The game Giana Sisters was the first computer game I ever played on C64 back in the good old times, and it is my all time favourite.
Because the game is a clone, it looks very similar to Nintendo’s Super Mario and this is the reason why Nintendo wanted to stop the distribution (and they did).
Giana Sisters is a classical jump and run game. You play Giana or, alternatively, Maria and you have to get through several levels full of enemies. To make your journey a bit easier there are several gimmicks hidden in each level.
The game Giana Sisters was the first computer game I ever played on C64 back in the good old times, and it is my all time favourite.
Because the game is a clone, it looks very similar to Nintendo’s Super Mario and this is the reason why Nintendo wanted to stop the distribution (and they did).
Giana Sisters is a classical jump and run game. You play Giana or, alternatively, Maria and you have to get through several levels full of enemies. To make your journey a bit easier there are several gimmicks hidden in each level. For example, if you manage to get the ball, your head gets big and you can destroy bricks with it. Or you can get the lightning which enables
you to shoot fireballs that hurt most of the enemies. (But not all...). Alternatively you can try to jump on their heads to kill them before they touch you. Again, this is not true for all enemies... you have to learn it the hard way.
On your way you can collect diamonds which are not only giving a better highscore but also can get you an extra live if you collect 100 of them. There are also bonuses like extra rooms where you can collect more diamonds or abbreviations that lead directly to other levels.
But be careful while hunting diamonds, you have to be quick, because there is a countdown in every level: If you don't manage to finish the level in time, you will lose a life!
The level is scrolling from left to right, but be careful, but unlike the newer jump and runs, it never scrolls back to the left.
Some of the levels are really difficult, so maybe this game is not the best choice for children because it is very annoying to be stuck in the same level for hours.
The graphics of the game is very good for that time (it was the beginning of the Eighties), so don't expect too much. However, the characters are nicely animated, so you always can see where you are and what extra you have.
The sound of the game is very much from the Eighties, and it certainly gives you an Eighties feeling. Since the level soundtrack is the same for each level, you might want to turn the sound off after a while.
My conclusion: If you like to play jump and run games that are not all too simple, you have to try Giana Sisters. This game will keep you busy for several days!
