As you know, there are many MIA projects on the Spectrum with the Alien name.
Our team is a big fan of this cinema-universe, so we decided to take part in the competition showing our fantasy of what could be a game for this setting.
Our game is not a retelling of any of the films, it is based on its own story.
There are two different endings in the game, can you find them?
Gameplay
Review
CREDITS:
Programming, coding and level design: Alexander Udotov (aka Sanchez). Music and SFX: Oleg Nikitin (aka n1k-o). Graphics and scenario: Evgeniy Rogulin (aka ER).
After exploring the galaxy and looking for valuable minerals, Baggers is ready to make his way home. Typically, his return turns out not to be a simple return flight. After hitting a nasty piece of space debris, Baggers finds himself stranded on an alien planet with both a broken spaceship and no fuel. Can you help him find a way to leave the planet and continue his journey home? He would really like to be home in time for tea...
A colossal 16 varied planets impede your progress home. Each planet contains a wealth of intriguing and often deadly enemies, glorious minerals, blocked passages, tricks and traps, and perhaps even a special idol to help Baggers on his quest. A hearty quest for the intrepid adventurer lovingly crafted as a Spectrum Next exclusive by two coding veterans. Also featuring well over an hour of music and even a secret or two.
Are you Baggers enough for the quest?
Gameplay
CREDITS:
Authors: Michael Flash Ware, Jim Bagley. Graphics: Lobo. Audio: Space Fractal
Throttle wide open, needle on the redline... it's you against the top riders of the Grand Prix circuit as you race your motorcycle across 5 continents in a bid to be first across the line!
Inspired by the classic arcade racers of the 1980s, Bikers brings the excitement home to the ZX Spectrum Next in full-colour, high-octane glory.
Features: Console-quality arcade gameplay Huge sprites 5 challenging courses Customisable difficulty level Supports 1, 2 and 3 button game pads/joysticks and keyboard Fully re-definable keys Specially composed soundtrack
Gameplay
CREDITS:
Author: Andy Laird. Graphics: Andy Laird. Audio: Andy Laird, Richard Faulkner
This deluxe physical edition of Bikers is the version that includes a fantastic re-engineered soundtrack CD by A Man in his TechnoShed, along with a developer diary on the SD.
CREDITS:
Author: Andy Laird. Graphics: Andy Laird. Audio: Andy Laird, Richard Faulkner
Deep within the heart of the forgotten jungle, Captain Square Jaw - renowned andventurer and relic hunter - stands before the crumbling entrance of an ancient temple....
Explore five different temples on your quest for wealth, fame and fortune; find the golden key to open the exit and escape to the next stage.
Deep within the heart of the forgotten jungle, Captain Square Jaw - renowned andventurer and relic hunter - stands befor the crumbling entrance of an ancient temple....
Join Crowley in an exciting puzzle adventure. Challenge various game modes a quest to attain the highest scores and visit many world locations, and perhaps ever further.
Gameplay
CREDITS:
Code: Michael Flash Ware & Jim Bagley. Graphics: Lobo. Audio: Space Fractal
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Crowley World Tour 2 (2023) ZXnextHUB ID: ZXHO 0015 Puzzle
“Delta’s Shadow” is an action platformer inspired by the game “Power Blade2” for the NES. Playing as a secret agent Nova and his partner Jacqueline, you will have to plunge into the gloomy atmosphere of the game and fight deadly combat machines and aliens.
Transnational corporation Trigon continues the Delta Foundation job and prepares a new alien invasion. “Delta’s shadow” features more than 20 music tracks, lots of technological locations, stealth, and racing levels.
Destroy the Trigon Corporation and save the Earth from the aliens’ threat!
This game also includes the additional short game called “Guns & Gears”
CREDITS:
SaNchez Russia, Sinc LAIR, ER Russia, Nik-O Russia
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Farmer Sam's Dog Day (Coming soon) ZXnextHUB ID: ZXHO 0026 Platformer
Country life may look so quiet… until troubles occur!
