subdirectory_arrow_right Obitus (Game)
▲
2
▼
The mutant bird illustration on the box art for Sqij! and Obitus, drawn by speculative fiction artist Tim White, seems to have originated from the 1979 edition of the 1975 book Under a Calculating Star. It is unknown if either use was licensed.
Article mentioning the asset reuse:
https://www.badgamehalloffame.com/sqij/
Release date of bird cover Calculating Star:
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=7807719382
https://www.badgamehalloffame.com/sqij/
Release date of bird cover Calculating Star:
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=7807719382
▲
1
▼
The inspiration for the character of Sqij being a mutant bird came from Jeff Minter, known for his ruminant-themed video games. Sqij! creator Jason Kendall would say to Eurogamer in 2017:
"As to the concept - yes it was a bit barmy - I just started writing a screen-flipping maze program and decided I wanted a gravity-pulled flying character. I was well into Jeff Minter's stuff at the time and his psychedelic llamas, so it became a mutant bird."
▲
1
▼
The ZX Spectrum version of Sqij was made using Ocean Software's Laser BASIC coding software, and contains significant chunks of the library in its code, which could be easily reverse engineered, allowing one access to the suite of Laser BASIC tools for the £1.99 price of Sqij as opposed to the £14.95 asking price of Laser BASIC.
▲
1
▼
The ZX Spectrum release of Sqij! has been cited as one of the worst games ever made, sometimes even being referred to as the single worst video game ever made, due to a bug that renders Sqij uncontrollable unless the game is modified with the POKE button (a button on the ZX Spectrum that allowed users to modify code of software, somewhat like a built-in Game Genie). The conversion was handled by a 15-year-old named Jason Creighton, who intentionally created a lackluster version of the game expecting it to be rejected, in protest against being mistreated during development, with a particular point of contention being that he wasn't provided with the original Commodore 64 version of Sqij! to study. However, the infamous bug that rendered the game unplayable was not an intentional inclusion.
Related Games
Soft & Cuddly
RoboCop 2
Commando
John Madden Football
Turrican
The Planets
Mighty Bomb Jack
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
Herbert's Dummy Run
Dynamite Düx
Uuno Turhapuro muuttaa maalle
Crazy Kong
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing!
1942
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Missile Command
Xenon
OutRun
Dalek Attack
Defender of the Crown
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny
Uninvited
Robotron: 2084
Jetpac
Star Trek: The Kobayashi Alternative
Congo Bongo
Reckless Rufus
International Karate +
Rampart
Psycho Soldier
Agent X II: The Mad Prof's Back!
Inspector Gadget and the Circus of Fear
Final Fight
Zaxxon
SimCity
Popeye
Back to the Future Part III
Karateka
Gladiator
Bonanza Bros.
Super Monaco GP
James Bond 007: Licence to Kill
Castlevania
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Zombi
RoboCop
Ghostbusters
Yes Prime Minister: The Computer Game
Beyond the Ice Palace
Altered Beast