We already talked about that so much desired 2D/3D transition of videogames the other time but the most important guest is still missing. Despite their 3 dimensional look, these racing and RPGs games still offered mainly 2D movements to the player: cars were just moving sideways and straight along the track, adventurers could explore a dungeon in just 4 directions (and nope, stairs were just warps to other rooms) and so on.

The Sega's Zaxxon (1982) is a good step to the right direction, with its spaceship moving along an isometric base filled with obstacles and missles. Being the first of its genre made it the first arcade game to be advertised on television, with a Paramount Pictures produced commercial.

Well. Probably I'm too picky, but the Zaxxon spaceship moved automatically along the stage, allowing the player to just move the ship in four directions on the same plane - depth is still not interactive, making it a fancy version of a Galaga, or - better - an isometric version of Konami's Scramble (1981).

No. I want true 3D gameplays.

What about something more complex? Ant Attack (1983) for ZX Spectrum featured a free roaming 3D city invaded by giant ants, in which the player, firing and jumping, had to rescue its partner and then escape. Stunning, huh? That's basically the Resident Evil grandfather 13 years before - and it was already in 3D. But there is something more.

Ultimate Play the Game, which eventually turned to the Rare we know, in 1984 published Knight Lore. According to Wikipedia, computer magazines wrote that its graphics were the first of its kind and marked a sea change from its contemporaries. Knight Lore was a free roaming 3D action adventure in which the hero have 40 days to collect objects throughout a castle and brew a cure to his werewolf curse. It featured a raw inventory system and 128 rooms filled with 3D platforming action, environmental puzzles, and traps. Probably computer magazine were right: all that 3D free roaming and puzzles within a time limit remembers me the Nintendo gem The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000).

These isometric action adventures are iconic for the ZX Spectrum and most of them were based on multiple versions of the same Filmation isometric game engine Rare built for Knight Lore. 3D in 80's was hard anyway, with bad controls controls and frequent slowdowns. Saying the truth, I don't know why most of them were also annoyingly meaningless. One of the most obscure I remember was Batman (1986), a non-Filmation game of Ocean Software. It is set in a Batman's Batcave with eyeballs walls, gothic rooms, walking heads, turtle shells and... climbable teapots? Probably the best way for playing these games again without going crazy is Lumo (2016) by Triple Eh?, a pretty nice isometric platformer for PC and consoles which graps that concept in a more polished way.

Now, plot!

Starcat is back, in a full 3D isometrical adventure! Run, jump and get all the stars within the time limit but beware! Spikes, spears and blobs will try to stop you at any cost!

Use UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT for moving. This time you've to use diagonals for moving! Use the A BUTTON for jumping. Good luck!

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