Farmer Sam is in trouble with his barn: the hayloft trap door has been opened and hay bales are bouncing all around. Help him reach the exit and find the key to lock the door and stop this mess, while avoiding being hit by hay bales and falling into water. But watch out: time is running out fast!
Gameplay
CREDITS:
Author: Marcos Varesio. Graphics: Marcos Varesio. Audio: Adapted by Marco Varesio
Lampros Potamianos took a small break from his work on Abductor to produce this sliding tile game based on a classic original Spectrum title from 1986. Re-assemble the faces of well known politicians. They're not looking their best!
Gameplay
CREDITS:
All coding, graphics and sound effects by Lampros Potamianos.
Take to the seas and discover the islands and people who inhabit the Clasp. Can you find the meaning behind your dreams?
Golden Seas is a traditional text adventure with a huge open world (over 120 illustrated locations), multiple logical puzzle threads and no random deaths.
After departing Colony 7, Grelox receives a distress call. The Xicus system has been stricken with a deadly contagion and an urgent plea has gone out to collect the rare vegetation from nearby planets in order to formulate a vaccine. Reluctantly, Grelox turns her ship around and heads for the nearest planet… Grelox: Contagion is a puzzle/action game where you have to maneuver blocks, hit switches to open gates, and avoid the roaming monsters while collecting all the plants on each level. It consists of a whopping 100 levels across 10 different worlds and features an auto-save and level select. Controls are redefinable and joystick optional.
CREDITS:
Authors: Paul Weller. Graphics: Paul Weller. Audio: Paul Weller
Headus Mouthion (Head) and Footus Underium (Heels) are two spies from the planet Freedom. They are sent to Blacktooth to liberate the enslaved planets of Penitentiary, Safari, Book World and Egyptus, and then to defeat the Emperor to prevent further planets falling under his rule. Captured and separated, the spies are placed in the prison headquarters of Castle Blacktooth and must first escape, then break through the market to the orbiting Moonbase where they can teleport down to the planets to locate and reobtain the stolen crowns. Liberation of the planets and defeat of the Emperor will allow Head and Heels to return to Freedom as heroes.
Have you ever dreamed about a journey far beyond the known regions of the universe? Close to Alpha Centauri, Olivia Lund is on the trail of one of mankind's greatest secrets and a thousand-year-old mystery. After nearly 20 years in hypersleep, she wakes up alone on her stranded ship, the Polaris-7. The artificial intelligence Io seems to be her only remaining friend now.
Hibernated 1 - This Place is Death (Director's Cut) is an Infocom style interactive fiction game. It's a complete rewrite of the classic, award-winning Hibernated game using Infocom's Z-machine standard, with tons of additional narrative content and riddles. If Infocom had been asked to recreate the classic Hibernated, the Director's Cut would have been the outcome.
CREDITS:
unknown
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Invasion of the Cloud People (2021) Platform (Action)
They were our friends... That all changed the day The Cloud People came into power! Our drinking water supplies have dried up. Savage storms beat down on us daily. Lightning, Tornadoes, Hail & Ice Storms. It gets too hot and then too cold. The Cloud People are relentless. Even our ponds have dried up and we can no longer even waddle in the water. The Cloud People have stolen our way of life! It is time to go to battle!
Magnetic Scrolls Compilation, The (2019) ZXnextHUB ID: ZXHF 0006 Adventure (Graphics & Text)
Strand Games
The Magnetic Scrolls Compilation is a compilation of all of Magnetic Scrolls games for the Spectrum Next. This compilation includes both the remastered and the not yet remastered games and is provided as a convenient way to download all the games in a bundle and for collectors who want to create their own physical edition of the compilation with a case and cover.
Some of the games are remastered versions by Strand Games that contain bug fixes, playability improvements and, in some cases, additional location images. The other games are the classic versions that are waiting to be remastered but are still brilliant in their original form. This compilation will be updated when a game has been remastered or when a game has been updated with bug fixes or other improvements.
