I Imagined This ENTIRE GAME | The Alchemist (ZX Spectrum)

[@kozlorog]

I played Alchemist in 2023 for the first time! I am exploring retro games to inspire my own art and understand video games as a medium better. And I gotta say - I loved it! The gameplay is basic. But it is also cryptic! You were right to point out that the game's manual doesn't really tell you what to do. It hints at the general goal: kill the Warlock using the Spell of Destruction. The game drops you into the castle with no directions nor advice and you are pretty much on your own to figure what to do and where to go. And that's the entertaining part: the player has NO IDEA what to do. But since the game is relatively confined with not too many available options, this uncertainty is not too overwhelming. The castle is small. Actions are limited. When the player finds all the items and spells and explores the whole castle, he is innevitably questions: "Where are the spells? What am I to do? All I have are those items..." And that's there the alchemist part comes into play. The player is innevitably hit with the realiyation that he has to somehow TRANSFORM the items he found into the Spell of Destruction! The question is then: "How?" The answer: experimentation! On my playthrough, I collected all the items in the Sanctuary. I was manipulating them in various ways, like placing them on each other and using the Transform spell on each (which worked with lead!). Then, I remembered there is a chest right next to me. And since I have items, it just makes sense to put them in the chest (since I can't do anything else with them, it seems). At first (bucket and shield) it did nothing. I was pretty discouraged. But I was out of options, so I was determined to place every item in the chest. Lo and behold, I started to get the scrolls! Boss fight had me experiment similarly. For instance, I found that the fire pit can be extinguished with the bucket. Golden sword is the strongest weapon. The restore spell is economically the best spell. Some may argue that other weapons and spells are useless in comparison. They are. But I had to EXPERIMENT and FIND OUT which of these weapons and spells are the best! That's the best part! In the end, I had to figure how to use the Spell of Destruction. You don't actually have to be Alchemist! You can use it as Golden Eagle. But you need more than 45 Spell Energy (again, found through experenenting) to use the spell. The game is fun when the player engages with it experementally. Walkthroughs KILL the game. Having all the answers leaves the game with nothing but chores. I really liked the game. Although, I understand why other would not share my experience. In the end, I would like to point out that I found Alchemist form being useless to be cool too! I mean, it makes sense that a powerful eagle is a better option than a frail old man xD although, I do wish it was balanced differently and Alchemist had uses (like combat, spells, item pick up, etc). Thank you for your review!

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Great to hear a differing opinion on this, and very good points made!

[@arostwocents]

Amazing comment and review

[@ashens]

Bloody Alchemist. Lacking access to a twin tape hi-fi, this was the only copied game I had for years. I assumed I couldn't work out what to do because I didn't have instructions but it turns out they didn't tell you anyway. Great. (Also, the immediate realisation that the Alchemist's Palpatine lightning didn't do anything was a massive disappointment to 10 year old me.)

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Yet another Spectrum game that expects you to put 2 and 2 together to make Purple.

[@ritchardo6459]

⁠Magenta.

[@BloodoperaBlackvomit]

Well hello you!

[@Timotei75]

Perfect.@@ritchardo6459

[@haken7016]

Hello !?!

[@barry-allenthe-flash8396]

I wish I could give this video more than the one thumbs up just for that music video at the end, lol. I also wish you would learn to homebrew dev some ZX Spectrum games, so you could bring YOUR version of, 'The Alchemist' to life. The world _needs_ a game where you play as a wizard who transforms into a clever aardvark to solve crimes!

[@Justin-TPG]

We expect a full credits sequence every time now

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

But I'm tired.

[@Justin-TPG]

@@RoseTintedSpectrum We’re all tired, princess.

[@ironmanTetsuoTV]

You're an Alchemist Harry

[@heyhonpuds]

I've always been very interested in learning more about the programmer Ian Weatherburn, but there's barely any information about him online. Apparently he was a genius whizkid coder, but had barely any social skills and took delight in being cruel and sarcastic to people. He seemingly took financial advice from people who didn't have his interests at heart, which led to him committing suicide sometime around 1990. And that's pretty much all the info I can find about his life. Tragic but fascinating.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Oh that's sad to hear. I noticed Imagine did a little bio on him in the inlay - the game itself mostly suffers from overambition I think, so it's no surprise he was a whizzkid. Big ideas, but not a lot to hone those ideas down into something that drives enjoyment. I think it's why my imagination ran wild with it as a kid - games that sparked your imagination like this were always good for a load or ten.

