Gaming News — Commodore 64

We're now starting a new month, and while we did slow things down a bit in the past few weeks, we need to kick things up a notch to make up for last time. We never forgot about the fast-paced nature of retro gaming friends, so don't worry. 

From Atari to MS-DOS to Commodore 64, we're going coast to coast with three different titles that'll pique a variety of interests. It's always great to have options when choosing a game to keep you company over a busy week. It's time to make a choice, so watch on to see what you're working with.

TRAX

The year was 1993, and the Bitmap Brothers dropped one of the hottest games of that year. The original Chaos Engine initially made for the Amiga. It pits one or two players against horrible demonic entities in an intense top-down shooter. Fast forward to 2023. We have a very sweet love letter from Shanti77, to the OG Chaos Engine called Trax.

This time around, It'll come out on the Atari XL/XE. It's still too early to say if it'll be turned into a full game, but we're getting some development notes from the developer. So far, Trax features a variety of enemies, items to pick up, keys to collect, sound effects, three new levels, improved AI and some graphical improvements. So far so good. It looks like Atari XL and XE owners have a great game to look forward to. 

GOLD MINE RUN

It's quite a special occasion as we don't get that many MS-DOS releases, especially on GOG. This retro title comes from Juan J. Martinez, an absolute Chad who's released other great games like Hyperdrive for the CPC and Night Knight for the MSX.

This time we're getting a sweet MS-DOS game called Gold Mine Run, a high-quality platformer inspired by the classics, but with a twist. You have to collect all the gold throughout each of the 30 stages to progress. Now that's intense. So far, we know that Gold Mine Run is a single-screen arcade platformer that totally channels that old-school nostalgic vibe of eighties arcade classics.

The game's design was strongly influenced by Night Knight for the MSX, and Juan J. Martinez made sure of that. As for the requirements, of course, you’ll need MS-DOS to run it, plus a 386 DX at 33 megahertz, VJ Graphics, a sound blaster, and at least 4 megabytes of RAM. So to anyone on GOG who runs with the MS-DOS crowd, it's high time you checked out or took part in the Gold Mine Run.

BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT GAME BOY ADVENTURE

Last but not least, we get a very hip and cool blast from the past on the Commodore 64. If you're a fan of the nineties and, at the very least, own an old school Game Boy, then you'll be psyched to know that this latest release by Roman Werner is a wonderful Port of Bill and Ted's excellent Game Boy adventure for the C64. 

This title will definitely rekindle some of those very late eighties and early nineties memories because Keanu Reeves, even if it's just tiny pixels of him. Yes, LJN and Beam Software's legendary game has finally made its way to the Commodore 64 more than 30 years later.

Currently available on itch.io., this is a very accurate conversion of the legendary Bill and Ted Game Boy game for modern C64 sensibilities. It's remained from scratch, optimized for the C64 and features SID Music by Nordischsound. Did we mention that Pixel Keanu Reeves is in it? Yes, of course. What's more is, it's absolutely free on itch.io. So, if you wanna relive the glory days of the early nineties, best to download Bill and Ted's excellent Game Boy Adventure for the C64. 

Check the Weekly Gaming News here:

Come play and talk with us on Discord and subscribe to our YouTube for more Retro Gaming News!

As we go through the month of August, we uncover a few more gems to add to our collection, both with games and consoles. While the action might take a bit of a backseat this week, we always make sure to keep the excitement at a high enough level.

Don't worry. We won't be staying up anytime soon. This week we have two chill titles for anyone who wants to have fun while taking things easy and a cool new console that can definitely add to that much-needed r and r. We keep our retro news hot and fresh, so stick around if you haven't gotten your weekly dose!

MEGA WIZARD

It looks like Commodore 64 owners are eating good this month because Retro Gaming with Jeffery is working on an interesting multi-party game that just might be the star of everyone's show once it comes out. This one's called Mega Wizards. It's currently a work-in-progress build, but it shows a whole lot of promise.

As of right now, there's little info on the game, but thanks to a short preview online, we have a better idea of what we're getting. We can expect a simple game with easy mechanics, which is something you'd expect from C64 title. Since the colors are nice, the music has a tippy vibe, and that multi-party nature is always something to look forward to.

