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Introduction

Life was peaceful in the land of retro games. One day, evil robots from other worlds attacked! They wanted to steal all the jewels from the old games. To keep all the diamonds, coins, stars or other gems from the old games, someone has to run them down and collect everything before they are taken! The hero that can do this is a nice little Robot. Equipped with a jetpack that is fast enough to collect everything before these evil robots do. Go from planet to planet, from game to game, and keep all these gems. Watch out for obstacles and avoid overheating your jetpack!

A modern game for the Commodore 64

Robot Jet Action is a classic arcade-style platform game for the Commodore 64/128. The game was created as part of the Commodore computer enthusiast portal - C64portal.pl. In the game, the player controls a small robot with a joystick. Use the fire button to activate the jetpack, by holding down the fire button, the Robot flies higher and higher. 

The game is presented with high-resolution graphics and a dedicated soundtrack that perfectly fits the action taking place on the screen.

Authors

Idea, Design, Programming, Graphics: 
Tomasz 'Carrion' Mielnik 

Music and sound effects: 
Kamil 'Jammer' Wolnikowski

Game features

  • 35 challenging levels on five planets.
  • Each planet refers to some old retro game or games.
  • The map allows you to choose a planet/world on which the player wants to start the journey.
  • Level with a boss at the end of each planet/world.
  • The player decides whether he wants to collect all the items and be PERFECT or go to the next level as quickly as possible.
  • Extra lives can be collected. One extra life in each world/planet.
  • C64 hi-res graphics in the rarely used ECM graphics mode.
  • Great dedicated music composed by one of the best contemporary composers operating on the C64 scene.
  • An animated intro introducing the atmosphere of the game.
  • An animated end-sequence when the player succeeds in completing all the levels.
  • Works on a real 40-year-old Commodore 64/128 and on an modern emulator.
  • Compatible with SD2IEC, THEC64 mini® and THEC64®.
  • Source code of the game is available at c64portal.pl

Thanks go to

As the originator and creator of the game, I would like to express my thanks to:

  • Jammer for creating brilliant music and sound effects for the game. Mega professionalism in every way!
  • Jelcynek (from the YouTube channel "Jaskinia prawiczka") for inspiration to start working on the game.
  • The creator of the KickC compiler. Without this brilliant compiler, I wouldn't even get started.
  • SMOK (Old School Computer Lovers Association) for support in the early stages of development.
  • BroneCK/Samar for creating a tool that accelerated level description.
  • The creators of the Charpad Pro and Spritepad Pro tools, without it, would not be possible to create graphics for the game.
  • Slajerek/Samar for C64 Debugger
  • Tenchi, WoJT, Borsuk - for undertaking the testing task.
  • The entire C64 community around C64portal.pl and c64scene.pl for ideas and motivating me.

Game is free to play. Please consider supporting the development of new games for retro computers. New game is already being developed. 

StatusReleased
Rating
Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars
(20 total ratings)
AuthorTomasz 'Carrion' Mielnik
GenreAction, Platformer
TagsArcade, commodore, Commodore 64, Retro, robot, Robots
Average sessionA few minutes
LanguagesEnglish
InputsJoystick
LinksHomepage

Download

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Click download now to get access to the following files:

robotjetaction_v1.prg 47 kB

Comments

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Very nice game. Our German-language review can be found in our recorded livestream starting at 00:59:04. Subscription to our YouTube or Twitch channel is welcome. 🙂

Do you have Twitter

what an AMAZING game, congrats!

Very nice game, great soundtrack and visuals and addicting gameplay. Well done guys!

Just to let you know...

The cartridge version of game can now be pre-ordered at Bobr.Games https://bobr.games/index.php/shop/#preorder

Just saw the cartridge boxed edition is available for pre-order. Is it coming with different levels than the ones in the digital edition (as originally planned as far as i remember) ? Thanks !

Hi There Amok. The game on the cartridge is the same game released here. I started working on a new game and decided not adding new levels to RJA.

