Great Pyramid of ZZT
It was fun couldn't finish it though due to a slider puzzle I hate slider puzzles and aren't very good at them. It is definitely in the vein of the original ZZT games so if you enjoy those you'll enjoy this.
This game is a throwback to the original TS games that comes with ZZT. The second game by Wong Chung Bang in this style, this game is addictive and fun and very reminicient of the games he is trying to emulate.
Just as in Town and the rest, your mission is to find 5 purple keys to escape from the Pyramid. A liberal spattering of well designed puzzles, and combination of preprogramed and object enemies makes this a worthy addition to the ZZT saga. WCB's first game of this type, Tower of ZZT, was not as well designed as this one. The former was formulaic and required no exploration, which did not capture the feel of the original games. Pyramid on the otherhand, is exceedingly better, with a large area to explore, non-linear gameplay, and puzzles that are fun and (to an extent) original.
The game comes with two files. The first is the game with it's original graphics. The second is revamped with STK. Even in the non-STK version the game graphically exceedes the originals, with a stronger emphasis on fades and symmetry. You're not going to find cutscenes or graphics that pretend to be three dimensional, but that was never the point, and the lack there of does not hurt the mission of the game. Indeed, the simplisic graphics are less taxing on the eyes as the disjointed colour fest that was The City of ZZT. WCB's decision to abandon the excessive line wall aspect of the originals is much appreciated.
The writing, what little there is, is the only distracting part. As you collect keys, you get mystical engouraging messages, and some are really cheesy. Again, the intent of this game is not to stun you with a gripping story, the intent is the suck your brain out through your eyes with addictive gameplay, something this game is full of...
but not too much...
Pyramid of ZZT is considerably shorter than its 1991 bretheren, falling short of the Caves of ZZT by about 23 boards. Pyramid has a total of 16. Still this is understandable with what one has to work with, the format WCB is using is old, and fresh ideas can easily run out fast.
Do you enjoy playing the original ZZT games? Then you should probably go outside more, but never-the-less, The Great Pyramid of ZZT is for you.
