Sinclair ZX Spectrum version:
Written by Paul Owens and Mike Webb.
Published by Ocean Software in 1984.
Amstrad CPC version:
Programming by Simon Cobb
Graphics by Jonathan M. Smith
Music by Martin Galway
Published by Ocean Software in 1985.
Commodore 64 version:
Programming by Tony Pomfret
Graphics by Bill Barna
Music by Martin Galway
Published by Ocean Software in 1985.
Loading screen by Frederick David Thorpe.
Cover art by Bob Wakelin.
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GAME STATUS
Back in 2022, I wrote a comparison of the original Hunchback, whereupon I touched the subject of other games featuring Quasimodo, the protagonist, and mentioned that a comparison of Hunchback II might be coming up sometime in the not too distant future. Well, that future is now, at the 41th anniversary of the release of the first sequel to Hunchback, which was only ever released for the usual trio of 8-bit computers. Oddly enough, this is the first comparison of a game starting with the letter H since the first Hunchback. Go figure.
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DESCRIPTION & REVIEW
The original Hunchback game was as straight a platformer as you could imagine - walking a castle wall and jumping over obstacles from left to right, until you reached the damsel in evident distress. As I mentioned in the comparison of the original game, the non-arcade sequel by Ocean Software took where the original game's home conversions left off, and took the single-screen platforming style of Donkey Kong and Miner 2049'er to conclude Hunchback's platforming adventures as they could be designed as back in those days. Hunchback would later be brought back as a text adventure by Ocean, and as a Decathlon-type sports game by Software Projects, but we won't be getting into those.
By no means or by any stretch can Hunchback 2 be called a favourite game of all that many, myself included, but it does have a peculiar sense of belonging into the whole saga, and it was a reasonably successful title for Ocean after the original arcade game's conversion. It is also one of the very few games, where you can see practically the same loading screen on all platforms it was released on, as you can see below. I cannot really give it my sincerest recommendations, least of all over the original game, but it's not nearly the worst game Ocean ever released, either.
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LOADING
For this comparison, I was surprised to find three releases for the ZX SPECTRUM, two for the AMSTRAD CPC, and only one for the COMMODORE 64. I suppose the game was not enough of a hit to make it to any compilation with a cassette release, apart from U.S. Gold's "Arcade Hall of Fame" on the SPECTRUM - the C64 version had a slightly different games line-up. Anyway, here are the loading times:
SPECTRUM - original: 3 minutes 23 seconds
SPECTRUM - alternative/AHoF: 3 minutes 25 seconds
AMSTRAD - Basic version: 3 minutes 36 seconds
AMSTRAD - No AMSDOS version: 10 minutes 24 seconds
COMMODORE 64: 3 minutes 9 seconds
So, all three platforms have their quickest loader perform well under four minutes. This is what you will be looking at for most of the duration:
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| Loading screens, left to right: Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC. |
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PLAYABILITY
Personally, I only ever played the C64 version of Hunchback II back in the day, so doing this comparison now with no clear idea about the other two versions does wake my curiosity; particularly since the game was a SPECTRUM original. What I found out through the usual websites before playing all three versions was, that the SPECTRUM version features seven screens, while the C64 and AMSTRAD versions only have five. Of course, this doesn't really say much about the actual playability, just that there is less to play on the two latter ones. Just by looking at those maps available online, I can already say at this point, that most of the level layouts are very different for all three versions, so they're practically incomparable in that sense.
The SPECTRUM version's title screen features the usual set of control options - keyboard (with redefinable keys), Kempston, Protek and Interface II. There's also a selectable demo mode, which doesn't really feel logical, since you get a similar demonstration of all the game's screens just after waiting a moment in the title screen. The AMSTRAD version adds a high score table to the proceedings, but the actual title screen is still mostly a control options menu, just with less options than the SPECTRUM version. The C64 version also has a high score table, but the actual title screen has nothing but the title logo and some other info on it - the game is played with a joystick in port 2.
Similarly to the original game, Quasimodo has the ability to switch directions mid-air, only this time, this design choice has been implemented into the game as a necessity, as you cannot really survive certain jumps without it. This is true for all three versions, but what makes the SPECTRUM version much harder to play using that trick, is that the center of your character is not on your feet. If you experiment with this feature in the first level, where things are still relatively simple and easy, you will see that if you switch direction in a place where there are bells on both sides of you, as well as your middle, the middle bell will not get picked up until you walk a bit further. In the C64 and AMSTRAD versions, Quasimodo is not nearly as hunched, so he is completely centered.
Another way that the SPECTRUM version is much more difficult than the C64 and AMSTRAD versions is, that the bells that you have collected will reset upon death, as you start over. This is particularly annoying, since some of the bells in the SPECTRUM version are floating in the air and picked up by jumping into them, while all the bells in the C64 and AMSTRAD versions are to be walked over on platforms.
