Mister Spiff III: Freeze! Mother! Freeze!

From The Game-Maker Archive
Jump to navigationJump to search
Mr. Spiff III!: Freeze! Mother! Freeze!
Spiff3.gif

Release type: Shareware
Release date: ~1994
Levels: 18
Author: Adam Tyner
Related games: Mister Spiff I, Mister Spiff II, Mister Spiff IV, CGA Hell

It's a curious thing about sequels. Often the first game in a series throws in everything it can think of; in the original Sonic the Hedgehog you get block-pushing, exploration; when you run quickly it's a deliberate thing. You're taking a risk every time, so it's special when you get it right. Starting with the second game, the series was all about running quickly, to the right. Everything else fell by the wayside to emphasize the one element that people responded to best, that most distinguished the game. As a result, Sonic became codified: it was the series where you run quickly, mostly to the right.

You see the same thing over and over. Streets of Rage 2 removes everything "weird" about the original (in design terms) and builds on what people liked best. This isn't the only mode that a sequel can take -- you get the occasional "weird" sequel (Zelda ii, Simon's Quest) that ensures every subsequent game hews hard to the original template -- but "stripped down and refined" is kind of the industry standard approach. Give 'em more of what they want, and nothing but. Given that consensus seems to view the second Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage as the best in their series, it seems like a safe way to go about things.

Toeing the line in Mister Spiff III
Spiff3Sprite.gif

Though it's unclear what happened in Mister Spiff II, by the third game it's clear that Adam Tyner had decided what Mister Spiff was like. Namely, it's like the first level to the first game. Goodbye to the space shooter levels, the map screen, the weird Easter eggs, the corridor level. What Mister Spiff is about is lock-and-key hunts through abstract mazes filled with gravity puzzles. So, that's what we get here. Levels distinguish themselves by layout and background tiles, but whereas the original game is defined by its eclecticism, Mister Spiff III is extremely consistent.

As in any "stripped down and refined" sequel, there are two sides to this. On the one hand, it's much easier to get a grip on what Mister Spiff III is, compared to the original game. It's more assured, and puts more thought and energy into its one mode of design. The game looks a bit better, plays a bit more smoothly. It's a much less strange experience. On the other hand, it's also a bit repetitious by comparison. Every beat of the game, you pretty much know what to expect. The only things you don't know are the exact locations of the keys and what the next level might look like. Compare to the first game, where a random jump might lend you in a warp zone or another game entirely. There is a certain charm to that extreme uncertainty.

As a side note, there is a strange relationship between Mister Spiff III and Tyner's game Power Flux. Not only do the characters look identical (though scaled differently) and move similarly; the levels look similar and contain similar obstacles, and whereas the story to Mister Spiff III involves scalloped potatoes, the enemies in Power Flux seem inspired by Mr. Potato Head. Though the relationship between the games is unclear, it almost seems like Power Flux is an alternative version of Mister Spiff III, in much the same way that Alan Caudel remade Yurik Nestoly's Stickman game and wound up with something both similar and rather different.

Previous Current Next
Mister Spiff II Mister Spiff III Mister Spiff IV
Mister Spiff series

Story[edit]

After part II, Spiff's companion Mister Splendid got hungry and went in an escape pod to Bigulscribnibulax. which is noted for having great scalloped potatoes! Spiff went ahead to Hiffuldrumdixzipitlk because scalloped potatoes give him hives.

Hiffuldrumdixzipitlk is a rather odd planet where Bacon-Egg-and-Cheese biscuits are considered to be a delicacy (I certainly think so!). Spiff said, "I'd like to have an ice water with my biscuit," which in Bigulscribnibulaxian tongue means, "Ah, your fadda's moustache!" offended a patron who was really from Bigulscribnibulax named Elkniwllub.

