Late to the Game: Gaming gems that appeared late in the Commodore 64’s life

The Commodore 64 had an exceptionally long life. Introduced in 1982 and not officially discontinued until 1994, the intervening 12 years saw the release of upwards of 10,000 entertainment titles. While European C64 users saw releases right up to the very end, the North American market cooled off a bit sooner, with new releases tapering off in late 1991 and 1992. Of course, that doesn’t mean that US users were denied these impressive titles altogether. Let’s have a look at four of the more remarkable releases that, one way or another, made their way to North American shores before the end. Unsurprisingly, many of the titles are sequels, but that doesn’t make them any less impressive.

Turrican II – 1991

When Rainbow Arts was looking to develop the follow-up to their hit platform shooter, Turrican, they decided to begin work on the sequel on the Commodore 64. But not long after work was started on the 8-bit micro, the decision was made to shift focus to the Amiga version. Once the 16-bit version was released, work was done to backport the game based on the unfinished work already done on the 8-bit version.

The Commodore 64 version is often seen as a showpiece for the system, a statement title showing that 8-bit gaming was still alive in the ’90s. The game took everything that made the original popular (bright graphics, smooth scrolling, fast action, exciting music and sound effects) and cranked it up to eleven. Since the level design was mostly finished by the time development switched to 16-bit platforms, the overall experience is very similar to that on the Amiga. This made the Commodore 64 version seem less of a downgrade and more of a native experience on the 8-bit micro. When users wanted to show off what the aging system could do, this was an easy choice.

Interestingly, this title wasn’t officially available for commercial sale in North America. Due to the different video standards between the US and Europe, importing games directly wasn’t always a viable option, unless you had a video converter device. So it was up to the cracking scene to make the title available to North American players. Once released to the community, it became hugely popular, thus earning its place on this list.

The Last Ninja 3 – 1991

When talking about isometric action games for the Commodore 64, few are more iconic than System 3’s The Last Ninja. The detailed graphic presentation, sound design, and gameplay are all standout achievements for the system. Not even the punishing pixel-perfect jumping sections detract from the overall quality of the final product. Its sequel, The Last Ninja 2, improved on nearly every aspect of the original, moving the setting from Japan to modern-day New York and offering more detailed graphics and smoother gameplay. The third entry in the series would move the location to Tibet, returning to the graphic feel of the original.

The graphic fidelity of The Last Ninja 3 is off the charts. The game’s intro sequence is absolutely gorgeous, possibly some of the best 8-bit frames ever put to code. Each screen during the game is a sight to behold, with colorful backgrounds and detailed, well-defined characters and objects. The music by composer Reyn Ouwehand, who was responsible for the somewhat divisive soundtrack for The Last Ninja Remix, is outstanding. The core gameplay remains similar to the previous titles, finding you running around various screens, looking for objects, solving multiple puzzles, interspersed with bouts of intense combat.

The combat system in The Last Ninja has always been a bit of a negative for the series. Awkward character placement sometimes made successfully attacking your opponent a challenge at best, and it would all feel a bit wonky. This hasn’t really changed in the third game. The combat itself is smoother, but still retains that wonky quality. Add to that the fact that you now need to match the weapon that you’re using with that of your opponent to be most effective, and it can get overwhelming. In addition, the flow of the game screens for each level can seem a bit random. While the original games offered a satisfying loop of screens to navigate, what is presented here seems more haphazard and more complicated to map.

Even with its faults, The Last Ninja 3 garnered heavy praise from critics and players alike. System 3’s retail focus at the time was The Last Ninja Remix, which meant the third sequel often slipped under the radar on store shelves. But those who were fortunate enough to pick up a copy were rewarded with the best presented Last Ninja title of all of them.

Gauntlet III – 1992

Atari’s Gauntlet series is probably one of the most popular multi-player arcade experiences to come out of the ’80s. Getting some friends together to go dungeon exploring, battling endless waves of creatures, and making your way through massive maze-like levels made for an enjoyable time crowded around the arcade machine. When the home versions were released, the four-player aspect was dropped in favor of a more standard one- or two-player option. Most versions managed to capture the frenetic pace of battle and massive levels, and the C64 was no different.

When Software Creations and US Gold decided to create a third entry in the series, they deviated from many of the established conventions of the original titles. Most notably, they shifted the perspective from top-down to a three-quarters isometric view. The core gameplay mechanics were also modified, adding a simple quest mechanic and making the levels more open exploration areas, less constricted dungeon mazes. While many saw these changes as positive additions to the final game, Gauntlet purists were often less impressed, viewing the game as simply Gauntlet-adjacent rather than a genuine part of the series. However, these changes would eventually serve as the base for modern versions of the series.

The game itself scored well with critics, with many praising the graphics and gameplay. While the Amiga version didn’t fare quite as well, the C64 version managed to pull the entire package together. The commercial release of the title becomes a bit murky. The game was widely reviewed as a full commercial release by multiple magazines. But due to technical production issues that reportedly occurred when programmer Martin Howarth was let go, it never reached store shelves. There was a limited release of the game through US Gold’s members-only software club, but most players experienced it once the cracking scene obtained it and distributed it to the community.

None of this detracts from the game’s appeal as an impressive evolution of the Gauntlet game style, indicative of the efforts to provide unique gaming experiences for Commodore 64 players late in the system’s life.

Lemmings – 1993

Psygnosis was a powerhouse developer for the Amiga computer, and one of their first standout titles was the unique puzzle game Lemmings. The player was tasked with ensuring that a group of tiny creatures reached the end of the level safely, avoiding barriers and traps along the way. To do this, the lemmings could be assigned various abilities, such as building inclined bridges, bashing through solid obstacles, and dropping safely from heights. When asked what the definitive version of the game is, fans will almost universally point to the Amiga version, even though the game was ported to nearly every system in existence at the time.

Given the system limitations, the Commodore 64 version is remarkably well done. Two of the hallmarks of the original are the detailed, colorful graphics and the bouncy soundtrack, which were seriously degraded when ported to the C64. But, even though they cannot compare to the Amiga originals, the graphics are still recognizably Lemmings, even in 8-bit form. The C64 even retained most of the opening animated sequence. The chip tunes often draw on themes from the original Amiga MODs, but are arranged and recomposed to take advantage of the SID chip’s unique capabilities. This keeps the music bouncy and bright.

The gameplay remains basically unchanged between the 16-bit and 8-bit versions. All of the different lemming abilities are included. But the maximum lemming amounts for the levels have been decreased, given the decrease in memory and processing power from the Amiga to the C64. Levels on the original would have up to 100 lemmings, but the 64 version maxes out at 25 or 30 lemmings, with some definite slowdown happening when too many of the little darlings make it on-screen at the same time. The levels themselves have been redesigned as well to make more efficient use of the 8-bit screen’s lower resolution. For the most part, the basic concept of each level is recognizable, though smaller and often less complex. But, even with these downgrades, the improbable Commodore 64 version of Lemmings received high marks and praise from critics and fans.

This is primarily viewed as one of the final quality commercial releases for the Commodore 64. Once again, it was up to the cracking scene to make it available to North American audiences. It was a welcome late addition to the pantheon of 8-bit showcase titles that proved, even at this late date, there was still life in the tiny micro that could.