With its efforts on Atari 50: Anniversary Celebration and The Making of Karateka, developer Digital Eclipse is cementing itself as a true pioneer in the interactive documentary space. Truth be told, it’s a niche the studio completely owns at this point, and while we’re surprised other big players in the video game industry haven’t already dived into it themselves, we can’t imagine anyone tackling the form without sneaking in a few cheeky looks to the work of Digital Eclipse.
After Karateka, Llamasoft: The Story of Jeff Minter is the second in Gold Master series and takes a deep dive into the career and mind of Jeff Minter (sometimes called ‘Yak’), the English video game designer and developer who founded Llamasoft. Although well-known in the industry and among veteran gamers, you could be forgiven for not knowing much about Minter beyond some of his better-known works, including Storm 2000, GridrunnerAccording to Arrh, i Attack of the mutant camels. This is where Digital Eclipse comes into play.
Even if you’re not aware of those aforementioned titles, Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story does an exceptional job of introducing you to and charting the history of what is arguably one of the most fascinating and creative minds in video games. Beginning with Minter’s days in sixth grade learning to code BASIC on a Commodore PET, the documentary takes you through his life as he creates Llamasoft, experiences an explosion in popularity, begins experimenting with light synthesizers, and eventually grapples with the growing corporatization of the industry. during the 90s.
All of this is wonderfully brought to life with a combination of text, image galleries, archival videos, new interviews (including Gary Whitt, Harold Goldberg and Bex Trista) and yes, playable games. In the now familiar way, the timeline of The Jeff Minter Story is divided into four chapters, each of which represents a significant period in the crea tor’s career. Within each chapter, you can explore the timeline to your heart’s content, with the vast majority of entries featuring multiple visual accompaniments or anecdotal quotes. Everything has been given a beautifully personal touch to highlight Minter’s interests and quirks, so while the experience isn’t as broad as Atari 50 or as focused as The Making of Karateka, Jeff Minter’s story is much more intimate.
In addition to the main timeline, the pack also provides an overview of Minter’s complete ‘gameography’ from start to finish, with each entry providing a brief overview of the creator’s game projects along with a handful of in-game images, dating back to 1981. Deflex until the renewal of Akka Arrh in 2023. 42 of Minter’s games are fully playable, and while they are all occasionally found on the timeline itself, you can browse the entire collection at your leisure.
Here, of course, you have the aforementioned Tempest 2000, but there are also a few more niche titles, including Light Synthesizer Color spacelawn mowing game Bovver floatsand unofficial version Centipede.
If that’s not niche enough, the collection also includes a demo for Attack of the Mutant Camels ’89 for an unreleased UK console, the Konix Multisystem, with Digital Eclipse using Minter’s source code for the game alongside specific Konix technical specifications to run the emulation. Similar to including titles like Aquaventure and the original Akka Arrh on the Atari 50, the Attack of the Mutant Camels ’89 add-on may not bring unbridled joy to every gamer on the planet, but it’s a victory for the preservation of the game and a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at what could have been.
However, one significant omission in the selection is Defender 2000 for Atari Jaguar, which comes down to the fact that neither Minter nor Atari (which, remember, bought Digital Eclipse in late 2023) owns the rights to the game. Disappointing, but not the end of the world.
Of course, not every game included here is great, and some, like 1982 Ratman, are particularly outrageous even by Minter’s own admission. And of course, if you walk into this collection and just dive straight into the list of playable games without experiencing the crucial context provided by the timeline itself, you may struggle to find entertainment. But getting to know the background behind each title included allows you to appreciate the thought and intent behind each game; not to mention Minter’s love of llamas and sheep.
Once again, Digital Eclipse delivered a smooth and effortless interactive experience. Everything from the timeline itself to the emulation of the games is perfect, and the combination of the subtle psychedelic background of the timeline with the suitably cool, ambient music makes for a beautifully professional and enjoyable cover. Of course, if you want something a little more upbeat, a quick tap on the options menu will let you swap in ‘The Minter Mix’, a selection of electronic tracks that perfectly suit the experience.
We only encountered one significant flaw during our time with The Jeff Minter Story, and that was when the audio during video segments would occasionally be out of sync with the visuals. This didn’t happen often, and a quick tap of ‘L’ to rewind a segment a bit solves the Switch-specific problem. Fortunately, Digital Eclipse has flagged the issue and intends to fix it soon with a post-launch patch.
Conclusion
Like Atari 50 and The Making of Karateka before it, Digital Eclipse’s latest interactive documentary is a wonderful insight into the mind of one of gaming’s most fascinating figures. Even if you have no prior knowledge of Minter or its games, the selection of videos, image galleries, quotes, and playable games here will give you a newfound respect for this niche but immensely important segment of gaming history. Llamasoft: The Story of Jeff Minter is another triumph for Digital Eclipse and we can’t wait to see what the studio tackles with its Gold Master Series.