Twisted the Game Show 3DO

Twisted: The Game Show – A 3DO unique experience

Published by Electron Arts in March 1994 – Twisted: The Game Show on 3DO  stands out as an eccentric but ground-breaking oddity. Think of it as the lovechild of Monty Python and a feverish dream, where gamers are invited to a carnival of chaos, confusion, and occasional cackles. This was a game where the developer could take advantage  of  good quality FMV playback available on 3DO and is a great example of what a 3DO interactive  game should be. No surprise, as Trip’s own Studio 3DO were behind it and Trip was executive producer on the game. Some of the zany set designs remind me of the opening scene on the original 3DO pack in demo disc, where cartoon objects fly out of the TV.

Most of the filming for the game was done with characters in front of a green screen and it sometimes  looks a bit amateur and over-acted but this was 1994 and developers were making the best of the technology available at the time.

The game concept

Twisted catapults players into a zany game show environment hosted by an over the top host Twink Fizzdale and his excitable hostess. You roll a cyber die and move up the 90 squares of the ‘twisting’ spiral helix ladder. Once you get to the top and win, you are transported to ‘Reality’- and end up in front of a TV (presumably watching Twisted). For some reason the action is interspersed with clips of old  fashioned black and white game show audiences clapping . This seems at odds with the modern zany colourful design of the games and grates after a while.

Players  compete in a series of mini-games, each more bizarre than the last. The premise is simple: navigate through a virtual 3D vertical board game, tackling challenges that range from wacky trivia to surreal puzzles full of video segments. The true charm of Twisted lies in its unapologetic embrace of the outlandish, with each segment peppered with a healthy dose of silly humour, difficulty and absurdity.

Twisted Mini-Games

• Trivia: A classic quiz format, this game tests players across six primarily US based categories: Science and Technology, History, Sports and Recreation, Arts and Entertainment, Geography and Travel, and Pop Culture. Difficulty scales with player skill, culminating in the “Expert” mode’s three-question challenge, a significant leap from the standard single-question format. 
• Twin Peeks: A memory-based matching game, Twin Peeks presents players with 12 doors or windows, tasking them with pairing six unique images against a ticking clock. 
• Sound Bites: Expanding on the matching concept, Sound Bites introduces an auditory element. Players must match 12 squares featuring former presidents, but instead of visual cues, they rely on identifying identical sound clips. 
• Face Lift Salon: A puzzle game focused on facial reconstruction, Face Lift Salon challenges players to align three rows of facial features to create complete portraits. With 200 potential combinations, the game offers substantial replayability, dynamically adjusting difficulty based on player performance.
• Zapper: This frenetic mini-game pits players against the clock in a race to “zap” a colour commercial interrupting a black and white broadcast. The added challenge of instantly winning by targeting the elusive 3DO logo adds a layer of strategic risk and reward. 
• Departure Lounge: A classic tile-based puzzle, Departure Lounge presents a scrambled image that players must reconstruct by rotating individual tiles. 
• Mystery Matinee: This mini-game takes video scrambling to a new level. Players are tasked with unscrambling a full black and white video while it plays. 
• Supermarket Highrise: A memory challenge set in a grocery store, Supermarket Highrise presents players with a fleeting glimpse of 12 items before challenging them to identify which item was present from a set of three, two of which were not.

Twisted Visuals and Audio

The game show set is vibrant and colourful, capturing the essence of a televised spectacle. Character animations, though limited, exude a quirky but mostly over the top charm that complements the game’s offbeat nature. As usual for FMV based games the acting is a bit ridiculous but bearable considering the zany premise. Compared to anything else on consoles at the time this was something very different and a huge step up from CDi type interactive edutainment slideshow software.

The auditory experience is where Twisted truly shines (apart from the annoying audience scenes) . The voice acting injects personality into each character, with over-the-top performances that amplify the game’s whimsical atmosphere. The soundtrack, while not particularly memorable, serves its purpose in maintaining the high-energy tempo of a game show. Think of it as the audio equivalent of a caffeine rush – it’s loud, it’s lively, and it’s probably best enjoyed in moderation.

Twisted Gameplay

At its core, Twisted is a collection of mini-games strung together by a board game framework. Each mini-game offers a unique challenge, ensuring that the gameplay remains varied and engaging. From the frenetic pace of button-mashing segments to the cerebral demands of some very obscure (for a UK player ) American based trivia questions, Twisted keeps players on their toes. It’s also not that easy due to the mini-game time constraints and struggling with the 3DO controller instead of a mouse. End up on the wheel of  torture and you will definitely start to get frustrated trying to line up spinning rings of fruit and watching the host and his assistant pulling stupid faces when you fail.

However, the game diversity is both a strength and a weakness. While the variety ensures that there’s never a dull moment, it also means that the quality of the mini-games is inconsistent. Some challenges are genuinely entertaining, while others feel more like filler content, detracting from the overall experience.

Multiplayer Experience – where Twisted shines

Twisted is at its best when played with friends. The multiplayer mode transforms the game into a party experience, where the inherent silliness of the mini-games becomes a catalyst for some laughter and friendly competition. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and this light-heartedness is infectious when shared with others. Picture a group of friends, laughing  and groaning in equal measure – that’s what Twisted aimed for.

Conclusion

Twisted: The Game Show is a unique artifact from the 3DO era. Its blend of humour, variety, and eccentricity make it a standout title, even if its execution is occasionally uneven. For those seeking a quirky trip down memory lane or a party game that defies convention, Twisted offers an experience that’s as unpredictable as it is entertaining. It’s the kind of game that leaves you scratching your head and having some fun – often at the same time.