolutions and revolutions in ZZT's text mode worlds. |
| Closer Look: Deep December | Dr. Dos | Sept. 11, 2016 | Closer Look | Coke machines, urban warlocks, and a hero with a baseball bat ready to brave NYC's subway system. |
| Closer Look: The Making of The Ruins of ZZT | Dr. Dos | Sept. 5, 2016 | Closer Look | The first ZZT game of 2016, made in 72 hours for the Ludum Dare |
| Closer Look: Zem! and Zem! 2 | Dr. Dos | Aug. 24, 2016 | Closer Look | Newt's Lemmings inspired "ZZT games to pass time" |
| Closer Look: Dungeons of ZZT | Dr. Dos | Aug. 15, 2016 | Closer Look | ZZT's third official world, and how it compares to Town of ZZT. |
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