Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story Review (PlayStation 5)

Rating: 9
Author: Jim Smale

by Jim Smale · Published March 13, 2024 · Updated March 13, 2024

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story Review, 42 of the weirdest, trippiest, sheepiest games ever created. Enter the mind of Jeff Minter, the legendary creator of Attack of the Mutant Camels, Gridrunner, and Tempest 2000, in this interactive documentary from Digital Eclipse.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story Review Pros:

Graphics are from every generation.
3.97GB download size.
Platinum trophy.
You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game.
Interactive documentary gameplay.
You work your way along the timeline of events.
Videos can be fast-forwarded, rewound, and paused.
Subtitles can be turned on and off with a button press.
High-quality video.
Simple controls.
You can turn menu music on and off.
Clear crisp and clean menu system that is just so good to look at.
An excellent time capsule.
If you have played the Atari 50 The Anniversary Celebration you get that again but for the one game.
Thumbnails for the games show the original box art and original scans of the floppy discs.
There are four chapters to the documentary and each has a completion percentage.
Original scans of paperwork, notes, concept art, letters, and more.
All images can be zoomed in and out and pan around.
Attack the documentary in any order you like.
Such high production value.
Full games list –
- Sinclair ZX81
  - 3D3D
  - Centipede
  Commodore VIC-20
  - Abductor
  - Andes Attack
  - Deflex V
  - Gridrunner
  - Hellgate
  - Laser Zone
  - Matrix: Gridrunner 2
  - Metagalactic Llamas Battle at the Edge of Time
  - Ratman
  Commodore 64
  - Ancipital
  - Attack of the Mutant Camels
  - Batalyx
  - Gridrunner
  - Hellgate
  - Hover Bovver
  - Iridis Alpha
  - Laser Zone
  - Mama Llama
  - Matrix: Gridrunner 2
  - Metagalactic Llamas Battle at the Edge of Time
  - Psychedelia
  - Revenge of the Mutant Camels
  - Revenge of the Mutant Camels II
  - Rox 64
  - Sheep In Space
  - Voidrunner
  Sinclair Spectrum
  - City Bomb
  - Headbangers Heaven
  - Rox III
  - Superdeflex
  Atari 8-bit
  - Attack of the Mutant Camels
  - Colourspace
  - Gridrunner
  - Hover Bovver
  - Turboflex
  Konix Multi-System
  - Attack of the Mutant Camels ’89
  Atari ST
  - Llamatron: 2112
  - Revenge of the Mutant Camels
  - Super Gridrunner
  Atari Jaguar
  - Tempest 2000
  Reimagined
  - Gridrunner Remastered
A real joy to experience.
It’s such a fun amazing insightful trip into the mind of one of Britain’s most popular and famous Developers.
You get a glimpse into how the British gaming scene was in the early days like events and the art of selling.
Play all original and concept games.
High-scan images of the cassettes and box art with all of them in 3D.
Each timeline has an explored percentage and makes a noise to say you’ve done it.
Handy just play the games option.
43 games to play including the different versions of the same game.
You can launch games from the timeline.
An excellent mix of games and mini-documentaries laceEvery game has a fast save/load feature.
Each game has a screen mode, filter, and border settings.
Stick settings can be adjusted – Invert the axis and sensitivity sliders.
You can reset games.
All games can be quit and returned to the main menu.
This shows again why Digital Eclipse is the team to deliver these exceptional museum pieces.
You get to see how devs used to show off and introduce their games to the public.
Full history of the Llama obsession?
Shows how the game used to be whacky, fun, a bit out there and dare I say experimental.
Gameography shows each game in a list.

Edit:

Why isn’t Defender 2000 for the Jaguar included? Neither Jeff nor Atari (Digital Eclipse’s parent company) own the rights to Defender, so we couldn’t include it in Llamasoft.
Why does Llamatron 2112 sound different than I remember? There were multiple versions of Llamatron, each of which had some different sound effects. Additionally, some sounds had to be removed and replaced for licensing reasons in Digital Eclipse’s version.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story Review Cons:

No cheats or adjustments are built into any of the games.
Doesn’t have any online leaderboards.
Uninspiring trophy list with nearly half of them being for one game.
The background music is not great.
Timelines in this one seem a bit more subdued with a lot of images and only a few videos per chapter.
Doesn’t include the newer games like PSVR games and Atari branded games. (more an FYI)
Needs a physical release.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story:

Official website.

Developer: Digital Eclipse

Publisher: Digital Eclipse

Store Links –

PlayStation

9/10
Graphics - 9/10
9/10
Sound - 9/10
9/10
Accessibility - 9/10
9/10
Length - 9/10
9/10
Fun Factor - 9/10

9/10

Summary

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is a comprehensive and interactive documentary game that offers a deep dive into the history of one of Britain’s most popular and famous developers.

The game boasts graphics from every generation, making it a visual treat. It has a download size of 3.97GB and offers a platinum trophy. One of the highlights is that you get both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game.

The gameplay is interactive and revolves around a timeline of events. Videos can be fast-forwarded, rewound, and paused at your convenience. Subtitles can be turned on and off with a button press, ensuring accessibility for all players. The controls are simple, and the high-quality video enhances the overall experience.

The menu system is clear, crisp, and clean, with an option to turn the menu music on and off. It’s an excellent time capsule, especially for those who have played the Atari 50 The Anniversary Celebration, as it offers a similar experience but for one game.

The game features original scans of paperwork, notes, concept art, letters, and more, all of which can be zoomed in and out and panned around. The documentary is divided into four chapters, each with a completion percentage, allowing you to track your progress. You can attack the documentary in any order you like, offering a non-linear exploration of the content.

The game offers a fun, amazing, and insightful trip into the mind of Jeff Minter and gives a glimpse into the early days of the British gaming scene. You can play all original and concept games, and each timeline has an explored percentage, providing a sense of accomplishment.

There are 43 games to play, including different versions of the same game. Each game has a fast save/load feature, screen mode, filter, and border settings. Stick settings can be adjusted, and games can be reset or quit and returned to the main menu at any time.

However, the game does have some drawbacks. It doesn’t have any online leaderboards, and the trophy list is uninspiring, with nearly half of them being for one game. The background music is not great, and the timelines seem a bit more subdued with a lot of images and only a few videos per chapter. It also doesn’t include the newer games like PSVR games and Atari branded games.

Despite these minor issues, Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is a high-quality production and a real joy to experience. It’s a testament to why Digital Eclipse is the team to deliver these exceptional museum pieces. It needs a physical release to reach a wider audience and truly show off its value. Overall, it’s an excellent mix of games and mini-documentaries, making it a must-play for any gaming history enthusiast, and is another success for the Gold Series from Digital Eclipse.