Twinworld
Encyclopedia
Twinworld is a computer game, published by UBI Soft for the Commodore 64
, Amstrad CPC
, Acorn Archimedes
, Amiga
and Atari ST
computers in the late 1980s.
with a fantasy
setting. Your character, called Ulopa, is a prince
and the sole survivor of the Cariken royal family. Ulopa must travel through 23 levels to find the stolen amulet
and confront the evil wizard Maldur.
The 23 levels are set in five different "worlds": a normal rural landscape, a forest
, a medieval-style fortress, swamp
s and finally the temple
of the evil wizard Maldur. The first four "worlds" have five levels each, and Maldur's temple has three, with the last being a special "boss
" level.
The gameplay in Twinworld is very simple and similar to other platform games from the 1980s-1990s era. The game mainly involves jumping between different platforms and shooting magical bouncy balls at enemies, which come in the form of various evil-looking fantasy animals. To complete a level, Ulopa must find a piece of the stolen amulet and go through the exit door.
Twinworld has been compared to Super Mario Bros.
, but the similarities are only superficial and limited to the aspect of jumping between platforms. The tunes in Twinworld were composed by Haiko Ruttmann.
Argous : A predatory bird
. Comes in two varieties: one flies around the screen in a pre-defined pattern, the other homes in on Ulopa. Takes three hits.
Bothria : Arguably the most dangerous enemy. A three-headed dragon
that initially stands motionless, but firing on it separates it into three separate monsters, one walking and the other two flying, each taking several hits. One of the flying monsters will try to escape to the next level, and if it succeeds, start firing bullets when encountered again. The other flying monster will chase the player akin to the second variety of Argous.
Goulou : Resembles a troll
or a goblin
. Takes three hits.
Green Goulou : A kind of lizard
. Initially takes one hit but later two hits. In Maldur's Temple, Green Goulous learn to fly.
Hiboussa : Resembles an owl
. Sits motionless on a tree branch, but will swoop down on Ulopa if he passes underneath it. Takes four or five hits.
Caves
The first world is the only one without a name. It is a rural landscape, with various cliff
formations that Ulopa can walk on. Spread out through the landscape are door
s, through which Ulopa can enter underground cave
s. Inside the caves, there are tunnels leading back to the surface and to other parts of the caves. In the caves, Ulopa can collect jewel
s for bonus points.
In the first world, falling through the bottom of the screen on the surface landscape will kill Ulopa, instead of dropping him down to the caves.
Dark Forest
The Dark Forest consists of tree
s that are over ten times as tall as Ulopa. The screen is divided between the tree roots and the tree tops. Doors on the tree trunks lead between the root and top parts, and if Ulopa falls down from a tree top, he drops down to the root part. In the forest, Ulopa can collect various flower
s and fruit
s for bonus points.
In the Dark Forest, the game introduces two new items: an eye
which makes Ulopa temporarily invulnerable, and a parachute
which allows him to fall down from greater heights. The Hiboussa only appears in the Dark Forest.
Blackthorn
Blackthorn is a fortress with a moat
under it. As in the previous worlds, doors lead between the different parts, and Ulopa can drop down from the fortress into the moat underneath. In Blackthorn, Ulopa can collect various pieces of jewellery
for bonus points. Also, Ulopa's appearance seems to change when he reaches Blackthorn. He has a hat and a beard, indicating that he possibly ages during the game.
The moat in Blackthorn is the only part of the game that is filled with water
. This affects Ulopa's movements, giving him greater inertia
. He also swims when he jumps, allowing him to make longer jumps and float down more slowly. Various kinds of fish
appear as the enemies in the moat.
Swamps of Montain
The Swamps of Montain mostly resemble the first world, except in this case Ulopa can fall down into the gold mines below the ground when he falls through the bottom of the screen. On the surface, Ulopa can collect flowers and fruits, and in the mines, he can collect gold
for bonus points.
In the Swamps of Montain, blue bullets (Ulopa's most powerful weapon) don't disappear after they hit an enemy, but instead keep on bouncing onwards. This allows Ulopa to kill more enemies with a single bullet.
Maldur's Temple
Maldur's Temple only consists of three levels, rather than five. Two of them are normal levels, and on the third level, Ulopa finally faces Maldur himself.
In Maldur's Temple, Ulopa can use doors and stairway
s to move through different parts of the levels. As in the previous world, blue bullets can kill more than one enemy.
All five worlds also have a "bonus level". For the first three worlds, the last level of the world acts as a bonus level. In the last level of Maldur's Temple, after killing Maldur, a secret door opens to a mini-sized bonus level. If Ulopa dies in a bonus level, he automatically proceeds to the next world, without losing a life.
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Acorn Archimedes
Acorn Archimedes
The Acorn Archimedes was Acorn Computers Ltd's first general purpose home computer to be based on their own ARM architecture.Using a RISC design with a 32-bit CPU, at its launch in June 1987, the Archimedes was stated as running at 4 MIPS, with a claim of 18 MIPS during tests.The name is commonly...
, Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
computers in the late 1980s.
Summary
Twinworld is a platform gamePlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
with a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
setting. Your character, called Ulopa, is a prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
and the sole survivor of the Cariken royal family. Ulopa must travel through 23 levels to find the stolen amulet
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
and confront the evil wizard Maldur.
The 23 levels are set in five different "worlds": a normal rural landscape, a forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, a medieval-style fortress, swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s and finally the temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
of the evil wizard Maldur. The first four "worlds" have five levels each, and Maldur's temple has three, with the last being a special "boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
" level.
The gameplay in Twinworld is very simple and similar to other platform games from the 1980s-1990s era. The game mainly involves jumping between different platforms and shooting magical bouncy balls at enemies, which come in the form of various evil-looking fantasy animals. To complete a level, Ulopa must find a piece of the stolen amulet and go through the exit door.
Twinworld has been compared to Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
, but the similarities are only superficial and limited to the aspect of jumping between platforms. The tunes in Twinworld were composed by Haiko Ruttmann.
Enemies
Various enemies in Twinworld include:Argous : A predatory bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. Comes in two varieties: one flies around the screen in a pre-defined pattern, the other homes in on Ulopa. Takes three hits.
Bothria : Arguably the most dangerous enemy. A three-headed dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
that initially stands motionless, but firing on it separates it into three separate monsters, one walking and the other two flying, each taking several hits. One of the flying monsters will try to escape to the next level, and if it succeeds, start firing bullets when encountered again. The other flying monster will chase the player akin to the second variety of Argous.
Goulou : Resembles a troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
or a goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
. Takes three hits.
Green Goulou : A kind of lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
. Initially takes one hit but later two hits. In Maldur's Temple, Green Goulous learn to fly.
Hiboussa : Resembles an owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
. Sits motionless on a tree branch, but will swoop down on Ulopa if he passes underneath it. Takes four or five hits.
Worlds
The levels are divided into five different "worlds".Caves
The first world is the only one without a name. It is a rural landscape, with various cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
formations that Ulopa can walk on. Spread out through the landscape are door
Door
A door is a movable structure used to open and close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates inside of a space....
s, through which Ulopa can enter underground cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s. Inside the caves, there are tunnels leading back to the surface and to other parts of the caves. In the caves, Ulopa can collect jewel
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
s for bonus points.
In the first world, falling through the bottom of the screen on the surface landscape will kill Ulopa, instead of dropping him down to the caves.
Dark Forest
The Dark Forest consists of tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s that are over ten times as tall as Ulopa. The screen is divided between the tree roots and the tree tops. Doors on the tree trunks lead between the root and top parts, and if Ulopa falls down from a tree top, he drops down to the root part. In the forest, Ulopa can collect various flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s for bonus points.
In the Dark Forest, the game introduces two new items: an eye
Eye
Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
which makes Ulopa temporarily invulnerable, and a parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
which allows him to fall down from greater heights. The Hiboussa only appears in the Dark Forest.
Blackthorn
Blackthorn is a fortress with a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
under it. As in the previous worlds, doors lead between the different parts, and Ulopa can drop down from the fortress into the moat underneath. In Blackthorn, Ulopa can collect various pieces of jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
for bonus points. Also, Ulopa's appearance seems to change when he reaches Blackthorn. He has a hat and a beard, indicating that he possibly ages during the game.
The moat in Blackthorn is the only part of the game that is filled with water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. This affects Ulopa's movements, giving him greater inertia
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
. He also swims when he jumps, allowing him to make longer jumps and float down more slowly. Various kinds of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
appear as the enemies in the moat.
Swamps of Montain
The Swamps of Montain mostly resemble the first world, except in this case Ulopa can fall down into the gold mines below the ground when he falls through the bottom of the screen. On the surface, Ulopa can collect flowers and fruits, and in the mines, he can collect gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
for bonus points.
In the Swamps of Montain, blue bullets (Ulopa's most powerful weapon) don't disappear after they hit an enemy, but instead keep on bouncing onwards. This allows Ulopa to kill more enemies with a single bullet.
Maldur's Temple
Maldur's Temple only consists of three levels, rather than five. Two of them are normal levels, and on the third level, Ulopa finally faces Maldur himself.
In Maldur's Temple, Ulopa can use doors and stairway
Stairway
Stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs, or simply stairs are names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps...
s to move through different parts of the levels. As in the previous world, blue bullets can kill more than one enemy.
All five worlds also have a "bonus level". For the first three worlds, the last level of the world acts as a bonus level. In the last level of Maldur's Temple, after killing Maldur, a secret door opens to a mini-sized bonus level. If Ulopa dies in a bonus level, he automatically proceeds to the next world, without losing a life.