Styx (Spectrum game)
Encyclopedia
Styx was an action maze game published by Bug-Byte
Software in 1983
. It was the first ZX Spectrum
game written by Matthew Smith
, and the first of his three-game contract with the company. He went on to write Manic Miner
in the same year, as well as a sprite designer utility for Adrian Sherwin to use in developing The Birds and the Bees.
described the game as "reasonably lively", while CRASH
said the game "would not be interesting if it weren’t for the fact that it’s not easy."
Bug-Byte
Bug-Byte Software Ltd. was a company founded in 1980 by Tony Baden and Tony Milner, two Oxford chemistry graduates. It was one of the first to develop a range of 8-bit computer games during the early 1980s, for Sinclair, Commodore and other home computer brands, particularly for the Spectrum...
Software in 1983
1983 in video gaming
-Events:* A major shakeout of the video game industry begins. By 1986, total video games sales will decrease from US$3.2 billion to US$0.1 billion.* MCA Universal files suit against Nintendo, claiming that the latter company's video arcade hit Donkey Kong violated Universal's copyright on King Kong...
. It was the first ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
game written by Matthew Smith
Matthew Smith (games programmer)
Matthew Smith is a British computer game programmer. He is best known for his games Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy for the ZX Spectrum, released in 1983 and 1984 respectively...
, and the first of his three-game contract with the company. He went on to write Manic Miner
Manic Miner
Manic Miner is a platform game originally written for the ZX Spectrum by Matthew Smith and released by Bug-Byte in 1983 . It is the first game in the Miner Willy series and among the pioneers of the platform game genre. The game itself was inspired by the Atari 800 game Miner 2049er...
in the same year, as well as a sprite designer utility for Adrian Sherwin to use in developing The Birds and the Bees.
Critical reaction
Sinclair UserSinclair User
Sinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum...
described the game as "reasonably lively", while CRASH
CRASH (magazine)
Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress.-Development:...
said the game "would not be interesting if it weren’t for the fact that it’s not easy."