Times have changed and now lots of clever coders have made some awesome games that take advantage of the Plus/4. These games will also work on a Commodore 16 with a memory expansion.
There’s also a whole bunch of amazing unofficial Plus/4 ports from other platforms, but I will cover those another time!
Note: if you are emulating, then VICE isn’t the best at some of these games – give YAPE a try.
Bucket Wars
Author Oziphantom
Genre Strategy
Launch 2020
A bunch of losers have stolen your bucket, and they are going to stop at nothing to avoid you from getting it back! Bucket Wars is a tactical strategy game with three levels of difficulty.
Originally programmed by Oziphantom for the Commodore 128, and then converted to the C64 and Plus/4
(If you think that a war over a bucket sounds ridiculous, then you might want to read about the 1325 War of the Bucket)
Available as: Download
Slipstream
Author Bauknecht
Genre 3D Shooter
Launch 2017
Slipstream is a tale of AI gone wrong. Robots defending the planets asteroid-shielding system have begun to malfunction. The robots are now classifying whole planets as asteroids and began attacking them. It was only a matter of time before they started attacking inhabited worlds
Slipstream is a 3D Rail shooter, with polygon graphics and and an awesome soundtrack. Shoot all the robot enemies by holding fire and move to target them, and blast away!
Available as: Download / Diskette
Berks Four
Author Jon Williams
Genre Multidirectional Shooter
Launch 2019
Jon Williams coded the original Berks game back in 1985 – it was a top-town shooter very much inspired by Bezerk. Berks 2: Major Blink and Berks 3 followed in very quick succession.
Well, now 35 years later, Williams has created another Berks game, this one is an expanded version of Berks 3. The aim is to collect a bunch of keys from the maze-like levels while avoiding Berks and Drones. Once you have all the keys you can enter the Crystal Chamber and get a password to enter the next world.
Williams has also converted Berks Four for the C64 and Atari 8-bits.
Available as: Download
Digiloi
Author Tero Heikkinen
Genre Run-and-Gun
Launch 2018
The amazing thing about Digiloi is that all the graphics are made of PETSCII characters (the default character set of the Commodore computers). The second amazing thing about the game is the size of the sprites*
The game was originally created for the C64, but although the Plus/4 version is a tad slower**, it does look slightly better due to the Plus/4’s larger colour palette.
The game is a run-and-gun platformer where the aim is to find keys and place them in a machine thing, all at the same time as shooting everything that moves. The game isn’t overly long, but it’s fun the whole time.
*The Plus/4 doesn’t actually do sprites, but I’m using ‘sprites’ as shorthand for ‘the things that move about.’
** Originally I stated that the Plus/4 version was slower. This was a mistake on my part, and thank you to @Kekule1025 for pointing it out. So, I think that makes the Plus/4 version currently the best Digiloi!
Available as: Download
The Pit
Author Doug Turner
Genre Action Puzzle (Boulderdash style)
Launch 2020
Like Jon Williams of Berks fame, Doug Turner has recently created his first Plus/4 game in many years. The Pit is Turner’s kind of sequel to his earlier works Icicle Works and Prospector Pete, which he wrote in the eighties.
The game stars the aforementioned Prospector Pete who is now on his new quest – to get through all the mines, collecting gems, solving puzzles and fighting monsters.
If you ever played Icicle Works (or of course Boulder Dash), then The Pit is well worth your time.
Side note: The Pit was influenced by Boulderdash, but Boulderdash was influenced by an arcade game also called The Pit (though it’s nothing like this one)
Available as: Download
Pets rescue
Author Members of Assassins and Bauknecht
Genre Platform
Launch 2019
Pets Rescue may be the nearest thing we’ll get to a Mario game on the Plus/4.
The game was created by basically a supergroup of people involved in the modern Plus/4 home brew scene.
Dr Andrea “Dr. Dree” Brown is vet by day and a singer by night. But her veterinary assistant is a bit of an evil genius and has messed with the DNA of all the animals. So Dr. Dree has to ditch her lab coat, and don her cool-looking headphones and set about rescuing all the animals by jumping on their heads.
Pets Rescue takes everything that’s good about Super Mario Bros and brings it to the Plus/4. And it is awesome.
Available as: Download / Diskette
Adventure Park
Author Skoro / Kichy
Genre Platform
Launch 2019
Collect all the diamonds and trade them in for your girlfriend, who has been caught in spider’s web. Adventure Park is a Jet Set Willy-style platform game, with flip screens, enemies and stuff to collect.
Available as: Download
Magic Blocks
Author Roland Kunz
Genre Action Puzzle
Launch 2018
Magic Blocks is a puzzle-platformer arcade game where the aim is to find the key and get to the door. You play as Archimedes, a sorceror’s apprentice who can move blocks around to help reach his goal.