CREDITS:
Author(s): Stefan Bylund (Conversion), Niclas Karlsson (Magnetic Interpreter), Magnetic Scrolls (Original). Graphics: Stefan Bylund (Conversion), Magnetic Scrolls (Original). Audio: Sergey Kosov (MmcM), Oleg Nikitin (Nik-O). Remastering: Hugh Steers, Stefan Meier. Cover: John Blythe. Font: Phoebus Dokos
You’re an FBI agent on the mean streets of Chigago.
Five years ago you helped put the mob’s biggest crime lord in jail. Now he’s free once more – and the big families of the criminal underworld have joined forces to take their revenge on you.
Armed with your trusty .357 Magnum, it’s your job to take down an army of goons, tooled up with Tommy guns, grenades, and more. Are you up for the challenge?
This initial batch also includes 4 limited edition postcards featuring artwork of enemies from the game
* Console-quality arcade gameplay * Large sprites * 8 challenging levels * Supports game pads/joysticks, mouse and keyboard * Fantastic retro-styled digital music score * 12 page instruction booket * 4 exclusive postcards featuring artwork of the enemies from the game * Compatible with ZX Spectrum Next, N-GO and XBerry Pi
Memories of Infocom - music inspired by classic Interactive Fiction. These pieces of music will transport you to ancient empires, to crime scenes, outer space and beyond.
Gone are the days of clunky, programmer-centric trackers. NextDAW is a reimagining of a modern Digital Audio Workstation for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Next. Supporting three AY-3-8910 sound chips, giving a total of nine channel audio to create your latest musical masterpiece!
Night Knight was originally written for the MSX by Juan J. Martínez in 2019. This fast paced run and jump platform-er will keep you coming back for more as you stomp blocks from blue to yellow to unlock the exit before the timer runs out. Oh, and don't forget the Undead, Archers and Dark Nights! 80 Levels of pure platform fun.
Gameplay
CREDITS:
Authors: David Saphier, Juan J. Martínez (Original). Graphics: David Saphier (Based on the original assets). Audio: David Saphier
It’s a bee and bad-guy jumping jamboree! Keep jumping over the cubes to change them to the target colour. Complete the whole pyramid and dispose of the dangers in your way. Can you change all the cubes while avoiding the creatures out to get you? Hurl bombs and fly on psychedelic disks as you progress through an ever-challenging series of fiendish levels. Are you ready to enter the wacky world of Q*Bee???
CREDITS:
Programming: Daniel Lopez. Graphics and cover design: Simon Butler. Music & effects: Alberto J. Gonzalez (McAlby)
A lone spaceman awakes with no idea where or who he is. Strange hallways stretch away around him. Doorways are locked to prevent his progression into the depths that will hopefully reveal his identity and that of those responsible for his dilemma. Pressure pads must be activated to gain access to the mysteries beyond; keys for alien machines must be found, but each success seems to cause the world around him to tremble and shake. Is this another problem to solve or something caused by our hero himself? And what are those shadowy movements around him, is he not alone?
QuakeStar is influenced heavily by the classic StarQuake, but with more puzzle elements and problem solving on top of a hefty dollop of platforming madness. The usual ingredients are all waiting to test your reactions, whirling blades, moving platforms, crushing machinery. Pushing and pulling blocks and switches will open or close pathways that may potentially contain the answer to all our hero’s questions. A game for platform fans who like a smidge of narrative and some brain teasing to boot.
CREDITS:
Author: Simon Butler. Graphics: Simon Butler. Audio: Paul 'Sidman' Hesso
Lasting all weekend at the summer gaming convention is tough, so what do you do when the games come alive and all hell breaks loose? Grab your trusty zapper and hit the floor in over a dozen levels of jumping, shooting, maze-chase action! Take control of Craig and wipe out the rogue game sprites as you attempt to recover the stolen games and save the entire Revival retro event!
Features: Single-player arcade mode with progressive stage difficulty. 2-Player head-to-head deathmatch mode. 60fps action utilising the latest Next hardware features. Arcade-perfect port with additional stages, content and control options.