[@MexboroughBuildings]

I uploaded some info around his sad death to one of the speccy sites

[@simonbutler-bq8yb]

@@MexboroughBuildings Imagine just wanted as many titles out as fast as possible. There was no quality control. No thought or care or attention was put into the vast majority of their titles. They simply wanted to make an impact. Which they did. Ian was my coder on four titles, Neverending Story, N.O.M.A.D, Hunchback the Adventure and the finished but never released Batman the Adventure. and my "boss" at Canvas. The Imagine work ethic carried across until his demise.

[@cygil1]

@@simonbutler-bq8yb Ah. I'm afraid I wouldn't want to take ownership of Neverending Story, it was clearly released unfinished. Which is a pity, because it's absolutely beautiful and I'm sure it would have been a classic adventure title if it had enough time to be developed properly. This might not be your fault, of course.

[@simonbutler-bq8yb]

@@cygil1 The Never Ending story was certainly not released unfinished. It might not have been the greatest text adventure, but your assumption it was not completed is totally incorrect.

[@gregd3344]

That bird is one of my earliest childhood memories. Fun game at the time.

[@SelfIndulgentGamer]

I to played this recently, I forgot how heavy the movement was. I also killed the worlock as a kid without the scrolls, but the "room" still kills you :D

[@Quimbyrbg]

Double liked for the outro. Whoo I am pumped for this game.

[@gordonwalker1975]

Great video, and I agree with you about the early days of speccy software (with notable exceptions like Jetpac), but Stu and everyone else involved have OUTDONE themselves with that outro track! (this may well be covered at my next open mic...)

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

I think the simpler concepts always work better at future proofing themselves so long as they can maintain a skill curve. That seems like a simple ask, but I feel there's a world of difference between Jetpac (Good mechanics, good arc) and Psst! (Good mechanics, poor arc). It was just something that took a long time to get right throughout the 80s, and even the 90s struggled.

[@frishnit]

I quite enjoyed the review, but the song at the end has me utterly sold!

[@kirk123]

Oh great. This song is stuck in my head now 😂

[@Zyxxus]

I have similarly fond memories of this game and was also wowed by the box art, but can't actually remember playing it for any length of time. Gotta say I love your outro song though, well done.

[@DeeDeeKL]

This game kinda haunts me since my childhood as something I was never able to figure out...

[@TeZXSpectrum]

My first experience Alchemist was on that Imagine 6 pack with Zzoom and BC Bill. I think I loaded it up once and never played it again. There's more magic going on in that Sooty and Sweep game. Awesome video Sir. And Stu is a fricking legend💥💥💥💥💥

[@ctrlaltrees]

Some excellent voiceover work in this one, particularly the reviews

[@BloodoperaBlackvomit]

Greetings from The Netherlands! Great channel. Keep it up! Edit those open doors irritate me tho ! ^D

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Thank you!

[@anophelesnow3957]

"There is nothing to be gained from playing Alchemist" Challenge accepted! Super video, please shut your doors

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

My doors are open to everyone

[@lestat1uk]

Worth the thumbs up just for the song alone. Content was good, but my god that song is stuck in my head now.

[@al3k]

Oh yes The Alchemist... Yet another big "Yup.. damn..." from me.. :p

[@AllOuttaBubblegum123]

Everytime I hear the word "Alchemist," I think of this game. To be fair, that doesn't happen that often.

[@al3k]

​@@AllOuttaBubblegum123 Yup! hah.. this is exactly how all alchemists are :D

[@----Jay----]

My copy of Alchemist had a GOLD CASETTE!

[@pjfisher82]

I remember playing this game as a kid in the 80s, tried playing it recently but had no idea what i was doing and no recollection of the game besides the eagle and the silly string magic. might have to give it another try though

[@slacknhash]

The first game I played when I got a speccy, back in Xmas '85! If the game ended with that song, I'd have tried harder to complete it. It'd have been worth it.

[@Steve_UK77]

Hit single right there.

[@user-is4jf8yr4z]

I knew watching to end would be worth it 😃

[@Retronomy]

One of my first and most favorite games. As a child, I was shocked by the possibility of turning into an eagle. Well, as with most other games, thanks to our imagination, we completed the game world, turning it into reality.

[@TheGforceuk]

Wow you’ve just destroyed one of my fond memories when I was 13 buying and playing this game from new. . I remembered the bird and that’s about it. I’ll be receiving ‘the’ spectrum for Xmas and now won’t load this as it will just crush me 😂

[@haken7016]

Yes i remember Alchemist. I got it as part of a compilation. Felt the same way when i played it again. Love the humour and the surprise song at the end is Classic. Bravo for the effort.