The collision detection is a bit iffy in all three versions, but in different ways - and this is a hard one to explain. I suppose the worst problems are without exceptions connected to the horizontally moving platforms, which you are sometimes required to jump onto or bounce off from. The C64 version has a neat trick, where the moving platforms use a magnet of sorts in the middle of the platforms - if your jump is taking you just slightly off of the platform's center, you will be snatched into the middle with a high probability. In the AMSTRAD version, the moving platforms are harder to hit, and even a slight misalignment might make you fall through them. The SPECTRUM version isn't much better than the AMSTRAD version, but you should manage the moving platforms just fine by remembering to focus on the feet instead of Quasimodo's middle area; however, the larger Quasimodo sprite makes it more difficult to avoid all the enemy entities. Sometimes, though, the collision areas of Quasimodo and the enemy things don't meet even if they're seemingly close enough for collision, so it's really a matter of trial and error to see where the collision detection works to your advantage and disadvantage.
Finally, getting back to the level design, which was briefly mentioned in the opening paragraph for this section, we should examine the first level more particularly, because it's the one featured in the original arcade game, and upon which this game was largely based on. One thing that made the final screen in the arcade game so difficult was, that Quasimodo couldn't climb the ropes hanging from the bells on the left and right sides of the screen, and another was that there were arrows flying left and right on two levels throughout the four-storey tower in a semi-randomized manner.
Already for the first version of Hunchback II on the ZX SPECTRUM, the opening screen was designed with a different set of hazards, and instead of four floors, there are only three, largely due to the chosen size of the main character. All floors in the tower have arrows in the lower parts of each floor flying from one end to another, which then loop from the opposite end, but the second floor has an additional diagonally zig-zagging fireball, and the top floor has an arrow in the higher part going in the opposite direction. In the AMSTRAD version, you get all the hazard sprites on the screen simultaneously, flying back and forth - arrows in the lower parts and birds in the higher parts of each step, and you get the full four floors for the opening tower here. A similar design choice was made for the C64 version, in which you also get the full four floors, and all the hazards are simultaneously on the screen, but here, you only get birds of varying colours; but the only bit where there is no hazard whatsoever is the very bottom of the screen, probably just to give you an easy start.
As I mentioned before, the rest of the levels differ rather wildly between the three versions, and are practically incomparable. The SPECTRUM version offers more variety in gameplay elements, where Quasimodo is able to climb poles and roles in a similar manner to what you can do in Donkey Kong Jr. and bounce off of rowing boat roofs, but it is also a much more difficult version to play due to Quasimodo's central alignment problem and certain collision problems. The AMSTRAD version seems to be a bit unsure about its falling distance allowances, and Quasimodo doesn't seem to be able to jump over birds, which makes some of the level design choices next to impossible to beat without tons of experimenting with savestates. The C64 version's Quasimodo has a good height for jumps, but in turn, it is the most chaotic version in places, yet the most easily completeable of the lot. In other words, none of the versions of Hunchback II are particularly good, but the C64 version is overall the least unplayable one, followed by the AMSTRAD version.
1. COMMODORE 64
2. AMSTRAD CPC
3. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM
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GRAPHICS
It is difficult to say in hindsight, what direction the designers of Hunchback II should have actually taken the game's graphics into after the original, because the only source material they had to work with was the last screen in the original Hunchback arcade game. Should they have stuck true to that style, or taken as much advantage of the new styles already starting to appear elsewhere? I'm not sure, but for me, Hunchback II's graphics always felt a bit outdated, though simultaneously somewhat progressed from the original game, making it feel awkward and strictly a product of its time. This is what they came up with.
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| Title screens, left to right: Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64. |
There is also a custom font in the SPECTRUM version, of a completely different style, but it is also very nice, and is used for all the text except for the credits, which uses the basic system font. The bit of actual graphics is the framing around the control options menu, which features two Greek poles with knight statues on top, and a red tile roof over the text, complete with an angel statue in the middle.
The AMSTRAD version's title/options screen is the most lackluster, with a basic wide font for all the text and two large bells in the top left corners. Sure, it suits the purpose well enough, but it's hardly impressive in any way.
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| Level 1 screens, left to right: Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64. |
While the differences between the hazard sprites and even the bells that the ropes are hanging from are very notable, the most striking difference comes in the form of Quasimodo himself. In the C64 and AMSTRAD versions, he looks more or less like he did in the first game - slightly hunched but definitely master of his own bearings. To the AMSTRAD's advantage, Quasimodo actually has something akin to human-like skin colour, instead of the C64's dead white skin. I'm pretty sure this was chosen to lessen the possibility of getting lost inside the red bricks.
