ZZT (1991, DOS) looks like it was drawn by an enthusiastic ASCII artist with too much time and not enough colors. And yet, it’s brilliant. Part action game, part puzzle adventure, part game creation tool, ZZT is the reason some people grew up to become game developers instead of astronauts. Built by a teenage Tim Sweeney (yes, the Unreal Engine guy), it’s as much about playing as it is about creating your own worlds. The built-in editor is dangerously addictive, and the community levels? Wild. It’s like MS Paint had a baby with an arcade machine - and it never stops being fun.
How to play ZZT
Game modes: single-player
To slow down the game emulation press CTRL+F11, to speed up the game press CTRL+F12. Press Escape (ESC) to exit fullscreen mode.
ZZT runs in your browser thanks to the Emularity library.
More about ZZT
Status: freeware
Genre: action
Released in: 1991
Publisher: Epic MegaGames
Developer: Epic MegaGames
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