[@ReinMixTape]

Great review. I've never played this, but the way you described the situation is how my experience went with a bunch of games for the Sega Master System (my first console/game device as a kid.) The memories seemed so grand... seriously what was I one when I was a kid? A never ending sugar rush? No idea really.

[@napalmhardcore]

That portly beagle animation is my favourite thing I've seen today.

[@AllOuttaBubblegum123]

Alchemist came with my spectrum in a 10 pack game deal. It had a golden cassette case. I think. (Might of made that up). Also had stonkers, ah diddums and other imagine games I've forgotten. It's been 40 years fcs

[@elbiggus]

I think I may have had the same bundle, but the only other games I can remember are Molar Maul (terrible even at the time) and Zzoom (probably terrible, but I at least have fond memories of it). Mine came with my Spectrum+ which was released after the collapse of Imagine - presumably the rights to the games were pretty cheap which made them ideal fodder for a pack-in bundle...

[@blatherskite3009]

Most of us never got very far in the games of this era, so I think a lot of it was imagining what the rest of it was like, based on what we saw of it. Plus, people talked a lot of bollocks about games back then ... claiming to have found wild secrets and expansive new areas, and there was no internet to fact-check their fibs. By the time games arrived on budget labels and got re-reviewed, we'd usually seen full maps and solutions in magazines, so we knew what the game consisted of and some actual reality set in. The Alchemist consists of just 16 screens and is completeable in about 10 minutes if you know what you're doing.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

And you only know what you're doing with those magazines, hahaha

[@philippasco9450]

I never had this. I had Arcadia, which was great for the time then I bought Schizoids and me and Imagine were done😊

[@ctrlaltrees]

OMG, the triumphant return of Stu!

[@BinnisRetro]

As a 6 year old I LOVED this game…but I think I only really just turned him into an eagle and back. Nothing else. Was a very cool transformation

[@AllOuttaBubblegum123]

I Thought it was about a bloke called Alan that worked in boots.

[@maxabillon]

Love it, At least the bird moves, not like another game I can think of lol

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Thou shalt not SQIJ

[@primokarmasilver]

I hate remembering something that was great and then you look back at it as n adult. Like the youtube videos you loved in the 2007 era and now they're all stuck on 360p but you remember watching it in super 4KHD!? I tried to get what you're saying, but what I got is that this is the DarkkkKK Soulssss of ZX Spectrum

[@monkeymanbob]

First game I ever completed.

[@yopparaemon]

“Nonsenses” (plural) I like it.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Pluralise all the wordses.

[@iainreid6292]

For some reason this is the game I remember.

[@VaterOrlaag]

The review's good, but the ending is just... glorious.

[@nowt1002]

The game from your memory that you describe sounds more like Imogen on the BBC Micro. That has you changing into different animals to do different things and is in a castle.

[@cygil1]

I think we have an answer. Totally sounds like a confabulated memory.

[@cygil1]

I enjoyed this installment, even though I didn't enjoy the game. It's approaching old-school AVGN level production values. Rose Tinted Spectrum would be a fitting successor to the now tired AVGN series.

[@PooperScooperTrooper]

Ace. Thanks for taking my mind off my crap life for 10 minutes. Alchemist is a classic example of a game engine with no game. Somebody should hack it and make it good.

[@geoffneil5073]

Great video as usual. I completely know what you mean about nostalgia with The Alchemist. I keep meaning to go back learn it again and do a walkthrough but then start playing it and can't be bothered. I did figure it all out as a kid even though it was obscure. I think the key is that the objects you need to collect are the hardest to find in the game. You could play it on a Spectrum Next, or using CSpect on a PC, with a castle background, see my bit in 'The Spectrum Show' episode 114.

[@arostwocents]

Great review, love the summing up:D

[@edwardevans8685]

bang on review

[@MrBenAttenborough]

You over filled that kettle and put milk in before the water

[@spectrumdays]

Congratulations on reaching 4 thousand subs, great work, love the channel. We are also wondering if we should change our name to something less positive lol!

[@adamanonymous6885]

Is it possible you had this somewhat crossed in your mind with "Avalon", a similarly themed game that delivered all the things you remembered from this, apart from the eagle transformation

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

I don't think I ever played Avalon, so probably not - but good deducing!

[@TimberwolfK]

I really should find something useful to comment on, particularly the excellent Patreon credits, but I'm stalled on how much the wizard looks like me in my dressing gown on a Saturday morning trying to get it together enough to make a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich. (I'll admit I've never tried turning into an eagle, though.) Just need the matching hat.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Once you go Eagle, you never go Beagle.

[@timwilcox5158]

Clever Aardvark, i'd watch that show.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Wot, no Beagle racing?

