Basic Info:
- Original Release Date: 1987
- Publisher: Rainbow Arts
- Developer: Time Warp Productions
- System: Commodore 64
- Format: 3.5" disk and Cassette Tape
- Genre: Platformer
Features
- 32 levels/stages of gameplay
- Single player (Giana only) and two-player modes (Giana and Maria)
- Bonus fire wheel transforms the sweet sisters into punk rock brick busting head bangers.
- Special Power-Ups allow for two different firing abilities, health, bombs, extra lives and powers.
- Loads of freaky monsters in addition to the Mario-clones creatures.
The Good:
- Elaborate and creative design built on top of all the things that made Mario great.
- Like playing a direct sequel to the original Super Mario Bros.
- Loads of tongue-n-cheek humor.
- Freaky monsters and super weird themes.
- Lots of gameplay features with loads of replay value.
- One of the most elaborate platformers built for the Commodore 64.
The Bad
- Very difficult to play, much more so than its sibling counterparts.
- Poorly designed controls make it extremely awkward to jump or time a move.
- Power ups do not give extra hits against enemy attacks. One touch and your doomed.
- 3 lives with no continues!
History
In 1985 Super Mario Bros. made its debut as an exclusive launch title for the historic Nintendo Entertainment System. The paring of these two titans of retro gaming resurrected the failing industry in U.S. and made the system a monumental hit. The problem was all of this gaming goodness was only available in North America and Japan, but in Europe there was no sign of the consoles release.
Just a few years prior the Commodore 64 home computer had released in both the U.S. and Europe. Being the first affordable high end computer with loads of graphics and sound capabilities, the C64 aggressively competed with the gaming market. While Europe was still being robbed of the NES, the C64 filled the void delivering their gaming needs.
Even though Nintendo had previously licensed Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. to the C64, those days were behind them, opting to now only allow their games release on Nintendo made systems. As news spread beyond the shores of Japan and the U.S. of the grand gameplay of Super Mario Bros. European gamers were chomping at the bit to get their hands on the elaborate platforming goodness. German publisher Rainbow Arts heard these cries and answered the call with the most unusual rip-off game ever made, The Great Giana Sisters.
Since trying to license the game was out, Rainbow decided to simply steal the concept and expand on it while matching the C64 capabilities. The basic structure and gameplay remain the same, with some sections nearly identical to its Mario counterpart, but Rainbow expanded on the basic design and features, adding more traps, elaborate gameplay and goals for the game. Even the storyline was changed, having the sisters trying to escape a nightmare world.
By the time The Great Giana Sisters shipped in 1987, the NES and Super Mario Bros. had finally reached the UK and half of Europe, just a few months prior. Although the NES was in-demand only a small number of households had it yet, while most already owned a C64. With this larger install base The Great Giana Sisters was a huge hit by C64 standards. The game was more elaborate than any previous C64 release, plus the chance to finally play a Super Mario-style game was more than Euro gamers could resist. With such a positive response, a few months later Rainbow Arts released versions for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC and the Atari ST computers.
By '87 there were numerous Super Mario rip-offs, Nintendo didn't mind because they were all exclusive to the NES. What they wouldn't stand for is a Super Mario-style game designed for the competition. Why would you buy their console if you could get the same style of games on the C64? The result - Nintendo slapped Rainbow Arts with a fat Mario-style lawsuit. The small publisher immediately buckled and ceased manufacturing the game.
Although the game was only available for less than a year, The Great Giana Sisters already had a huge fan base, which continues to grow. After its cancelation enthusiasts started sharing copies of the game, which became a legend among gamers throughout all of Europe. The phenomena of the Sisters spawned numerous hacked ports to other systems and several unofficial fan-made sequels, including an online flash version.
Super Mario and the Giana Sisters are indeed extremely similar, but enough differences and innovations are included in the for Giana Sisters to be considered the same genre and style game without being a direct clone or copyright infringement. This was proven years later when Rainbow became bold enough to try again, making an unofficial sequel to Giana Sisters with a Super Mario Bros. and Metriod hybrid called Hard 'n Heavy. Although it didn't feature the same characters or world, Hard 'n Heavy shared much of the same elements and design from the Sisters. By then C64 sales were slipping as the NES finally dominating the European market, so Hard 'n Heavy posted no threat to the juggernaut and was eventually forgotten.