Thanks a lot for clarifying this ! Really can't wait for your new game because Robot Jet Action is a true MasterPiece :)

By the Way Just Pre-ordered the Physical release ;)

I first saw this game as a playable preview on the revived Zzap 64 cover tape. I was impressed with the preview. After downloading the full game, I got even more impressed. There are some amazing sound tracks, beautiful ECM colour modes, great intro and superb play-ability. This game reminds me of Bomb Jack but with a big difference.

Well done to the whole team who developed this game, and also kindly offered it as a free download.

The promised source code for the game is now available on the CsDB website. here: https://csdb.dk/release/?id=213589

Many thanks ! And i really can't wait for the physical cartridge edition :)

Does this game work properly on NTSC? 

Not tested on NTSC. Sorry

I have since tested it on Vice in NTSC and it seems to work properly

(2 edits)

lovely graphics/good gameplay 8.2/10

This game should be evaluated in two ways, namely whether or not it is being played on real hardware or emulation. In the case of real hardware, once you have viewed the beautiful graphics, you could also switch to the reset since, absurd gameplay laws, they quickly make it clear that it is impossible to tackle 36 levels all in a row and with only 3 lives available. There is no human mind that can handle this level of frustration, where the game punishes with every sigh. In the second case, where the game should be tested in emulation, the save states occur and then a glimmer of fun comes to the surface because you can calmly face all the pictures as you try again until success. So, how to evaluate this game in front of a C64 that lives commercially in the guise of a THEC64 that, in fact, owns the instant save state? Personally I tested it both ways, trashed on real hardware and finished with pleasure on The C64 with the clear feeling, now more than ever, that this title was designed to be used primarily in emulation. Arduous sentence ...

Hi Ther.e Thanks for feedback. Appreciate it a lot.
BTW: Have you seen this guy?  ;)

Speed run... All levels perfected :) on one credit :)

Nevertheless I consider making some less demanding levels for the upcomming RJA Deluxe Cartridge version. 

Who will be selling the cart version?

Would it be possible to have both versions on the deluxe cartridge ? I'm really looking forward to buy it as this game is one of the most beautifull and most entertaining I've ever played on c64. Would it take too much place on the cartridge ? Thanks !

I agree with AmyMor's assessment, but I think you misunderstand.  There's no need for less-demanding levels. The difficulty itself is fine. In fact, making it easier would make it less engaging, in my opinion. It's the fact that you only have 3 lives and no continues that is frustrating. Once you learn a level, it becomes quite a bit easier and a lot more satisfying. But it takes quite a lot of tries on some levels to learn how to do it properly. For me at least, having to play through all the earlier levels again and again just to have another 3 tries at, say, Level 6 is really annoying and time consuming. I have a job and a family; I don't have time to grind through 5 levels all day just to have a couple of shots at the one level I'm trying to practice. In the end, I just grabbed a trained version off CSDb so I could practice it with infinite lives (I did pay for the official version too, though, just fyi). This made it soooo much more enjoyable. It's a great game and I love it, and once I'm good at all the levels, I'm hoping to run through it on a single life, or at least on a single credit.

I know I could boot up Vice and use save states too, but it's so much more fun on a breadbin and CRT!

Also, I know this is a classic arcade style game, and maybe that's why you only give the player 3 lives and no continues. But in the arcade, the whole point of being stingy with lives was to make the player drop coins into the machine, not to make it impossible to get good at the game in a reasonable timeframe. And remember that some of the best arcade conversions for home systems gave you a bunch of credits to have fun with. I know, though, that a lot of home console games in the 80s were pretty difficult and stingy with lives too. But it's 2022 now, dude. At the very least, I would suggest providing a feature to allow the player to practice any level of choice in isolation. But then again, if you're a tragic C64 fanboi, you know where to find trainers, pokes, and the like anyway...

Like I said, I love the game, and I'm definitely going to be playing this for while. Great graphics, music, controls, and gameplay. If I had to gripe (apart from the time-consuming lives thing), I would say this. (a) Your robot feels like a snail. Does he have lead boots or something? (b) Some of the hazards are too hard to see at first. Once you've learned a level, you know where they are, so it doesn't matter so much. But initially, it's extremely frustrating to die because you brushed past a spike that's barely visible or blended into the background, or fall through a platform that you can't stand on (despite it initially looking like you can stand on it). These are cheap deaths, and it's very easy to lose all your lives in short order because of this and have to return all the way back to the start of the world, making it take longer and longer to learn the level that's giving you problems. Arrrrrrgh. But this complaint would be pretty much erased if you provided a level practice feature. (c) This is hands down the most annoying thing for me: Why the heck do you die just because you bump into the ceiling? Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh, so dumb. I hate it when games do cheap stuff like that.