Elkniwllub teleported home, as all Bigulscribnibulaxians can, and told the Muhnameisangusgus (president), who was named Tomuhpalsimakeany-thingintoan. He decided to deploy an ARSENAL of Bigulscribnibulaxians to destroy Spiff.

Splendid was later arrested for staring at the Muhnameisangusgus' daughter. He can't blink, so it looked as if he was staring. She was standing under a rather striking portrait of Shadow Stevens on Hollywood Squares, Splendid's favorite show, which he was REALLY looking at.

Splendid was captured after a search of criminal history showed that he was associated with Spiff (You see, Splendid and Spiff went on a shopping spree with Spiff's gold credit card and went $.37 over, resulting in their arrest. Politburodamans are VEEEEERY wary of credit card fraud, so they arrest anyone over.).

A menacing blue Tocsamelppans (a warship) decimated a good bit of Hiffuldrumdixzipitlk. Now you have to rescue your friend and get home before Teri's mashed potatoes get cold!

Instructions[edit]

The instructions are easy enough.

Use the Numeric Keypad to move and ENTER to throw 3 1/2' disks.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... a joystick is even EASIER! During gameplay, press F8 to enable the joystick (an' F9 calibrates it). Use the stick to move and press B1 to fire two sicks. B2 or UP on the stick jumps up. There are a couple SECRET keys, including the SPATULA KEY!!!!!!! Can you find it?

Watch out for:

  • PACKWOOD - A former programmer who made Pac-Man ripoffs, turned into a Pac-Man clone, and went insane!
  • PISTOLWHIP - A flying green thing.
  • ORBERT - Ever play Questor?
  • EYEFUL - A green eye thing.
  • METALHEAD - A Warner Bros. reject.
  • MUDPACK - Sentient mud. Oooh.
  • WARHEAD - Sentient missle. Oooh.
  • KNOX S. FUMES - A green gas that's on your tail.
  • ROLL N. STONE - A rocking and rolling rock.
  • CLOUD 9 FROM OUTER SPACE - A cloud that follows you.
  • NOSECONE - Killer kones from outer space.
  • ELKNIWLLUB - A badnik who look kinda like Mister Spiff and teleports around.
  • THE GREEN GLOB THAT MOVES AROUND AND IS REALLY GROSS - Its name says it all.
  • BUTTHEAD - A cigarette in a radioactive ashtray proves that second hand smoke is harmful.
  • SNOWBALL'S CHANCE - A demon snowball.
  • CRAZY LEG MAN GIMME CANDY - A crazy leg man that wants candy

Credits[edit]

Mister Spiff III V. 1.0

Okay...this version has 18 levels, including:

  • Blue Sky Zone
  • Black Hole Zone
  • Dark Cloud Zone
  • Green Vapor Zone
  • Rocky Height Zone
  • Ice Cloud Zone
  • Toxic Sludge Zone
  • Pipe Waste Zone
  • Pink Chip Zone
  • Aqua Cartoon Zone
  • Steel Present Zone
  • Orange Agent Zone
  • Fluff Factory Zone
  • Cholesterol City Zone
  • Moonlit Rescue Zone
  • Light Blue Terror Zone
  • Violet Violence Zone
  • Final Zone

Here are some people who I'd like to thank for making this game possible:

Recreational Software Designs: They programmed Game-Maker, the tool I use to program. During the game, press F10 for information on ordering.

Me, Adam Tyner: Guess...

Alan Caudel: The inspiration for Mister Spiff. Try his FireAxe game as it's incredible! It looks just like Zelda III for the SNES!

Thanks for listening!

- Adam Tyner

Availability[edit]

This game is not known to have been distributed in any form, prior to its addition to the Archive.

Archive History[edit]

On October 20, 2010, Caudel posted a comment to a YouTube video of Peach the Lobster, under the name dummyduckrulz; following up the conversation, on June 29, 2011 he provided a link to a collection of games recently uncovered by Adam Tyner. This initial archive included:

Links[edit]

Downloads[edit]