Warning! Any information about this article is unofficial and not canon to the Giana Sisters canon. Please read it carefully.
Giana's Return is a unofficial 2D singleplayer platform freeware game based on The Great Giana Sisters created by Retroguru in 2003. The game was similar to Giana Worlds, but since Giana Worlds and Giana Worlds 2 ended up being halted on any further development, it renamed into "Giana's Return". The game is ported on many systems.
Evil Swampy and his followers have stolen the magic ruby, which made it once possible for Giana and Maria to return from their dream. Many creatures are after this ruby, but does it really has power, or was it just a coincidence? As this is not bad enough, Swampy fell in love at first sight with Giana’s sister Maria and shamelessly kidnapped her. She simply has been at the wrong place at the wrong time. You will now have to take on the role of Giana and get back the magic ruby. And most important of all, save your beloved sister Maria and get home save! Good Luck!
Gameplay[]
Giana's Return is a 2D side scrolling game in which the player controls Giana. The gameplay of the game is the same as The Great Giana Sisters, therefore its similarity to Super Mario Bros, but has some additional features. The game uses the password feature for each level, so the player can enter in a menu and play the level they want. If the player leaves the game or get the game over screen, he will be able to return the level he was in, but will lose a large part of his progress (the bonuses used, the rubies and the score).
Giana has a health bar, which make her live longer than in the original game, but deadly obstacles still can instant kill her like the spikes, fires, pits and water. Her health can be recovered if she passes a level or get an extra life. The power-ups are randomly placed on bonus blocks and some of them have the same ability from the original game, unlike the clock power-up. The bomb and waterdrop power-ups are absent from the game. There is a hidden power-up having the same appearence of the Fire Wheel which gives an armor to Giana. It can only be obtain in the middle of Borelix's Cave and if the player doesn't die once.
Worlds[]
Giana's Return consists of 56 levels and 7 bosses stages that Giana can explore. Each worlds contain 8 levels followed by a boss level, which make 63 levels in total.
Crooaa's Mountains[]
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Stage 6
Stage 7
Stage 8
Crooaa boss stage.
Zampa's World[]
Stage 9
Stage 10
Stage 11
Stage 12
Stage 13
Stage 14
Stage 15
Stage 16
Zampa boss stage.
Borelix's Cave[]
Stage 17
Stage 18
Stage 19
Stage 20
Stage 21
Stage 22
Stage 23
Stage 24
Borelix boss stage.
Vulcano's Wasteland[]
Stage 25
Stage 26
Stage 27
Stage 28
Stage 29
Stage 30
Stage 31
Stage 32
Vulcano boss stage.
Pythios's Desert[]
Stage 33
Stage 34
Stage 35
Stage 36
Stage 37
Stage 38
Stage 39
Stage 40
Pythios boss stage.
Xaleander's Lowlands[]
Stage 41
Stage 42
Stage 43
Stage 44
Stage 45
Stage 46
Stage 47
Stage 48
Xhale boss stage.
Swampy's Swamp[]
Stage 49
Stage 50
Stage 51
Stage 52
Stage 53
Stage 54
Stage 55
Stage 56
Swampy boss stage.
Power-ups[]
The power-ups appearance.
Fire Wheel : Gives the ability to bash some blocks by hitting them from below.
Lightning : Gives the ability to shot little bubbles.
Double Lightning : Similar to the previous power-up, but the bubbles reflect on solid objects.
Advanced/Upgraded Double Lightning : It name is unknown. It's does like the Strawberry power-up. The bubbles aim on the nearest enemy and chase it.
Clock : Unlike the original game, it don't freeze enemies. Instead, it will give more time.
Heart : Does the same thing as the Lollipop power-up : gives Giana an extra life.
Trivia[]
The game has a hidden trainer screen. First off, go the first level and collect one ruby. Next, hit every store block with the following directions: L, R, R, L, R, L, L. And you have the Trainer screen!
The game has a hidden greeting screen. the manipulation are the same as the previous one, but you must collect two rubies instead of one.
The game has a hidden message in the ending if you enter this cheat code : "CR3D1T". The game will say "Congratulations! Cheater!"
The Armored Giana power-up is based to Hard 'n' Heavy. That hidden power-up can be also available by entering the cheat code : "ARM0RD". However in that way, you won't be able to shoot bubbles and break blocks.
Giana's scream (when hurt) is similar to the death scream from Giana Family.
Strangely enough, the first level looks similar to the 1-1 level from Super Mario Bros.
The scroll text start to break the fourth wall if you wait around 2 minute in the title screen. The text says pretty much anything like : insisting the player tp play the game instead of reading, revealing secret features and listing tools that's was used for the game. After that, the game will asking why the player is still reading and then the scroll text will restart by following ellipsis.
In the french version of the scroll text, a bad word is spelled (you can see the screenshot below). If you want to know what this word mean, translate it by yourself.
It is unknown for now if there is also a bad word in the German and Spanish version.
