1985 · Platformer · Puzzle

Thing on a Spring

The evil Goblin has used his magical abilities to ensnare all the toys in the neighborhood to go into his underground lair. Thing bounces to the rescue, and resolves to retrieve them from his 4 storey underground lair. To do this he must collect 9 pieces of a jigsaw puzzle on each floor.

Released: 1985
Platforms: Amstrad CPC Commodore 64 Commodore C64/128/MAX
Genres: Platformer Puzzle
Developers: —
Publishers: Gremlin Interactive
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action Comedy
Country: United Kingdom
Languages: English
Composers: Rob Hubbard

About

Thing on a Spring is a side-scrolling puzzle-platform game released in 1985 for the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 by Gremlin Graphics. The player controls a character resembling Zebedee from The Magic Roundabout through a toy factory while avoiding evil toys.

The game was written by Jason Perkins and Anthony Clarke with graphics by Mark Rogers. The musical score was the first videogame tune ever composed by Rob Hubbard.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Reception

Thing on a Spring was given an overall rating of 93% in issue 4 of Zzap!64 magazine, earning it a "Sizzler" rating. Julian Rignall wrote that "the sound is unbelievable, I won't describe it but just wait until you hear it; words fail".

Your Commodore said the game "isn't your run of the mill platform game, it's far superior to most that have been launched recently". They also said it had "some superb graphics and sound" and recommended a purchase. It was given a 4 out of 5 star rating.