But to end on a positive note: It's awesome, thanks for making this.

A top quality game! Great graphics, really nice music, awesome gameplay. The developer nailed this one. Just one more go!

Will you publish the source code ? :)

Yes. I hesitate for now as the upcoming cartridge version is in the works. Havent decided when to release the src code yet.

Thanks a lot for your answer :) I can't wait for the cartridge edition to be available for pre-order. There are a few games i buy as physical, but this one I must get it in a very nice box, and also because the new levels you'll put into it :) Thanks again for all the efforts put into this wonderfull game !

Świetna gierka. :)

Very nice little intro. I just started playing it and i must say i love the graphics and music.

Hello! accomplishments for the beautiful game you produced. but speaking to many other players, I think resetting items after every death makes the game too difficult, lowering the overall judgment. it is not meant to be a criticism, but a way to improve an already very good game. sorry for my english and thanks for your attention.

very good

(+1)

Wow! What an incredible game! Great to see new games of this quality for my C64! Great graphics, music, and gameplay.

(1 edit)

One bug on level 1.3. You respond on enemy and was killed until game over.

Thank you. I'm investigating it.

I can make video if it helps.

Does it happen every time? I can't reproduce it.

Yeh, it happened twice and than I give up after that.

The difficulty is high since the first screen but the graphics, the smooth movement, the music and the gameplay are awesome.

The first impressions are very very positive. Well done!!!

Indeed! Thank goodness the music is amazing or I might have rage-quit in the first 5 minutes. :-D

A few games and you start to see the good way to pass the levels. But is a challenge...control the fuel and the movement to  avoid the collisions is not an easy task

(+2)

Instantly one of my favorite C64 games! The level graphics are absolutely lovely – fresh color palettes rarely seen in C64 games and great hires details. The gameplay is challenging but tight and smooth. It has that "one more go" hook, which is rare.

And, last but definitly not least, excellent soundtrack by Jammer! Thank you for making such an awesome game – definitely looking forward to the next one :-)

This game is very nice. Music, sfx, gfx, coding, gameplay get top score from me. Thanks.

Incredible. You are so cool releasing original, not clone or remake, game for free. Music, graphics, game 10/10. Already had so much fun with Zzap demo, delighted to support. Look forward to next one, maybe 2023 ? Cheers.

(+1)

Truly a very well done game, both in gameplay and in graphics and music. Excellent work !👍

Que juego mas bonito y divertido

Great game. Just tried it on the emu using the colodore palette. Love the Gfx!! Congrats.

Very nice game, congrats! :)

https://c64games.net/2022/01/21/robot-jet-action-megjelent/

(2 edits)

nice game nevertheless check point saving would be nice! start all over again its a real pain!!! 

(+1)

Game is really fun and the music is ace!

Thank you all guys so much!
I'm really touched!

(+2)

Awesome, impossible not to donate when such a jewel is offered for free :) Thank you so much ! (I also can't wait to read the source code :) )

(+2)

Thank you for making this available as a download! :)

(+1)

Amazing game! Small gameplay:

(+2)

Okay this game is a-ma-zing!

The intro blew me away, I must have watched it six times, The combination of the great graphics and the amazing chiptunes is just grand.

The game itself can get pretty hard but you have a bunch of levels you can choose from from the start. Some practice later and the game gets better and better.

I am so thrilled by the sidtunes. For me they belong to some of the best on the C64.

The graphics and animations are top notch too. I can see a lot of thought went into them.
It all just fits, a superfun puzzler/platformer!

No, I am not paid to write this, I just really really like Robot Jet Action.

The only thing I would like to see is a highscore save (with names) because I am sure this game is going to be played at parties.

Buy the game, pay the man, this is really well deserved.

(+1)

Thanks a lot for this feedback. Much appreciated! 

(+1)

Instant classic!