Chaotic Crazy Castle is a charming little Amiga 500 game, inspired by Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy, and I’m already addicted.
The inspiration for this game is squarely in the lineage of classic, single-screen platforming—a genre that demands precision and memorization. The core gameplay is inspired by the great 8-bit classics Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy by Matthew Smith. If you loved those unforgiving, puzzle-like environments, this should be right up your street.
Hosted on Itch.io, note that this game was programmed in just two weeks by Alberto Sgaggero using AMOS BASIC. As the developer cheekily admits, “it shows!”
The plot is suitably whimsical: you guide a little mage on a quest to find magical herbs that will let him brew a potion to finally grow taller.
Visually, the developer gives a nod to another titan, noting that some graphical elements are inspired by Castlevania (which another Itch.io-based dev has ported to Amiga) This is a great mix: taking the brutal platform challenge of Manic Miner and adding a hint of gothic flavour.
Chaotic Crazy Castle has tricky tiles
The controls are simple—use a joystick or arrow keys to move, and FIRE or SPACEBAR to jump—but the environment is anything but. The objective is to collect the flashing herbs while avoiding the castle’s evil spirit guardians.
However, the real challenge lies in mastering the variety of special tiles, which force you to think about every single jump:
- Warp tiles (green) automatically push you in different directions.
- The wood tile lets you jump up but prevents you from dropping down.
- The stone tile can’t be jumped through from below.
- And, in a truly unforgiving nod to the classics, the exclamation tile offers instant death!
Chaotic Crazy Castle seems like a perfect, quirky little challenge for any Amiga fan looking for a quick, nostalgic burst of platforming pain. You can download it now from the developer’s Itch.io, and it’s currently free.
(Hat-tip IndieRetroNews)
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.