Originally created as a custom game for Revival Retro Events by Turnarcades in 2013, Revival Survival is a frantic blend of various classic gaming genres that was made into a dedicated custom arcade machine the following year. With a golden age arcade feel but highly detailed, colourful graphics and high sprite count, the team of Rusty Pixels and Turnarcades knew that like most arcade games it would have suffered in porting to the original Spectrum back in the day. So it became a perfect demonstration of how the Next is the first Spectrum to faithfully handle arcade conversion.
Gameplay
CREDITS:
Author: Craig Turner. Graphics: Craig Turner. Audio: Space Fractal
You are a highly skilled mercenary, trained in the martial arts, and employed to infiltrate a central security building which is disguised as a warehouse. Your task is to steal a disk which contains the names of all the rebel leaders before its information is sent to the outlying security stations. You are working against the clock, both in getting the disk, and in making your escape. You must enter the building from the sea by rubber dinghy, and will then only be able to leave by the helicopter on the roof. Find your way around the warehouse, making use of the guards' own weapon supplies in your struggle against overwhelming odds.
Saboteur is the classic retro hit made by Clive Townsend in 1985. Crash magazine awarded it 93% and their prestigious Crash Smash.
Now play the original ninja mission with Next-level graphics.
You are Johnny Palas, legendary archaeologist of Utrera. After extensive research you have finally solved the greatest mystery of ancient Egypt: you have located the secret entrance to the Pharaoh's Lholha Flowers chamber. To find the entrance, you must enter the Great Pyramid and collect all the gems within a limited time. Only when you have unearthed all the gems can you take the Ankh and progress to the next chamber. Fifty chambers await you and your shovel before you can access the secret entrance… Are you ready to accept the challenge?
Review
CREDITS:
Author: Antonio Pérez. Graphics: Jarlaxe. Audio: Antonio Pérez. Original Concept: Igor Errazking
Legend has it that long ago an ancient, but advanced tribe worshipped the fabled and great golden idol Myclops. The tribe were prosperous and rich, but one day, inexplicably, all trace of them vanished leaving their technology, riches and most importantly- the fabled idol behind. To this very day, deep underground, it is said that Myclops slumbers awaiting an intrepid explorer to navigate the caverns and bask in the great golden idol’s glow.
Ancient technology, possibly left behind by the tribe, is said to protect the fabled and great golden idol from prospectors. Other hidden and grave dangers include perilous boulders, toxic bones, poisonous deadly fungus and of course the three monster guardians – Harry, Barry and Larry. The guardians roam the caverns protecting the riches and guard the great golden idol Myclops. However, centuries of living underground has nulled their senses. They cannot see and cannot hear although they’ll sometimes smell you coming! They wander aimlessly through the cavern tunnels. Sometimes a quick side-step is all that is needed to evade their toxic touch!
Can you navigate Digger McDigFace through the caverns and reach the long-lost fabled and great golden idol and emerge victorious?
Astronaut Peter S. Pace, aka Starman, was on another mission in deep space
when his spaceship suddenly blew up. He escaped from certain death using his jetpac and a force shield, the only things left to help him get home.
In despair, he dares to face the perils ahead in the form of daunting obstacles and threatening aliens. Along the way he'll need to refill his oxygen
and fuel supplies. He might also find other useful items on his journey.
Gameplay
CREDITS:
Game design, programming, and art by Paulo and Rafael Silva. Music by Pedro Pimenta. Format conversion by Mike Cadwallader. Inlay by JR Rodrigues and Clive Townsend.
Cursed by the supernatural Tengu, your only means of escape is to complete the 100 fiendish puzzles that have been set by the mystical creature. Use your powers of logic and deduction to reveal the hidden picture and advance to the next puzzle.
We should try to find a place to stay for the night. The horses need a rest.
Those were the coachman's last words before he disappeared without a trace. Lost deep in the Black Forest, you soon find out that some things should remain buried forever...
The Curse of Rabenstein is a new story by award-winning adventure author Stefan Vogt. Heavily inspired by the masterpieces from Level 9 and enhanced with stunning pixel graphics, this interactive horror will give you the shivers!
