''Wiz 'n' Liz: The Frantic Wabbit Wescue'' is a

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

developed by Raising Hell Software for the Amiga and

Sega Mega Drive The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in 1988 in Japan as ...

and published by

Psygnosis Psygnosis Limited (known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Hetherington, Jonathan Ell ...

in 1993. It is a humorous, cutesy

. With the exception of some end-of-level bosses, the game contains no enemies.

Gameplay

The game takes place on a series of levels, each divided into eight worlds. Each world has a distinct graphical style and music, but the basic gameplay remains the same. Wiz and/or Liz must run through the landscape collecting wabbits against a strict time limit. To win, the player must collect floating letters that appear when a wabbit is collected to spell out a magic word shown at the top of the screen. Once an entire word is collected, the player then must rescue all remaining wabbits on the level, who now release collectable fruit, stars, and clocks to increase the time limit. The limit starts at three minutes and is only restarted when the player character dies. This time limit can however be extended by collecting a glowing orange orb which appears in the last ten seconds of a countdown and gives thirty seconds of bonus time. At the end of each stage, collected fruit can be mixed in a

cauldron A cauldron (or caldron) is a large pot ( kettle) for cooking or boiling over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron lore in religion, mythology, and ...

and depending on the fruit, the effect can be bonus points, a

minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than t ...

, a weird graphical effect, a bit of silliness (such as declaring a "Game Over" and killing the player's character, only to put them back with a sheepish "Only joking..."), turning the wabbits different colours, or "Absolutely Nothing". ''Wiz 'n' Liz'' features a number of cameo appearances from other Psygnosis characters, including ''

Puggsy ''Puggsy'' is a 1993 puzzle-platform game developed by Traveller's Tales and released by Psygnosis on the Mega Drive and Mega-CD consoles, as well as the Amiga home computer. ''Puggsy'' is the name of the title character, an orange space hopper ...

'' and ''

Lemmings A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also include ...

''. The bonus game was featured in the original mid-90s run of the

competitive gaming Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional sports, professional players, individually or as ...

television show ''

Games World ''Games World'' was a British entertainment programme that aired on Sky One originally from 1 March 1993 to 10 March 1995 with Bob Mills as host, and then revived from 9 March 1998 to 1999 with Andy Collins as host. Format The main body of t ...

'' (broadcast on Sky One in the UK) as one of the challenges. Players took turns to play the bonus game of collecting the blue wabbits and the highest scorer won that particular challenge.

Plot

''Wiz 'n' Liz'' takes place on the magical planet of Pum, where a group of "wabbits" (rabbits) have been taken by a spell gone awry and it's the job of two wizards – Wiz and Liz – to rescue them.

Reception

A review from the SEGA MegaZone magazine described the game as 'cute, original and very, very fast'.

Amiga Action ''Amiga Action'' was a monthly magazine about Amiga video games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Europress (later IDG Media) and ran for 89 full issues, from October 1989 to December 1996. After its closure, it was merged into sister pu ...

described the game as 'an all out, fast action platform extravaganza, with nice graphics and sound and an endearing storyline'.

References

External links

* 1993 video games Amiga games Bizarre Creations games Cooperative video games Fantasy video games Fictional duos Multiplayer and single-player video games Platform games Psygnosis games Sega Genesis games Side-scrolling platform games Video games about old age Video games about witchcraft Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games featuring female protagonists Video games scored by Matt Furniss Wizards in fiction {{Platform-videogame-stub