ZX Spectrum Demo Compo at Forever 21: Review by introspec

ZX Spectrum demo compo at Forever 21 (March 2023) by introspec

The ZX Spectrum demo compo at the last Forever was so strong that the audience, somewhat unused to such luxuries, ended up not really knowing who to vote for. The resulting order of entries is to a large extent accidental. You can come up with all kinds of rationalizations why this particular order of demos is justified or not justified, but fundamentally, with the first three places taking between 605 and 620 points, and the fourth place trailing behind with still very respectable 560 points, there is not much to separate these demos. They are all quite nice, each in their own specific way.

Kremash by CI5 The Amateurs & MB Maniax

(https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=93968)

I'll be honest, group names "CI5" and "MB Maniax" did not say much to me, so I had to google the history of the groups, and now understand even less. "MB Maniax" operated from early 2000s, and got officially disbanded in 2017, when Logout (the last of the Mobicans) joined CI5. CI5, on the other hand, keep an active website with frequent updates, and seem to have been operating even longer than "MB Maniax". So even if these guys call themselves amateurs, none of them are novices, and the demo shows it off with some nice motion design, cool graphics and a fashionably aggressive soundtrack. It also has sorta concept to hold it all together, and the concept works, almost. Fundamentally, it is a demo that misrepresents coffee as the fuel of the demoscene, which it clearly isn't (beer, or vodka, or mushrooms would have a stronger claim here). Still, this is a neat demo, and the only reason it ended up last in the compo, in my mind, is to do with the fact that it never found a unique niche where it would be the best. It is not as funny as the other funny demos in the compo, and it is not as technical as the other technical demo. It might have compensated by motion design and concept, but they are just not original/radical/convincing enough. A truly fantastic soundtrack by Aki is almost doing disservice to it, as when the music ramps up the energy at the culmination of the demo, the visuals never quite match the intensity of the sound.

Ganzfeld by 3SC

(https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=93967)

3SC on the other hand is a much more recognizable brand as they created some of the finest ZX Spectrum demos of the late 1990s: "Insane" and "Higher State" (likely, THE most impressive ZX Spectrum demos of the 1990s for 48K machines with an AY extension). 20+ years is enough time to forget most demogroups, but 3SC never disappeared completely, making an occasional tiny intro every once in a while (and, accidentally, creating THE most popular 256b for MS-DOS, still ranked in the Top 10 of all times on Pouet). So, the expectations were high and 3SC, these days a one man band, did not disappoint.

I think the most interesting question about baze^3SC making a new demo was: what would it look like? Would it be another 1990s oldschool demo, with a random collection of "impossible" effects, or a more newschool "designer" demo? The funny thing is that we are getting a bit of both. The 1990s sensibility is still very much there, with a collection of technically-excellent effects all trying very hard to stay within the customary 50Hz screen updates. At the same time, the packaging is all changed. Gone are framed effects, black screen pauses between the scenes and pedestrian presentation. Instead, you have a smooth sequence of effects/transitions, skilfully synchronized to music and morphing from one to another effortlessly and seamlessly. The choice of what to show is also very much newschool: the abstract prospective-based and particle/chunky visuals have more in common with modern gif animation rather than the traditional demoscene fare. So, this is not Lemon optimizing and adding transitions to the old "Rink a Dink"; this is a proper modern reassessment of what works and what does not.

So, why then the 3rd place? Barring all the usual comments about the party voting, I think that the answer is very simple.

Ganzfeld is incredibly cold. Visually impressive and technically excellent, it however is totally devoid of any message, good or bad. One is simply left to admire the perfect artefact, like Snow Queen's eternity puzzle, without any hope to ever engage with it. Stark and meaningless, "Ganzfeld" looks like a communication from aliens delivered to us across light years of barren space, impenetrable and incomprehensive. Like any piece of abstract art, it is easy to like it in theory, but not enough people seem to like it in practice.

We Are The 8-Bits by HOOY-PROGRAM

(https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=93964)

A formidable one-man demo-making machine who we all know as Gasman has a bit of track record releasing some of his best work at Forever. And even if this demo does not quite match the heights of uber-technical and simultaneously lyrical Ultraviolet, it is still based on a very solid remix of Kraftwerk's "The Robots", a bunch of typically-Gasmanian meme-like visuals and some funny words to sing along to. And although the resulting song is not as cool or as cutting through as Gasman's "In the Future", and the concept feels not that fresh given e.g. classic "Robotic Liberation" by PWP, it is still a very solid entry and is evidently relatable enough to get ahead of 3SC in the audience sympathy vote.

Frankly, I am not very sure what to add here. This is a joke demo, but as always with Gasman demos, it comes with a human touch, so the jokes are truly light-hearted and the feel-good attitude is infectious. You almost need to remind yourself that this most human demo in the compo actually features a bunch of robots set to some of the most mechanical music ever made.

STOPgenocide by Kitten Rescuers & Invaders

(https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=93966)

As an oldschool demoparty, Forever is dominated by traditional productions, and this is not an exception. "STOPgenocide" is a collection of traditional effects made by no less than six different coders and using art from five artists, together probably a quarter of ZX Spectrum crowd in attendance. Given the size of the team, the most surprising achievement here is just how cohesive this demo is. Although pixelled by multiple artists, the art does not seem to change drastically from one scene to another. Although made by multiple coders, the effects mostly fit the approach and the rhythm of the demo (I am only unsure about the inevitable fullscreen plasma). So, although not particularly ambitious in its approach, "STOPgenocide" is tighter, looks better, sounds better and is more entertaining than the majority of demos of similar ilk.

I understand that saying the word "Gemba" would be a bit contentious in this context, but comparisons are inevitable, and both style and approach to demo-making on display is definitely not dissimilar from the best Gemba productions. In fact, I think there is also a bit more to it. Most oldschool demos present variations of more-or-less the same effects again and again; modern productions just polish the presentation and pay a lot more attention to the sync with the music. This demo goes one step beyond, by adding a layer of self-awareness on top. "Yes, we've made a demo with plasmas and twisters, but it was very intentional, so we are being explicitly ironic and made up a silly story about it." And even if this is clearly not the first demo in this style on Spectrum ("The Cambrian Explosion" by Hooy-Program, "4D Demo 8" by Lamers & speccy.pl, or even some past works by Gemba are all good examples), it is actually built a lot better than most funny demos tend to be built.

My impressions here are coloured by several things. I never fully trust funny demos, I love good twisters (some of the twisters here are quite tasty), and I find that the concept does not quite do it for me (maybe I just don't care enough about kittens). Overall, I find "STOPgenocide" well-built but a bit underwhelming. Well, at least when they were disposing of demo effects they binned only one twister, and about ten variations of plasma, which was definitely the right thing to do (maybe there should have been one or two plasmas more!). And Omega's space sim engine looks cool even for silly-looking cat-shaped space ships, which must count for something.