ZX Spectrum

Developer gabicuesta has released Ghost's Revenge, a free homebrew action game for the 16K ZX Spectrum. The game flips the classic Pac-Man formula by putting the player in control of the red ghost, chasing a computer-controlled chomper through a maze while three other ghosts also hunt him down. Catching the chomper first advances the player to the next level, but letting another ghost catch him instead costs a life. The game is available as a download in both English and Spanish versions. via itch.io

Developer BokenDev Studios has released TurboVektor, a free anti-gravity racing game for the ZX Spectrum, available in both 48K and 128K versions. Written from scratch in Z80 assembly, the game renders its tracks in real vector 3D, with players flying over hills, jumping bumps and blasting through tunnels beneath a scrolling neon city skyline. Players can pick a ship and collect missiles, repair kits and turbo pads while racing. The game is still listed as in development. via itch.io

Developer gabicuesta has released Bloqtrix, a free puzzle game for the ZX Spectrum. The game is an 8x8 block puzzle programmed in C using z88dk with some Z80 assembler routines, where each round presents three pieces that can be used to complete rows or columns and chain lines for combo multipliers up to x8. It includes a 48K version with beeper sound effects and a 128K version featuring AY chip music and effects, along with bombs as a gameplay element. via itch.io

Developer codebiters has released XPong48, a free, name-your-own-price Pong-style game for the ZX Spectrum. The game supports a single player or two cooperative players, both controlling separate paddles to defend the same side of the arena against a faster CPU opponent. It was made with AI-assisted code, graphics and sound. This is a Spectrum counterpart to the developer's earlier Commodore 64 release XPong64. via itch.io

Developer Mjnurney has released a name-your-own-price demo of Solar Trader, a space trading strategy game for the ZX Spectrum 48k. Set in a colonised solar system, the game has players trade goods such as water, food, machinery and rare gems across nine worlds, from Mercury's Solar Terminus to Triton Deep at Neptune. The release is a complete, playable demo built with AI-assisted code. It is available as a 35 kB TAP file for download. via itch.io

Developer Juan J. Martínez has released Outpost, a new platform-adventure game for the classic ZX Spectrum 48k. The game casts players as a survivor whose spaceship has crash-landed on a hostile alien world, waking inside a medical pod within an abandoned mining outpost now overrun by aggressive creatures. It draws inspiration from the Dizzy series while incorporating modern metroidvania-style exploration and progression. The ZX Spectrum remains a popular platform for homebrew developers decades after its original release. via indieretronews.com