Gameplay
CREDITS:
unknown
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The Ghosts of Blackwood Manor (2023) Text adventure
The Ghosts of Blackwood Manor is an award-winning interactive horror from Stefan Vogt, the acclaimed author of Hibernated and The Curse of Rabenstein.
Take on the role of novelist Thomas King and his wife Cora as they move into a remote Scottish manor house, just days before Christmas 1986. Seeking inspiration for his next book, Thomas begins to explore the history of Blackwood Manor, only to uncover a dark secret that dates back centuries to the days of the Great Scottish Witch Hunts.
The kingdom of Azuria was a place of peace and harmony. Its inhabitants were happy and the economy blossomed. Thanks to the Sacred Temples, the balance between mankind and nature was maintained, allowing everyone to live a full life. However, the Dark Lords overran all the temples, causing chaos and spreading terror across the country with their evil troops. Prince Kalden, heir to the throne of Azuria, is forced to journey throughout the kingdom to release the lands from the control of the Dark Lords. The people's hopes are vested in Kalden. recovery of the temples now depends entirely on his courage, spirit and strength...
Features
Side scrolling platform game. 5 Stages (20 zones). Final bosses. 2xAY sound. Joystick and keyboard support. Redefinable keys (saved on SD card). 2 languages (English, Spanish)
The Next War is a tower defence real time strategy game for the Spectrum Next and all compatible clones.
A slow-to-frantic paced strategy game that gets you to place up to 35 defence turrets on the battleground in order to defend the area from the continuous onslaught of enemy forces.
In cooperation with SpecNext Ltd, WASP Studio is bringing back to your screens the 1985 classic martial arts game 'The Way Of The Exploding Fist'. While maintaining its original gameplay and fascinating moves, multiple enhancements have been incorporated to this new incarnation
8 handpainted (some of which are animated) screens, coming straight from the unreleased Amiga version, adapted for the Next by Steven Day Configurable player colours (including gis and hair) Amazing 9 channel game soundtrack by Richard Braithwaite together with professionally recorded digital music by celebrated guitarist Constantine Mihalos Fully digital sound fx for each hit and miss Enhanced opponent AI Online high-score tables so you can share and compare with other Next (and compatibles) users
Review
CREDITS:
Based on the never-released Amiga version graphics by Steven Day.
Full 9-channel in-game soundtrack by Richard Braithwaite with digital sfx by Phoebus Dokos and Lyndon Sharp paired with studio-recorded title/intro arrangements by Constantine Mihalos.
Amazing 9 channel game soundtrack by Richard Braithwaite together with professionally recorded digital music by celebrated guitarist Constantine Mihalos
The object of the game is to make lines of three or more matching vegetables. To do so, you can swap the position of any two vegetables on the play screen by pressing fire then pushing in a direction. Pressing fire again “unlocks” the cursor. When there are no valid moves left then the board is shuffled – until you run out of shuffles, then it’s game over!
Match three vegetables and they are removed from the board, with new shapes dropping down to replace them. Occasionally an immovable block will be dropped. These can only be removed by strategically dropping them until a line of three or more immovable blocks is made. Match four shapes in a row to destroy a full row or line and match five to destroy all matching shapes and get an extra shuffle.
CREDITS:
Coding, music and vegetables by Lee Duke. Game Design and Concept by Mike Richmond. Title screen and background graphics by Andy Cashmore. Cover art: Ric Lumb.
“Vradark’s Revenge” is a fantasy game in the Action RPG genre. The game has several levels, each one inhabited by a different evil Demon. The player plays as a Wizard, the goal of the player in each level is to find the Demon, at the same time destroying all sorts of magical evil things and boosting his abilities, and in the final battle to destroy the main Demon. Repeating this action in each subsequent level, the player will eventually reach the Vradark – the main villain.
By killing evil spirits in the process, the player also earns money which they can spend in the magic shops which are found in each level.
If the player character runs out of health points, he dies and is revived at the beginning of the current level, losing equipment and money. If, however, the player dies in battle against one of the bosses, they have a chance to fight the boss again. But to do so, he must win in a special minigame.