If you're a fan of the classic Warlord games, but wanted a bit more fast-paced and competitive, it's best to keep your eyes peeled for Mega Wizards.

HOLIDAY

Now the party won't stop. It'll just slow down a bit. You know, just like taking a vacation in a semi-literal sense. If you have a Commodore Amiga and wanna get away from the usual hustle and bustle of everyday life, you can go out of town from the comfort of your seat with Holiday by LifeSchool22.

If you need a clearer description, this game will have players trying to survive for 11 days in a climate of heat, humidity, and the air smelling sweet like ripe bananas at a Spanish resort. We know it sounds quite challenging, but isn't every vacation?

It plays like any classic text-based. Choose your own adventure type of game with real photos of different places and a variety of options that'll lead you down a given path. This is definitely a game where you take your time, enjoy the scenery, and make the right choices so your vacation ends on a good note. So if you don't feel like stepping out but wanna enjoy a good, challenging out of towner, then a holiday might be for you. 

ANBERNIC RG405M

You want handheld. Of course, we want handhelds. Thankfully, our good friends at Anbernic has some really nice handhelds that are tailor-made for the fans. Anbernic has a very active community and they've been clamoring for console of particular sensibilities, that being a vertical version of their popular Android-based handheld, the Anbernic, RG405M.

So they gave it that vertical Game Boy aesthetic and called it the RG405V, which actually looks pretty good. It comes in different colorways, including the classic RG351V wood finish in terms of their track record in aesthetics. The RG405V is definitely an outlier being a bit rounder and smooth along the edges compared to most. It might be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely a cute-looking console while it's already an officially confirmed device, we've only got a quick rundown of specs.

Like 4’’ IPS touch screen, A Unisoc Tiger T 618 chipset, A Mali G52 GPU, 4GB LPDDR4X RAM, and of course an Android 12 operating system. There will be more to unpack as more details on the RG 405 V to come out, so we'll make sure to be aware of its cuteness in the near future.

Check the Weekly Gaming News here:

Come play and talk with us on Discord and subscribe to our YouTube for more Retro Gaming News!

Now, if you've been following us this past month, you've noticed how we've dialled down the action just a teensy bit. We know it's a bit unusual, but worry not because we're back, and we're going all out this week. Kicking down the door and bringing you retro action gaming at its finest. This week we're looking at a few games featuring some awesome sword-slashing, magic plastic action on this side of your old-school consoles. So stick around because things are about to get intense. 

DEATHFLOOD: DUNGEON OF DOOM

Now if you want some side-scrolling action that puts you into the boots of a badass barbarian, then you might wanna check out Windigo Productions awesome looking Commodore64 game, Deathflood: Dungeon of Doom. Take note, there's a whole lot of emphasis on the “death flood”. Deathflood: Dungeon of Doom takes place in a large vertical dungeon full of enemies, traps, and, you guessed it, a constantly rising flood.

Your objective is to escape the dungeon by rising up while keeping your head above water, just like in real life. Of course, things aren't that simple. You also get bonus objectives, hidden secrets, and some decisions to make in advancing the story. With 3 unique worlds and 19 individual levels, there's a lot to do and quite a distance to swim.

So if you're looking for a survival side scroller with unique graphics, challenging gameplay, and a cool soundtrack, you might wanna prep for the Deathflood: Dungeon of Doom. 

RASTAN

It's time to take a look at an arcade to Amiga port that's equally action-packed, and equally barbaric, but in a good way. We just caught the wind that Basementape is an Amiga Port of Rastan, a side-scrolling hack-and-slash video game released by the absolute legends and Trito for arcades in 1987. Due to its popularity and legendary status, many titles followed in its footstep. Just taking a look at it brings back good old memories. 

Rastan brings five action-packed levels of satisfying hack-and-slash gameplay with your obligatory boss battle at the end of each. On your journey, you'll be ploughing through flying demons, chimaeras, valkyries, piranhas, undead, and many more to save a land of log graph from certain doom. However, things won't get boring as the game features a whole arsenal of badass weapons. You got axes, maces, and fire swords. Each with badass attributes like extended range or attack power.

