Thanks. DOS version was actualy a Speccy port but with some optimizations and bugs added and awfull colours and controls:)
Regarding .cas vs .rom: this is still essentially an 80s game, just updated and expanded a bit. Technically, it’s a port of my 2024 ZX Spectrum mod, but the core design still belongs to that era. Preserving that 80s spirit was important to me.
Back in the 80s, Spectrum-to-MSX ports were typically released on cassette. So using .cas here follows the historical pattern rather than modern homebrew conventions.
The program is entirely RAM-based, requires a fair amount of memory, and relies on self-modifying code. It was never designed as a ROM-mapped application. Converting it into a proper cartridge release would require significant restructuring of the memory layout and core logic, which would be a lot of work for virtually no real benefit other than instant startup.
This is also very much a European-style project. In Europe, cassette was the dominant and affordable medium, while cartridges were considerably more expensive and targeted at a different segment of the market. From that historical perspective, tape is the more appropriate format here.
So the .cas format is intentional — it reflects both the technical nature of the project and its historical roots, rather than being a limitation.
I was killed exactly while transitioning to another screen. After that, the game softlocked: the music keeps playing and background animations continue, but the player character is gone and the game cannot be progressed. I have a snapshot of this state.
"New Mission" is just a harder version of Mission 9 (with a shorter time limit, similar to the Amstrad CPC version). You unlock it when you complete Mission 9. There's also another way to unlock it, but I don’t want to spoil it. :)
Thanks for the video! I really appreciate such dedication to this game, I will add some bonus in the next update. I didn't make an updated PNG map because the layout is the same and only minor things have changed.
Hi, great that you did this, it would be nice to have a video of it. How long did it take?I don't plan on adding achievements, but I might reconsider it someday. Anyway, thanks for the feedback.
Thanks Marskilla, glad you like it. I changed dark blue to light blue because I can't see black ninja on dark blue background and because this way it looks much closer to the original Speccy version.
Mission 9 is all about speedrunning, it's hard enough even with infinite energy.Just try to do it that way, it's still hard, but it's a different type of gameplay. It's not about fighting, it's about avoiding fights and knowing fast routes. But I can build a special version for you with 999 seconds if you like :)
I do not consider it a `bug`, it even makes more sense than 999s in the speccy version, because each mission is harder than the previous one and has less time. I even added a secret mission 10 to speccy128k version which is mission 9 with 500s time limit. It is completable if visiting a secret room and taking 2 tape pieces from a special stash. Also I wanted all the missions to remain as they were in the original so that the results/records would be comparable. Actually the game video on this page shows such a walkthrough. It is hard but doable.
