Jet Set Willy
Jet Set Willy is a 1984 platformer developed by Software Projects, the sequel to Manic Miner and another creation of Matthew Smith for the ZX Spectrum. Players control Miner Willy, now a wealthy homeowner, as he tries to tidy up his enormous mansion after a wild party before his housekeeper will let him go to bed, collecting scattered items from across its many rooms.
Unlike its linear, screen-by-screen predecessor, the game offered a large interconnected mansion of around sixty rooms to explore freely, with each screen full of hazards, moving obstacles, and strange enemies that had to be navigated with precise jumps. Its ambitious scale and open structure were remarkable for the hardware, and it became famous both for its charm and for a notorious game-breaking bug in the original release that had to be corrected with a published fix.
Jet Set Willy is fondly remembered as a cornerstone of the British home-computer era and spawned sequels. The original remains playable through emulation and retro collections for enthusiasts of classic platformers.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Jet Set Willy, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
| Alternative | Price | Steam Deck | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hollow Knight Indie | € 14,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| La-Mulana Indie | € 14,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Animal Well Indie | € 24,50 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, PlayStation, Switch |
| Environmental Station Alpha Indie | € 9,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, Mac |
Hollow Knight Indie
€ 14,99An indie metroidvania with a vast interconnected map and demanding platforming to explore.
Hollow Knight runs on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
La-Mulana Indie
€ 14,99A cryptic, room-by-room exploration platformer full of hidden switches and unfair traps, in the best way.
La-Mulana runs on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Animal Well Indie
€ 24,50A single interconnected mansion of secrets where the real puzzles are the ones nobody tells you about.
Animal Well runs on PC, PlayStation, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Xbox.
Environmental Station Alpha Indie
€ 9,99An indie exploration platformer with a sprawling map and retro aesthetic in Jet Set Willy's spirit.
Environmental Station Alpha runs on PC, Mac. Not available on Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch.
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