Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story Review - Screenshot 1 of 5
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

With its efforts on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration and The Making of Karateka, developer Digital Eclipse is cementing itself as a true pioneer in the interactive documentary space. Truth be told, it’s a niche that the studio completely owns at this point, and though we’re surprised other major players in the video game industry have yet to dive into it themselves, we can’t imagine anybody tackling the form without sneaking a few cheeky glances at Digital Eclipse’s work.

Following on from Karateka, Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is the second in the Gold Master Series and takes a deep dive into the career and mind of Jeff Minter (sometimes referred to as ‘Yak’), an English video game designer and programmer who founded Llamasoft. Though well-known within the industry and by veteran players, you could be forgiven for not knowing a great deal about Minter beyond some of his more famous works, including Tempest 2000, Gridrunner, Akka Arrh, and Attack of the Mutant Camels. That’s where Digital Eclipse comes in.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story Review - Screenshot 2 of 5
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

Even if you’re not aware of those aforementioned titles, Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story does an exceptional job of bringing you up to speed and laying out the history of what is undoubtedly one of video gaming's most fascinating and creative minds. Starting from Minter’s days in high school sixth-form learning how to code BASIC on a Commodore PET, the documentary takes you through his life as he creates Llamasoft, experiences an explosion of popularity, begins to experiment with light synthesisers, and ultimately grapples with the growing corporatisation of the industry throughout the ‘90s.

This is all brought to life wonderfully through a combination of text, image galleries, archival videos, new interviews (including the likes of Gary Whitta, Harold Goldberg, and Bex Trista), and yes, playable games. In the now-familiar fashion, The Jeff Minter Story’s timeline is separated into four chapters, each of which represents a significant period in the creator’s career. Within each chapter, you can explore the timeline to your heart’s content, with the vast majority of entries containing multiple visual accompaniments or anecdotal quotes. Everything’s been given a lovely personal touch to highlight Minter's interests and quirks, so while the experience isn’t as broad as Atari 50 or as focused as The Making of Karateka, Jeff Minter's is a much more intimate story.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

In addition to the main timeline, the package also allows you to view Minter’s complete ‘gameography’ from start to finish, with each entry providing a brief overview of the creator’s game projects along with a handful of in-game images, from 1981’s Deflex to the 2023 revamp of Akka Arrh. 42 of Minter’s games are fully playable, and while these are all found periodically throughout the timeline itself, you can browse the complete collection at your leisure.

You’ve got the aforementioned Tempest 2000 here, of course, but there are also several more niche titles, including the light synthesiser Colourspace, the lawn-mowing game Hover Bovver, and an unofficial version of Centipede.

If that’s not quite niche enough, the collection also includes a demo for Attack of the Mutant Camels ‘89 for the unreleased British console, the Konix Multisystem, with Digital Eclipse utilising Minter’s source code for the game alongside specific technical specs of the Konix to pull off the emulation. Much like the inclusion of titles like Aquaventure and the original Akka Arrh in Atari 50, the addition of Attack of the Mutant Camels ‘89 might not bring unbridled joy to every gamer on the planet, but it’s a win for game preservation and a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into what might have been.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story Review - Screenshot 4 of 5
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

One notable omission from the selection, however, is Defender 2000 for the Atari Jaguar, which is down to the fact that neither Minter nor Atari (who, remember, acquired Digital Eclipse in late 2023) owns the rights to the game. A disappointment, but not the end of the world.

Of course, not every game included here is great, and some, like 1982’s Ratman, are particularly egregious even by Minter’s own admission. And sure, if you go into this collection and just dive straight into the list of playable games without experiencing the crucial context that the timeline itself provides, then you might struggle to find the fun. But learning the background behind each title included allows you to appreciate the thought and intent behind each game; not to mention Minter’s love of llamas and sheep.

Once again, Digital Eclipse has provided an effortlessly slick interactive experience. Everything from the timeline itself to the emulation of the games is pitch-perfect, and the combination of the subtle psychedelic timeline backgrounds with appropriately cool, ambient music provides a wonderfully professional and welcoming wrapper. Of course, if you want something a bit more upbeat, a quick tap into the options menu will let you swap in ‘The Minter Mix’, a selection of electronic tracks that feel perfectly suited to the experience.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story Review - Screenshot 5 of 5
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

We only came across one significant flaw throughout our time with The Jeff Minter Story, and it’s when the audio during video segments would occasionally fall out of sync with the visuals. This didn’t happen often, and a quick tap of 'L' to slightly rewind the segment solves the Switch-specific issue. Thankfully, Digital Eclipse flagged the problem and intends to fix it shortly with a post-launch patch.

Conclusion

Like Atari 50 and The Making of Karateka before it, Digital Eclipse's latest interactive documentary is a wonderful glimpse into the mind of one of gaming's most fascinating figures. Even if you've got no prior knowledge of Minter or his games, the selection of videos, image galleries, quotes, and playable games included here will provide you with a newfound respect for this niche yet immensely important segment of gaming history. Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is another triumph for Digital Eclipse, and we can't wait to see what the studio tackles next with its Gold Master Series.