Giana Sisters

When you want to experience a colourful platformer on the Commodore 64 in the style of a big console hit from the competition, you reach for The Great Giana Sisters. This platformer from the end of the eighties became famous precisely for its striking resemblance to the famous Italian plumber original — so much so that many stories are told about it to this day.

You play as the sisters Giana and Maria, who gnaw their way through side-scrolling levels full of enemies, platforms and secret bonuses. The principle is classically platformer: you run, jump, collect items for score and look for hidden passages, with jumping on an enemy being your main weapon. The game captivated with fresh, varied graphics and catchy music, which became one of the best-known melodies of the eight-bit era and circulates among fans to this day.

The Great Giana Sisters is legendary today mainly because of its reputation as a "clone", which by its resemblance to a competing title attracted attention and soon disappeared from the shelves — which turned the original copies into a collector's rarity. However complicated the truth about the game's withdrawal may be, the result is that Giana Sisters became a cult title that retro players talk about with a smile.

The important thing is that the game on the Commodore 64 and other eight-bits held up on its own as a quality, brisk and nicely made platformer. Modern sequels and remakes for new platforms later arose around the brand, building on the original name and that unforgettable music.

Today The Great Giana Sisters attracts partly through nostalgia and partly through its music and honest platform foundation. It is a small piece of gaming history wrapped in a cheerful, colourful spectacle.

Why play: For a catchy colourful platformer with legendary music and the cult reputation of one of the best-known platform titles on eight-bits.