[@nonprophyt]

Life is better when you're an eagle? The furries were right!

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Oh god, you're right, it may be one of the first Furry games!

[@GenerationPixel]

My memories of Alchemist were pure until this. At least the music video af the end made up for the destruction of my childhood. To be fair, for 1983 is was pretty awesome looking stacked up against its peers 😎

[@ritchardo6459]

It looked great and it’s one that I always wanted when I was younger on finally playing it? Disappointing doesn’t cover it. Imagine really were the masters of polishing turds.

[@AdamDawes575]

I remember the crushing disappointment of having spent many weeks of saved pocket money to buy this game, only to realise that it was tedious, aimless rubbish that provided no enjoyment whatsoever. Seeing your video has finally given me a clue what I was expected to do, a mere 40 years later. And wow, what an end scene I had missed out on! Thank goodness the games got better than this one.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

It's a shame, really. It has grand ideas, but no real game to hang it on.

[@TheTurnipKing]

you sure you weren't thinking of Rapscallion or Savage?

[@AndyHewco]

Hope you release that as a single. Got my tape player ready...

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

I've got the track/video separated out, I'll be popping it up on Patreon once more people have watched (don't want to spoil the surprise!)

[@ChrisFranklyn]

I could have sworn I'd played this but have NO memory of the bird and remember having to carefully select the size of the spell you cast to kill certain enemies so no to deplete your magic too quickly. I asked ChatGPT and it amusingly has a disclaimer saying "Remember that the ZX Spectrum had limitations in terms of graphics and processing power"... I didn't ask that, I asked for the name of a game! Then in position 8 of the games it suggested I was thinking of it said: "The Great Escape" (1986): While not a traditional wizard game, it features a character who uses spells and magic to escape from a castle. No, that's not a traditional Wizard game. I'll give up now.

[@womagrid]

The song was awesome but Imogen on the BBC Micro had a better transforming wizard man.

[@goldenphonautogram6141]

Did you delete the Kong review? I can’t find it anywhere

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Nope, still there!

[@goldenphonautogram6141]

@@RoseTintedSpectrum weird

[@andrewmorrice9139]

They should make a sequel to this about a bloke called Alan who works in a pharmaceutical shop. It could be called "Al, Chemist.

[@Dino83]

There he goes again showing his face all the time 😂😂😂😂 love it mate

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

Fuck yeah!

[@ritchardo6459]

Those credits though! 😂

[@for8bitgamers]

\m/

[@GigerPunk]

The bit about being a wizard able to turn into *more than one* animal made me wonder if you've ever played/seen Imogen on the Beeb? kzbin.info/www/bejne/pobWpampgKiIibs

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Oooh, I've not seen that before - lovely animation!

[@JonasBroman]

Hello there! I've sent you an email containing a Steam key for my roguelike game. It's possible that the email may have been filtered into your junk mail folder :)

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

It was indeed! Thanks buddy, will check it out

[@JonasBroman]

@@RoseTintedSpectrum Awesome, I hope you enjoy the game!

[@AquaShibby3000]

What happens when you run out of great KZbin content about the games you grew up with in the States? You end up here lol. Time to have someone else's childhood vicariously implanted on me.

[@HansHackfress]

Wow, I can't get over how you totally "mis-imagined" the graphics the game had, like showing it with that fully-fledged castle background. One would have thought you'd have come across screenshots or a video that showed footage of the game before creating this video here ...

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

You sound grumpy. Are you okay, my love?

[@HansHackfress]

@@RoseTintedSpectrum No worries. I edited my comment quite a bit after posting it first btw, as it sounded a bit weird and patronizing, not sure if your reply came after that. What I tried to say was, personally I don't think I've "forgotten" any old Speccy game I played back in the day to the extent that I would imagine it having way different background graphics, if that makes sense.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

@HansHackfress haha, that's okay. Yeah, I actually tend to steer clear of any videos on Spectrum stuff that I know I'm likely to review as I'm terrified of absorbing someone else's opinion before writing up my own. I've no doubt seen screenshots and such of Alchemist in that time, but there's some creative license involved when making my.point: as an adult I knew that the Spectrum couldn't render the images that I still had in my head, but it was still bizarre to replay it and see that gap between imagination and reality.

[@billybobs1705]

Negative tw&t!

[@jasejj]

Tbh I never saw this as anything other than a clunky, annoying and boring game. Clever but not very well implemented. But then I could never be bothered with these walk around and randomly collect stuff type games, they all seemed pointless to me, so when Nintendo tool over the world I lost interest in video games for a good long while.

[@iainreid6292]

Mate.This.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

I fought the war on terror!