Available as: Download
Get It
Author Assassins
Genre Action
Launch 2007
Another “Get the key and reach the exit” type game. This time the key keeps moving, so you have to be quick. Reminds me of a Game & Watch style game – really basic but fun.
Available as: Download
Pac-Pac
Author Assassins
Genre Maze
Launch 2016
Thankfully not a straight Pac-Man clone, Pac-Pac has a few differences to make it worth a look.
There is a variety of mazes in the game which are randomly presented. Pac-Pac has no power pills, but instead a Question Mark appears on screen gives you a random power up, from freezing the ghosts, or the evil reverse controls.
Available as: Download
Tenebra Macabre
Author Digital Monastery
Genre Platform
Launch 2019
Tenebra Macabre was originally created by the Mojon Twins for the ZX Spectrum.
You are Mega Megan and are trapped in dark crypt. All the rooms are pitch black and you can only see a small area around you. Luckily lightning striking every now and again will give you a quick glimpse of the layout of each level.
Each screen hides a magic candle, which will light up the room when you have touched it. Light up four candles and gain an extra life.
Available as: Download
Alpharay
Author Puls4r (Mad / Kichy et al)
Genre Horizontal Scrolling Shoot-em-up
Launch 2019
Alpharay is an awesome Nemesis / R-Type style horizontal shooter, from the same people that created Pets Rescue. The game features features six gorgeous levels to shoot through.
There’s a convoluted back story but all you really need to know is that this is probably the best horizontal scrolling shooter on the machine.
Available as: Download / Diskette
The Curse of Rabenstein
Author Stefan Vogt
Genre Text Adventure
Launch 2020
You are on a journey to Strasbourg, and are passing through the Black Forest looking for a Tavern, which you should have reached hours ago. You are completely lost. Your coachman checks his maps and you go to stretch your legs.
On your walk, you come across two mysterious Roman figures. What’s going on? You rush back to the coach and the coachman asks you to seek out some shelter while he watches the carriage and horses.
So you find the tavern, and go back to the carriage, but the coachman is gone!
If you like an old school text adventure, Curse of Rabenstein is worth a look, and also available on multiple other platforms.
Available as: Download / Diskette
Assembloids Basic
Author Luca Carrafiello
Genre Puzzle
Launch 2017
Assembloids was based on a web browser game called Quartet and was released for the C64 and, of all things, the Watara Supervision. Assembloids Basic is the same game, but written in BASIC and using PETSCII for graphics.
The aim of the game is simple – make faces from the pieces you are given in the centre. If the face you make is all one colour, you get more points, than if it is a mix of colours.
Good fun, and completely impressive for a game written in BASIC.
Available as: Download
The Lands Of Zador
Author Bauknecht
Genre Platform
Launch 2016
The Plus/4 has been blessed with some awesome platformers in recent years. This one is the sequel to Majesty Of Sprites, which came out in 2015. The graphics are beautiful and really showcase what the Plus/4 is capable of.
Available as: Download / Diskette
Xplode Man
Author Assassins
Genre Maze / Action
Launch 2014
Xplode Man is obviously inspired by Bomber Man, but with one main difference, you have to destroy everything before reaching the next level. For some reason, despite all the exploding, it feels quite a relaxing game.
Available as: Download
Adventures in Time
Author Kichy / Luca
Genre Platform
Launch 2010
Another gorgeous looking platformer. This time a flip-screen platformer, where the aim is to work your way through all the rooms until you get to the end. It’s a tricky one, and the game requires pixel perfect jumps and excellent timing. One for the more patient player.
Available as: Download / Diskette
CarTed
Author Mad / Kichy / 5tarbuck
Genre Racing
Launch 2019
Sadly this game was never finished but a demo is available, and shows how an arcade racer like Outrun or Lotus could look on the Plus/4. It looks and play beautiful. Download it and enjoy what could have been.
Available as: Download
Sgt. Helmet Zero
Author Assassins / Kichy
Genre Run and Gun
Launch 2013
Another Mojon Twins conversion. This one is a run-and-gun style game. The premise is simple, blast the baddies and save the refugees.
Available as: Download
Bomb Runner 2
Author RKSoft
Genre Maze / Puzzle
Launch 2017
Detonate a bomb, and reach the exit. That’s all you need to do.
The trouble is, the bomb has a time limit before it explodes, so you’d better get a move on. Watch out for the guards – if you get caught in their torchlight you get sent to prison.
A fun little puzzle type game, with a sense of urgency.
Available as: Download
If you’re interested in the latest Plus/4 games, be sure to check out Plus/4 World.
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