Homebrew & Indie

Maniac Mansion Arrives on ZX Spectrum 128k as Fan Port

Maniac Mansion Arrives on ZX Spectrum 128k as Fan Port

An unofficial port of Lucasfilm Games' 1987 graphic adventure Maniac Mansion has been released for the ZX Spectrum 128k. The port was flagged by ElMundodelSpectrum, and is notable because the point-and-click game's size and complexity were long considered beyond the capabilities of the 8-bit Spectrum hardware. Maniac Mansion was one of the earliest games to use LucasArts' SCUMM engine, which went on to power many later graphic adventures. via indieretronews.com

Pokémon Super Vanilla Red and Blue Hacks Released

A fan developer has released Super Vanilla Red and Super Vanilla Blue, ROM hacks that bring full colour graphics using the original Generation 1 sprites to Pokémon Red and Blue. The hacks add quality-of-life features including an experience bar, a caught indicator, shiny and gender indicators in battle, running shoes, instant text and a repel prompt. Battle speed has also been increased. The project is shared on Hackdex and GitHub. via pokecommunity.com

Steel Ranger 2 Nears Release After Four Years of C64 Work

A solo developer has spent four years creating Steel Ranger 2, an ambitious action adventure for the Commodore 64. The game features more than 800 screens to explore and a 45-minute soundtrack, with almost all of the work, including code, art and music, done by one person. The Commodore 64 remains a popular platform for homebrew developers decades after its original release, with new full-scale games still being produced for it. via reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro

Pokémon Doom Desire Fan Game Updated to v1.1

Pokémon Doom Desire, a fan-made Pokémon ROM hack, has been updated to version 1.1. The game is set in a new region called Sorrells, which places heavy emphasis on nature's role in the world, and follows a fresh trainer collecting eight gym badges before facing the Pokémon league. A mysterious group causing unrest in the background also features in the story. This update follows the game's earlier debut release. via pokecommunity.com

Pokemon True Black ROM Hack Released Complete

Pokemon True Black, a fan-made ROM hack of Pokemon Black, has been released in complete form as the creator's first hack project. The hack expands access to items and TMs that were normally locked behind the Battle Subway or hard-to-reach NPC requirements, while sticking to the original Black and White philosophy of only allowing Generation 5 Pokemon. Pokemon variety has also been expanded throughout the game to give more varied encounters for both normal playthroughs and nuzlockes. via pokecommunity.com

Pokémon Let’s Go Peerless Pikachu & Exquisite Eevee PLUS Released

A fan developer has released Pokémon Let's Go: Peerless Pikachu & Exquisite Eevee PLUS, a sequel to and reimagining of the earlier Peerless Pikachu & Exquisite Eevee mod. The new version overhauls wild encounters, drawing inspiration from the Johto games, with full changes made to land, sea and sky encounter tables. The project is described as containing more effort than typical FireRed/LeafGreen based ports, and adds further features on top of the original mod's groundwork. via pokecommunity.com

Genesis Project Releases New Sabre Wulf C64 Remaster

Genesis Project Releases New Sabre Wulf C64 Remaster

The demoscene group Genesis Project has released a new remaster of Sabre Wulf for the Commodore 64. Sabre Wulf was originally released in 1984 by Ultimate Play the Game across the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, C64 and Amstrad CPC. Genesis Project's version brings updated visuals to the C64 edition of the maze-exploration adventure game. This is a different project from an earlier Sabre Wulf C64 remaster released by developer Sveinacious-G. via indieretronews.com

Cosmic Smash, Wetrix+ Get New Dreamcast Leaderboards

Cosmic Smash, Wetrix+ Get New Dreamcast Leaderboards

Dreamcast community developer enfilade, who runs the DC99 project, has added online leaderboard functionality to Cosmic Smash, Wetrix+ and the Dreamcast port of Cruis'n USA. The feature lets players upload scores and lap times directly from their VMU save files using the console's web browser, with results reported and implemented by DC99. Unlike many revived online features for Dreamcast games that restore services the titles originally had, this leaderboard support is newly created rather than a recreation of a period feature. via thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk

Pokemon Evergreen, Emerald ROM Hack, Released Complete

Pokemon Evergreen, a fan-made ROM hack of Pokemon Emerald, has been released in its complete form. The hack was created by Cimbachu888 and finalized, bugfixed and published by WoRLAND. It keeps the game mostly vanilla while adding quality-of-life updates and letting players choose from six starters, covering all five original Eeveelutions plus Eevee itself, with Leafeon, Glaceon and Sylveon also added to the game. Shiny encounter odds have been increased to 1.1 percent, and wild encounters throughout the game have been reworked. via pokecommunity.com

Missile Command Gets Free Amiga 500 Tribute

Missile Command Gets Free Amiga 500 Tribute

Developer MAZ has released Missile Commande, a name-your-own-price tribute to the classic arcade game Missile Command for the Commodore Amiga 500. The game was recreated from scratch using the AMOS programming language combined with 68k assembler. It follows the original's concept of defending cities from waves of incoming enemy missiles, with mouse controls used to target and intercept them. The project was made with AI-assisted code and graphics. via itch.io