The ancient Evil cursed the used-to-be cheerful lands and the souls of their hard-working citizens with engrossing darkness. The villainous necromancer Vradark now lives amidst the ruins of a royal castle. Somewhere in its depths, he captured the legendary Sphere that brings light and joy. Take the path of a brave sorcerer who wasn’t afraid of challenging the merciless villain. Power, bravery, and intellect will be your faithful companions in this exciting logic game!
Use a magic staff to lighten your path to the lowest floors of a demolished castle. You can’t fully trust your eyes — evil Vradark alters the corridors to make you confused. Go through the randomly generated underground levels, find the hidden Sphere and return to the cursed lands. Bring back the light for good!
Sneak and run, kill the monsters and seek the chests with useful loot to keep your health and mana replenished. Remember, fortune favors the bold!
It has been many years since the Warhawk fighter ship vanquished Zoch’s ministers of evil, but it looks like Captain Lavey must be pulled from retirement to again thwart the reappearing menace.
Strap yourself into the seat of the Warhawk and blast your way through a myriad of deadly denizens and abominable aliens. Can you destroy Zoch’s dastardly plans one final time? Of course you can…
Warhawk contains 20 levels of blasting mayhem, featuring many varied enemies, huge motherships, ground bases, and some nasty surprises. Also featuring fully customisable controls, a host of glorious tunes, thumping sound effects, and high score saving.
Gameplay
CREDITS:
Authors: Michael Flash Ware, Jim Bagley. Graphics: Lobo. Audio: Space Fractal
Whilst the game's status is 'Released', it is the 128K Spectrum version at present and we're waiting on a Next 'enhanced' version.
Somewhere over the rainbow lies adventure, danger and some very familiar friends…
Facing many challenges and helping Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and a scared Lion along the way, Dizzy must rescue Pogie and find the Wizard of Oz, who should help them return home… since there’s no place like home.
Wonderful Dizzy is a new game directed by the Oliver Twins, creators of the original Dizzy series, and produced by Dmitri & the Crystal Kingdom Dizzy Spectrum remake team.
Gameplay
CREDITS:
Authors: Evgeniy Barskiy. Graphics: Dmitri Ponomarjov, Oleg Origin, Jarrod Bentley, Alexander Filyanov. Audio: Sergey Kosov. Sprites: Jarrod Bentley. Loading Screen: Marco Antonio Del Campo. Illustrations: Piotr ‘PIT’ Gratkiewicz. Executive Dizzy Consultant: Andrew Joseph of Team Yolkfolk
The Xeno hordes, long believed extinct have returned to ravage the galaxy once more. Disbanded after the great bio wars almost 25 years ago, the galactic government rapidly assembles brigades of veteran soldiers to take the war to the enemy.
Inspired by the classic ZX Spectrum turn based strategy games, Xeno Brigade is a one or two player game updated for the Spectrum Next.
Note: The video below represents a work in progress.
On the steaming jungle planet of Vadoom 3 the Xeno Brigade hunt a Queen, the last of her kind. Imprisoned within ancient ruins, she calls to her brood. She is young and her powers are not yet fully formed.
Ancient power crystals have irreversibly changed the DNA of her species, enabling fearsome mutations. The Xeno-Brood assemble, preparing to rescue their beloved queen, heralding a new era of Xeno-Terror across the galaxy!
Inspired by the classic ZX Spectrum turn based strategy games, Xeno Brigade Extinction is a 1 or 2 player strategy game for the Spectrum Next, N-go or XBerry-Pi (50Hz)
Paying homage to a great Spectrum game, ZX Harrier tries to retain a great part of the original gameplay using the hardware capabilities of the Spectrum Next.
Gameplay
CREDITS:
Lampros Potamianos
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58 results found
Updates
Please send any corrections or updates to me, and I'll edit this list as soon as I can.
Regards, Clive.
(or message me on Facebook)
Credits
This list has been collated from many sources.
Many thanks to Phoebus Dokos, Mark Yeakes, Jesper Carlsson, Mike Cadwallader, Moby Games, SpecNext.com
and more.
Extra thanks to Bret Bapstarcade Pritchard for his video reviews.
