By 1993, UK-based Flair Software was no stranger to the Commodore Amiga, even tasked with creating the movie-themed platformer Oscar as an Amiga CD32 pack-in. It was initially hoped that Zool 2 would become the flagship CD32 platformer, but Gremlin chose to add extra polish and release it on multiple formats at a later date, resulting in Flair being called upon instead.
With mascot-led platformers incredibly popular in the early ‘90s, Flair took another shot at the genre on Amiga in 1994 with Whizz – short for ‘wizard’ while also tying into the titular white rabbit’s ability to perform a spinning dash. Flair was slightly ahead of the curve here, as Whizz was viewed from an isometric viewpoint. While we had seen isometric platformers in the past, such as Head Over Heels on the 8-bit formats, it was a concept seldom seen in the 16-bit era, favouring speedy action over tricky 3D platforming.
As easy as it is to cite Sonic 3D Blast as inspiration, SEGA’s Mega Drive swansong was still a few years away. The same also goes for 1995’s mildly anticipated Spot Goes To Hollywood, which likewise, featured an isometric view. Whizz managed to beat both of these out of the door by a good couple of years; something that would pay off in the long run.
Whizz sees the plucky rabbit – dressed in typical magician’s attire – navigating isometric worlds with a checkpoint to reach before a tight time limit expires. Along the way there are doors to unlock, moving platforms to traverse, springs to leap on, and enemies to deal with. While enemies can be defeated, you’re best off avoiding them entirely – not just due to the time limit, but because confrontations usually result in Whizz taking a hit or two. As the game progresses, the levels become increasingly more maze-like while time limits become tighter still.
Most Amiga critics gave Whizz review scores in the 60% ballpark. They found the graphics pleasing and colourful, but almost universally agreed that the controls were awkward, making an already punishing experience even more punishing. It helps to keep in mind here that most Amiga users played using joysticks rather than joypads, with the Amiga CD32 being the exception. In terms of features, the Amiga 500 version used plain backdrops, whereas the Amiga AGA version had detailed scrolling images under the playing area. The CD32 iteration was largely the same as the AGA version, only with a new CD soundtrack.
Although the rarely used isometric perspective made for a fresh experience in 1994, Whizz arrived a little too late to make an impact. The Amiga market was dying out, and the race to find a mascot for the Amiga was already won, with Gremlin’s Zool declared the winner. In the end, Whizz came and went without any real fanfare. Had it arrived a year earlier, when the Amiga still had a future, perhaps things could have been different.
Whizz’s journey doesn’t end there. Just like Zool, the white rabbit was poised to make an appearance on Mega Drive and Super Nintendo. Magazine previews link Psygnosis as the original publisher with a rough 1994 release date. The UK-based studio eventually backed out of the deal, though. This would have been around the same time Psygnosis began PS1 development for Sony, eventually creating launch titles WipEout and Destruction Derby, so you can see why they believed Whizz wasn’t worth their time.
Whizz managed to find a new home, but all signs point to a drawn-out process. We didn’t see our buck-toothed buddy again until 1996, this time through French publisher Titus.
After making a name for themselves by releasing numerous games on European microcomputers, the prolific publisher turned their attention to the Super Nintendo in the mid ‘90s, with the 8-bit market now all but dead. In fact, Titus can be attributed to many late Super Nintendo games, putting out several titles in 1996 – a few of which launched after the N64. This included the belated conversion of Whizz, finally leaping into stores November 1996. The Mega Drive version was consigned to the digital scrapheap, perhaps believed that it didn’t compare favourably to Sonic 3D Blast – which had since released between Whizz’s Amiga conception and the time it took to secure a console publishing deal.
The Super Nintendo version is arguably the best. Although the CD soundtrack is obviously absent, the new BGM is far more fitting – a jolly score that complements the action. It controls well with the Super Nintendo’s joypad, it’s visually enhanced with rain/fog effects, and the time limits are more generous. It also gives us the best rendition of Whizz himself. On the box art, at least. Instead of looking deadeye and a little bit creepy, they’re now far fluffier and cuter.
Again, this version arrived too late to make an impact. N64 launch games were filling magazine pages, and while it did gain some press coverage, we’re talking single page reviews and small boxouts. Again, scores were mostly in the 60% range. Being a late release for the system, it’s one of the harder games to track down nowadays, with boxed copies of both the PAL and NTSC releases approaching the £100 mark.
You’d think that the struggle to find a publisher for the 16-bit versions would spell the end for poor old Whizz, but this story doesn’t end here. Yes, Whizz was able to leap onto the PlayStation and Saturn. This time through Konami in 1997 – who also brought the fuzzy fellow to Japan under the name of Akupyon Game Whizz. It’s amusing to think that traces of the Amiga can be found within a Konami-published Japanese 32-bit game.
By this point Whizz was really showing its age, traceable back to 1993. This version added a cheap-looking CGI intro – showing Whizz racing in his hot air balloon, only to be shot out of the sky by his rival Ratty – while the CD soundtrack mostly comprises of nursery rhyme arrangements such as London Bridge is Falling Down. Critics weren’t impressed, and it doesn’t appear to have been a big seller, with both the PS1 and Saturn versions considered rare. The PS1 version is one of the cheaper ways to own Whizz though, routinely available for around £30-£40 on eBay.
Still, it’s not impossible to see why Konami took a punt on Whizz. It was likely a low-cost investment as the bulk of the work was already completed, using the Super Nintendo version as its foundation. The bar for platform games on the PS1 and Saturn at this time was also pretty low, with other examples including Bubsy 3D, Cheesy, and Bug!
As tempting as it is to say Whizz wasn’t much cop on any of the systems it appeared on, with the passable Super Nintendo version being the best of the bunch, it’s also a victim of poor timing. This rabbit was always running late. Roll its history back a year, and it could have made more of an impact, becoming a lead Amiga platformer and perhaps a CD32 flagship title, and beating the likes of Sonic 3D Blast and Spot Goes To Hollywood out of the door on Super Nintendo and Mega Drive. Although the 32-bit versions were a step too far, we’d still rather play Whizz than Bubsy 3D.