It's an action game with a bit of RPG, as you can deck out your character with armour and accessories to make sure the enemies go down faster. When you become the last man standing. It's true, classic, badassery retro style. So if you have a spare Amiga 500 lying around, you might wanna give Rastan a good old spin.

SPELLBOUND

So we're shifting from Barbarian Brawlers to knights in shining armor. While this game might not be as gritty and hardcore as the first two, it's still a nice challenge that features your classic epic action fantasy elements. I'm talking about the MSX release for Spellbound, the iconic 1980s Classic by David Jones.

Now this classic came out in 1985 for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC home computers, and since then, it had quite the following. Even though it was the second game in the classic Magic Night series. Spellbound never came out on the MSX system back in 1985, but thanks to Mastropiero itch.io, things were about to change.

This MSX Port started development this year with the sole intention of bringing the entire Magic Night series to the MSX. Truly a heroic and much appreciated effort. However, this is an exclusive for itch.io with David Jones’ blessing. So if you want this classic for your MSX, make sure not to go anywhere else; otherwise, happy trails.

Check the Weekly Gaming News here:

Come play and talk with us on Discord and subscribe to our YouTube for more Retro Gaming News!

We tone things down a little as you wrap up things this month and start April. Well, we won't be featuring anything too explosive. We're still looking at some pretty dynamic retro games that'll keep you wanting more. And no, we're not slowing things down, don't worry. From Rogue Light to Platformer to Tech Space Adventure, we're covering all our bases this week, so sit tight.

PLANET B

We got the four in one, and anyone looking forward to anything coming out on the Sega Mega Drive. The game Planet B is a 16-bit Roguelike RPG that offers just what any fan would expect, a unique run every time. Fabrice Fernandez, Hieu-Khai Bui-Quang, and Emmanuel Rousseau are leading in developing this title, and things are looking great with randomly generated content; players can explore dungeons, collect items, and go through a story with a different experience every time. Just like any good roguelike.

Currently, there isn't much info on planet B, but given the love for the genre, you can best believe we'll be following up.

CRACKY

Now it's time to look at a new game for the Amstrad C64, Plus4 and ZX Spectrum. Yeah, that's a lot of consoles, but we're looking at an intriguing game. Cracky is an arcade platformer where you collect all the stars while avoiding deadly baddies and other dangers you'll definitely come across. Cracky is a new title with an old-schooled book and feel. Written by a Japanese developer Infuto who habitually releases games on many eight-bit platforms. This one is his 13th release, and we can expect many more by the look of things.

The game objective is simple, clear each level by collecting all the stars without getting killed. As for the reason why it's called Cracky. While some parts on the game's floor literally crack when you walk over, creating holes in the platforms. To make things even more challenging, there's no jumping. So on most levels, you must use the cracks to your advantage or fall from the stars. So if you're in the market for a non-jumper platformer with a quirky twist, then it's time to get Cracky. 

GNOME RANGER & TIME AND MAGIK

Now for an adventure in text, retro style. Developer Csabo, together with Pigmy are doing old-school fans of the genre, a solid by reporting the classic text space adventure games of Gnome Ranger and Time and Magik over to the Commodore Plus4.

For those unfamiliar, Gnome Ranger is a text adventure game designed by Peter Austin and released by Level 9 in 1987, many, many moons ago. A year later, we got a sequel entitled Ingrid's Back, which further explores the series. As for Time in Magik, you got a trilogy of interactive fiction games by the same studio.

Level Nine first released the individual games separately from 1983 to 1986. The trilogy came out in 1988, with all three games revised, expanded, and rereleased together as a compilation by Mandarin Software. When it comes to text Adventures, Level 9 of the Gnome Ranger franchise, we're among the first to popularize the genre. It's nice to see the same games getting more love in 2023. Once the Commodore Plus Port comes out, we'll make sure to let you know. 

Check the Weekly Gaming News video here:

Come play and talk with us on Discord and subscribe to our YouTube for more Retro Gaming News!