When you think of the Amiga, a small collection of games typically come to mind: Worms, Lemmings, Sensible Soccer, perhaps F-15 Strike Eagle II or Railroad Tycoon.
But over 1,700 games were released on the Amiga in the 1980s and 1990s. Its heyday of 1985 to 1995 features a great collection of titles, some of which might have been overlooked due to moving to consoles, or ignored thanks to the arrival of the home PC, the World Wide Web, and DOOM.
Away from the obvious titles, here are some Amiga classics that you might have missed first time around, and should check out today — especially if you’re thinking about picking up The A1200 from Retro Games Ltd.
1. Alien Breed
Originally released by Team 17 in 1990, Alien Breed had two broad eras of release. The first ran from 1991 to 1996, during which six versions were released. The second spans 2009–2010, where four titles were released.
(I wasn’t aware of the second phase — including Alien Breed: Impact — until relatively recently, when I picked the game up on Steam.)
While latterly 3D/FPS titles, Alien Breed initially offered top-down Gauntlet-style gameplay, inspired heavily by the Alien movies. Briefly available on Android (and no doubt an APK of the game is still available beyond the Play Store) with improved graphics, I think the best way to play Alien Breed in 2025 is on an Evercade system with the Team 17 Collection.
2. Defender of the Crown
Cinemaware was a publisher notable for focusing on both cinematic, narrative heavy games, and historical combat. Although these games maintained the same style of graphics as the movie-esque releases, gameplay was a little more fluid and strategy-focused.
Such an example is Defender of the Crown, a game whose description opens with “The Age of Chivalry! A time of lusty wenches and black hearted villains…” Victory is assured by leading Saxon knights against the invading Normans, with joust tournaments, damsel rescue, and castle siege missions forming the action.
You’ll get a lot from Defender of the Crown, which has a satisfying conclusion if you manage to build the army you need to defeat the lords and nobles competing for the throne. You might even receive assistance from a hooded outlaw…
3. Another World
One of the most striking Amiga games of them all, Another World (known as Out of This World in the U.S.) has remained popular, and was blessed with updated HD graphics to celebrate its 20th anniversary, which you can find on Steam (happily, you can easily switch back to “16-bit mode” if you prefer to enjoy the game as it was originally intended).
Another World puts you in control of physics researcher Lester Knight Chaykin, who find himself cast into an alien world. Can he escape? Incredibly, there is just 30 minutes of gameplay in this influential title, but it’s a half-hour everyone should spend… assuming you can do it in that time, of course!
You will also find Another World on Evercade, on the Delphine Collection, which also features Flashback, Future Wars, and Operation Stealth.
4. Dizzy Prince of the Yolkfolk
If egg-shaped characters are your thing, then you may already be aware of Dizzy, “the most fantastic eggventurer of all time.” Capable of running, rolling and somersaulting, Dizzy occupies the kingdom of Keldor, where he must undergo a quest to rescue his girlfriend, Daisy.
This is a side-scrolling arcade adventure, with challenges to complete before successfully reaching Daisy. During the game, you’ll encounter underground caves, treetops, and even Saint Peter, before the Pearly Gates!
The Amiga version of Dizzy Prince of the Yolkfolk can be played in your browser at thecodemastersarchive.co.uk.
5. Rocket Ranger
Video games that resemble movies are not a recent invention. Back in the early days of the computer game industry, aspirations towards a cinematic level of presentation were common. One proponent of this type of game was Cinemaware. Many of its games were produced with a movie feel, combining action sequences with strategy.
Two Cinemaware titles remain in my game collection: Wings, and the B-movie serialesque Rocket Ranger.
Of the movie-style games from Cinemaware (which also includes It Came from the Desert), it is this WW2 superhero adventure that remains memorable, certainly to me. Styled after a Saturday morning adventure serial, Rocket Ranger predates Disney’s 1991 movie The Rocketeer by three years, and pits you as a lone hero against an ever-expanding Nazi empire.
Your aim is to prevent the invasion of the USA, saving the nation via air combat (versus enemy fighters, zeppelins, and anti-aircraft guns), ground assault, and, uh, boxing. Ultimately, you must head to the moon and destroy the Nazi mines there, halting their galactic spread.
Again, that’s several years before Iron Sky…
6. K240
A sequel to the the compelling strategy game Utopia, futuristic K240 places you in charge of a remote asteroid mining project. The aim is to extract minerals for company profit, while building enough habitation units to manage your space-based population. You’ll also need to build a military to defend them against aggressive alien rivals!
My favourite feature was always the ability to design your own military units to gain the upper hand against the aliens. In fact, I might have preferred that to the actual combat! Several scenarios and levels are included, each more challenging than the one before — and requiring different tactics, too.
A strong strategic gaming experience, K240 will eat up hours of your time once the game gets going.
7. Wings
1990’s Wings plunges the player into a World War I air campaign against German targets across occupied Europe. Wings features an amazing 240 original levels, dropping you into epic dogfights, strafing runs, and bombing missions.
As with other Cinemaware titles, Wings is fondly remembered by those who spent hours building their pilot careers with the aim of reaching the Ace standard. In the days without ejector seats, the life expectancy of air combat pilots was low (new recruits were known as “the 20-minuters”) so survival in this game is all-important. Fail to survive a mission (crash landings are possible) and it’s time to start again.
This is the sort of game you would tell your mates about the next day at school — proper adventure stuff.
A remastered version of Wings was released for PC and mobile in 2014, but has since been delisted from all platforms.
8. R-Type
Although not an Amiga exclusive — it was originally an arcade game — it’s arguable that the Amiga version of R-Type was the best, and the graphics in this version are certainly evocative of that 1988 port.
R-Type is a side-scrolling shooter in which you pilot the Arrowhead craft. Your mission is to destroy the Bydo Empire. Each level ends with a boss, which you can defeat through skill, timing, and practice. Weaponry ranges from the standard low-power cannon to a wave cannon. You’ll also get a choice of additional guns controlled by a Force, which attaches these secondary guns to the front, side, or back of the Arrowhead.
Several sequels have been produced in the R-Type series, including the recently re-released R-Type Delta.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
