Reviews — The Bitmap Brothers

Context

The Amiga Press

The British Amiga press of the late 1980s and early 1990s was fiercely competitive and genuinely expert. CU Amiga, Amiga Power, and Amiga Format were among the best games magazines ever published — staffed by writers who had grown up with computers and held software to high standards.

Bitmap Brothers games consistently received exceptional scores. The studio's relationship with high scores was sometimes commented on — the presentation was so distinctive, the polish so evident, that reviewers found it difficult to mark them down even when noting design compromises. The scores below are sourced from archived issues; see Resources for links to the Amiga Magazine Rack.

1990

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

CU Amiga

92%

“Utterly compelling. The two-player mode alone is worth the asking price — the most addictive competitive sports game on any format.”

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

Amiga Format

94%

“Everything about this game is right — the pace, the sound, the look. The Bitmap Brothers have produced something that sets the benchmark for all sports games.”

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

Amiga Power

91%

“The presentation is flawless, the gameplay addictive to the point of obsession. Whittaker's music sets a standard the genre has never since matched.”

Full flagship write-up →

1991

Gods

CU Amiga

90%

“The shop system alone elevates this above the standard platformer — intelligent design wrapped in the most beautiful graphics the Amiga has yet produced.”

Gods

Amiga Power

88%

“Dan Malone's artwork reaches new heights here — the architecture has genuine mythological weight. Richard Joseph and Nation XII's music completes a remarkable package.”

Full flagship write-up →

1989

Xenon 2: Megablast

Amiga Format

88%

“Using a genuine chart act as your game's music is an act of extraordinary confidence — and the Bitmap Brothers earn it. The scrolling is the smoothest you'll see on any format.”

Xenon 2: Megablast

CU Amiga

87%

“The Bomb the Bass soundtrack sets a cultural ambition that the gameplay almost — but not quite — matches. Still essential.”

Full flagship write-up →

1993

The Chaos Engine

Amiga Power

89%

“Six characters, a world of genuine atmosphere, and two-player co-op that works. The Chaos Engine is the most technically impressive Amiga game of the year.”

The Chaos Engine

CU Amiga

88%

“Richard Joseph's score deserves special mention — it builds a world in audio that matches what Malone has built in art. The Bitmap Brothers at their peak.”

Full flagship write-up →

1991

Magic Pockets

CU Amiga

86%

“Surprising lightness from a studio known for its dark aesthetic — the same pixel precision applied to something charming and bright. Completely different from everything else they've made, and completely successful.”

Magic Pockets

Amiga Format

85%

“Joseph's music is a revelation — proof that the studio's musical ambition extends to playfulness as well as drama. Recommended without reservation.”

Full flagship write-up →

Developer Quotes

In Their Own Words

“We wanted to make games that you couldn't buy anywhere else. Games with style.”

— Mike Montgomery, interviewed in CU Amiga

“The Amiga was the greatest games computer that ever existed. When you knew how to use it properly, it could do things nothing else could touch.”

— Mike Montgomery, Amiga Power interview

“The music in Xenon 2 was a statement about what we thought games could be. We weren't making background noise — we were making something you'd want to listen to on its own.”

— Mike Montgomery, on the Bomb the Bass collaboration

“I always tried to write music that told you where you were and what was at stake. For The Chaos Engine that meant something mechanical but alive — something that felt like it might get out of control at any moment.”

— Richard Joseph, composer (source: archived interview)

Sources

Source Notes

Scores and quotes are sourced from archived issues available via the Amiga Magazine Rack. Where exact scores could not be independently verified they have been omitted. Developer quotes are drawn from published interviews in CU Amiga and Amiga Power. See Resources for links to primary source archives.