Phil Searching for Mort Brings a Spanish Comic Adventure to ZX Spectrum Next

Phil Searching for Mort has arrived for the ZX Spectrum Next, bringing an ambitious isometric adventure rooted in Spanish comic-book history to the modern retro platform. Developed by MJB Software, the release is presented as a faithful conversion of En Busca de Mortadelo!, the 1988 game created by graphic artist Alfonso Fernández, widely known as AF.

The premise is appropriately cartoonish and immediately high stakes. Players take control of Phil, a bossy and famously short-tempered agent whose partner, the towering master of disguise Mort, has been turned to stone by a group of villains. Phil's rescue mission cannot begin with a simple antidote, however. Before Mort can be restored, Phil must work his way through a dangerous labyrinth and free Professor Bacterio, the eccentric scientist capable of preparing the potion needed to reverse the petrification.

That setup places the game firmly in the world inspired by Francisco Ibáñez's celebrated Mortadelo y Filemón comics. The long-running series is known for absurd situations, visual slapstick, disguises, gadgets and escalating chaos, all qualities that make it a natural fit for an isometric maze adventure built around hazards, enemies and comic danger. Rather than merely borrowing a familiar pair of characters for a loose action game, Phil Searching for Mort draws on the particular energy of the comics: a frantic rescue operation in which every room can introduce another obstacle, trap or outlandish threat.

A return to a distinctive isometric adventure

The ZX Spectrum was home to many games that used isometric perspectives to turn compact screens into elaborate obstacle courses. This design approach asks players to judge depth, movement and object placement from an angled view, often making even a single room feel like a small puzzle box. Phil Searching for Mort embraces that tradition on the ZX Spectrum Next rather than abandoning it for a more contemporary format.

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The conversion spans more than 190 isometric screens, giving Phil a substantial labyrinth to explore in pursuit of Professor Bacterio and, eventually, Mort. That scale matters because the objective is not simply to defeat a few enemies and reach an exit. Progress depends on navigating spaces filled with environmental dangers, finding a route through the maze and dealing with problems that require both reflexes and observation.

Phil will need to move quickly through the game's locations, shooting at cartoonish opponents while avoiding deadly traps. Jumping is also part of the challenge, with hazards requiring careful timing rather than straightforward movement from screen to screen. Alongside the action, the game includes physics-based puzzles in which players push objects to create a path forward. These object-moving challenges should add another layer to the isometric viewpoint, as the position of a block or other obstacle can determine whether Phil can safely reach the next section.

The result is a structure that appears designed to preserve the varied demands of the original. One moment may call for fast reactions while enemies close in; another may require pausing to assess an arrangement of platforms, traps and movable items. In an adventure of this size, the tension comes not only from any individual screen but also from the need to maintain momentum through an increasingly hostile maze.

Phil, Mort and Professor Bacterio at the centre of the story

The rescue plot gives the game a clear comic-book identity. Mort is not simply missing: he has been transformed into stone, making the stakes more fantastical than a conventional kidnapping storyline. Phil, meanwhile, has to overcome his own impatient personality as he takes on the responsibility of navigating the villains' territory. The dynamic between the two agents is central to the source material that inspired the game, where mismatched personalities and spectacular mishaps are a major part of the appeal.

Professor Bacterio's role is equally important. As the only person able to brew the cure, he becomes the first major target of the mission. Phil must find and rescue the professor before the final restoration of Mort can even become possible. This creates a layered objective: infiltrate the maze, reach Bacterio, survive the threats positioned across its many screens and continue toward the enemy stronghold.

The adventure ultimately leads to a large final boss encounter. That promises a more dramatic conclusion than simply escaping the last room of the labyrinth. After a game built around the accumulated challenge of traps, enemies and puzzles, a substantial enemy confrontation is a fitting way to bring Phil's mission to a close.

Using the ZX Spectrum Next's audio strengths

While its gameplay aims to remain faithful to an older isometric design, Phil Searching for Mort also makes use of the ZX Spectrum Next's enhanced audio capabilities. MJB Software has included a varied soundtrack with multiple musical themes heard throughout the adventure. The music is not described as a single repeating background piece; instead, it shifts as Phil presses deeper into the villains' domain.

In particular, the soundtrack moves into more intense arrangements as the player gets closer to the enemy lair. This is a notable touch for a game whose setting is a large, screen-by-screen maze. Music can make exploration feel like more than a sequence of disconnected rooms, helping establish that Phil is advancing toward a specific destination and a growing threat. The changing arrangements should also suit the comic-strip escalation at the heart of the premise, with the mood becoming more urgent as the rescue mission approaches its most dangerous phase.

The ZX Spectrum Next has become a home for projects that respect the visual and mechanical language of the original Spectrum while taking advantage of hardware improvements where appropriate. In this case, the enhanced sound is positioned as a complement to the conversion's faithfulness. The core identity remains an isometric adventure from the 1980s, but the presentation uses the newer platform's capabilities to give that journey a richer musical backdrop.

Why this conversion stands out

Retro releases often take one of two approaches: they either create a new game in an old style or revisit an earlier work with updated technical possibilities. Phil Searching for Mort falls into the second camp, yet its appeal is broader than simple nostalgia. The original game's connection to a major Spanish comic tradition gives it a personality that differs from the fantasy castles, sci-fi bases and abstract puzzle worlds frequently associated with classic isometric games.

Its comedy-inspired setting is especially suited to the gameplay elements described for the conversion. Cartoon enemies, lethal traps, improbable puzzles and a scientist with a miracle cure all sound like parts of the same escalating joke, while the petrified-partner plot supplies a genuine goal behind the slapstick. For players who know the comic characters, the game offers a chance to revisit their world through a faithful adaptation. For players discovering it through the ZX Spectrum Next, it offers a substantial maze adventure with a distinctly European comic-book flavour.

The 190-plus screens also make this more than a brief novelty for retro hardware collectors. A game of that size asks players to learn its layout, understand its hazards and keep working through setbacks. The combination of shooting, jumping and object-pushing suggests that the challenge will not rest on a single mechanic. Success should require adaptable play, from quick evasive movement to deliberate puzzle solving.

A substantial mission for Next owners

Phil Searching for Mort positions itself as a classic adventure brought forward for the ZX Spectrum Next without losing the characteristics that defined its era. Its isometric rooms, maze structure, comic-book peril and puzzle-driven progress all point back to the 1988 original, while the expanded audio presentation gives the new version its own reason to exist on the Next.

For Phil, the task is clear: locate Professor Bacterio, obtain the means to undo the villains' curse, survive the sprawling labyrinth and save Mort from his stone-bound fate. For ZX Spectrum Next players, the journey offers more than 190 screens of retro action and problem solving, capped by a major boss battle and accompanied by a soundtrack that grows more urgent as the danger rises.

It is a release built around the enduring appeal of carefully designed isometric spaces and the chaotic charm of a comic universe where rescue missions rarely proceed as planned. Phil may be the one doing the searching, but players can expect to spend plenty of time searching for safe routes, useful objects and the next solution on the path to Mort.