Altered Space
First isometric Game Boy game; astronaut vs. Zaks.
Altered Space, a 1991 title for the Nintendo Game Boy, was the first game on the handheld to use an isometric viewpoint. Players take on the role of Humphrey, an astronaut stranded aboard a spaceship belonging to the alien Zaks. To survive, Humphrey must avoid both the Zaks and spherical, warden-like creatures called Garffs, while constantly replenishing his oxygen supply, as he cannot breathe the alien atmosphere. If captured, the Zaks take half of his air and reset him at a detention point, which functions like a checkpoint. The goal is for Humphrey to reach his impounded spacecraft and escape back to Earth.
The game was developed by Software Creations and published by Sony Imagesoft in the United States and by Epic/Sony Records in Japan. It launched in Japan on November 29, 1991. Reviewers for *Famitsu* compared it to *Solstice* (1990) due to the isometric perspective, noting that the controls initially caused confusion, often moving characters in unintended directions. One critic described the game as cruel, citing frequent unfair deaths. A *Games-X* reviewer likened it to older British computer games such as *Knight Lore* (1984) for the ZX Spectrum, finding it as impressive as those classics but lacking in music quality. In a 1994 retrospective for *GB Action*, a reviewer praised the game’s strong emphasis on playability and adventure—qualities they found missing in many contemporary Game Boy titles—though they considered it less polished than the similar *Monster Max*.
- Platform
- Nintendo Game Boy
- Developer
- Software Creations
- Publisher (US)
- Sony Imagesoft
- Publisher (Japan)
- Epic/Sony Records
- Release Date (Japan)
- November 29, 1991
- Genre
- Isometric action-adventure
Lore & Background
Altered Space was developed by Software Creations and published by Sony Imagesoft in the United States and by Epic/Sony Records in Japan. The player is an astronaut named Humphrey trapped on a spaceship of an alien race known as the Zaks. In addition to avoiding the Zaks, the player must also avoid wardenlike spherical creatures known as Garffs. Humphrey cannot breathe the Zaks' air, so he needs to constantly replenish his own oxygen supply. The Zaks will take half of Humphrey's air should they capture him and send him to a detaining point to be reset like a checkpoint. The object of the game is for Humphrey to reach his own impounded spacecraft and flee back to Earth.
Reader's Guide
Altered Space holds significance as the first isometric view game on the Game Boy, a technical achievement for the handheld. Reviewers in Famitsu compared the game to Solstice (1990) due to its isometric viewpoint, noting that this led to confusion in controls initially as they often moved in unintended directions. One reviewer said the game was cruel as it often led them to die in ways they deemed unfair. A reviewer in Games-X found the game similar to older British computer games like Knight Lore (1984) for the ZX Spectrum, finding it as impressive as the older classics but lacking in terms of its music quality. In a retrospective review in GB Action from 1994, a reviewer said the game had a considerable emphasis on playability and adventure which are both absent in many contemporary Game Boy games, but found it less polished than the similar game Monster Max. Its legacy is tied to its pioneering isometric perspective on a limited platform and its challenging, oxygen-management gameplay.
Did You Know?
- Altered Space was the first isometric view game on the Game Boy.
- The player must avoid both Zaks and spherical Garffs.
- If captured by Zaks, Humphrey loses half his oxygen and is reset at a detaining point.
- The game was published by Sony Imagesoft in the US and Epic/Sony Records in Japan.
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