The SPECTRUM version of Quasimodo looks perhaps more to his intended form, if the usual representation of him in movies is anything to model him after, but he is considerably more hunched than he was even in the SPECTRUM version of the first game. As I said before, his middle point doesn't align with his feet or his head, but his feet is where the collision detection is for collecting the bells - at least the ones in the floors.
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| Level 2 screens, left to right: Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64. |
Uniquely, the SPECTRUM version now features floating collectable bells, and the two poles on the right side will five Quasimodo the chance to climb like Donkey Kong Jr. The AMSTRAD version stands out by having nothing new happening in terms of colours, but the level design is rather close to the C64 version, just way more coherent and clear, thanks to having no background structures and those weird rotational saw-blade elements.
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| Level 3 screens, left to right: Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64. |
Before moving on to the High Scores, the info panel has to be mentioned. In the SPECTRUM version, you only get the current score and number of lives displayed at the bottom of the screen in the custom font we saw in the title screen. The AMSTRAD version uses the same super-wide font for the current score at the top of the screen, with bell icons next to it to display the number of lives. The C64 version has an impressively designed info panel taking an entire quarter width from the right end of the screen, featuring a tower showing five blue windows and the highlighted one being green, and at the top we see an area with three bells and two large windows on their both sides. At the top of this area, we get the current score, and at the bottom, the number of lives displayed as bells. Of course, this makes the action part of the screen similarly sized as the SPECTRUM screen in general.
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| High score entrance and list screens. Top row: Amstrad CPC. Bottom left: Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Bottom right: Commodore 64. |
So, in the end, the C64 graphics are more miss than hit, because the title screen and the high score table are both very stylish, which makes it a shame that the in-game graphics are so chaotic. The AMSTRAD version looks solid throughout, but the wide pixels and lack of variation makes it a bit boring and cumbersome. The SPECTRUM version looks the most designed and intentional, which earns it the top spot this time.
1. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM
2. AMSTRAD CPC
3. COMMODORE 64
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SOUNDS
Martin Galway's soundtrack for Hunchback II became one of the more recognizable elements in the game, even though he had nothing to do with the SPECTRUM version. There, you get a beeper rendition of the "William Tell Overture" for the title screen, and what's practically the first four bars of a basic rock'n'roll chord progression, used as the level completion jingle. The only other sound that I have come across in all the times I have played the SPECTRUM version is an ascending series of short notes for Quasimodo's death, when he falls down after hitting anything hostile or missing a platform.
That means some Galway is to be heard in both of the other two versions. In the AMSTRAD version, we get no less than four short pieces of music: "Hello! Ma Baby" originally written for the Merrie Melodies cartoons and sung by Michigan J. Frog, here used in a more straight-rhythm arrangement as the opening tune. I like the little slides used for certain notes here, which I haven't really noticed being done anywhere else in an Amstrad game. Completing a level plays a short swingy jingle that feels very familiar, but I'm unable to recognize it as being anything outsourced. Game Over results in the usual Funeral March bit, and the High Score table has its own theme, which feels like it could also be a part of any old Merrie Melodies cartoon with a particularly chaotic and funny bit going on. The sound effects feature "ding" sounds for picking up bells, a sliding beep sound going up and down for jumping and landing, and falling down to your demise makes a wavy downward whistle kind of a sound. All very cartoon-like and nice.
The C64 version has all the music from the AMSTRAD version, except for the upbeat high score tune. Of course, the SID chip when handled by Martin Galway can do some things that he could get the AMSTRAD's soundchip to do, but it's not quite at the same level he did later on in his C64 career. The sound effects are pretty similar to the AMSTRAD ones in their basic design, but have some differences that barely matter. All in all, while I'm more of a fan of the C64's sound in general, what Galway was able to get done for the AMSTRAD version beats the C64 version at a hair's width.
1. AMSTRAD CPC
2. COMMODORE 64
3. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM
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OVERALL + VIDEO
Well, folks, I never imagined this would be such a close one, but it's always fun when something as unexpected as this happens when counting the results. Here we go:
1. AMSTRAD CPC: Playability 2, Graphics 2, Sounds 3 = TOTAL 7
2. COMMODORE 64: Playability 3, Graphics 1, Sounds 2 = TOTAL 6
3. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM: Playability 1, Graphics 3, Sounds 1 = TOTAL 5
Each version has something better than what the others have to offer, and none of them are truly an optimal version. In terms of sheer playability, I would recommend the C64 version, but as a complete package, the CPC version tops the bunch. If you don't agree, feel free not to, but I think this was a good result to have for a change. Here's a video accompaniment to show you as many of the comparison's aspects as I could bother to include on it...
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