Renegade Reborn is an upcoming beat ’em up for the Amstrad CPC that aims to revive the classic Renegade with a modern, more fluid feel.
Developed primarily by Maitrejoe GGP, it’s a passion project designed to pay homage to the original while adding a personal touch.
The game is structured as a classic arcade brawler, offering a substantial challenge across 6 distinct levels, each culminating in a boss fight . A key technical highlight is its deliberate 25 Hz refresh rate, which the developer chose to prioritize smoother, more responsive character movements and faster-paced combat. This is a notable point of comparison, as many found the original CPC version of Renegade to be sluggish.
The project is currently a work in progress (WIP) and doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet . The developer has stated it will be released “in due time”.
The team behind the game includes:
Code & Graphics: Maitrejoe GGP.
Title Screen: SA GGP.
Beta Testing: Gomez Addams GGP.
To ensure broad compatibility, the game is planned for release in two formats :
A 64 KB version for the Dandanator cartridge (compatible with any CPC464).
A 128 KB version in standard DSK (floppy disk) format.
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Time Lords
Time Lords is a recently unearthed, unfinished game from 1988, developed by Keith Goodyer under his studio name Deep Thought. It was likely intended for a publisher like Martech but never progressed beyond an early demo stage. The game was preserved and compiled by Dean Hickingbottom, who brought it to light through Games That Weren’t.
The recovered demo, while visually promising, is in a very early stage of development. The graphics are noted to be pretty decent and the game has strong Exolon vibes in its visual design and atmosphere.
You control a main character who can jump around and shoot. Crucially, the demo lacks core game mechanics. There are no collision detections with enemies or holes in the ground, meaning you cannot die. This indicates it is a proof-of-concept or a very early build rather than a playable game.
It is considered a long lost piece of CPC gaming history and a huge shame that it never got any further. For retro gaming enthusiasts, it offers a fascinating look at what could have been, showcasing the potential of a game that was ultimately abandoned.
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Hill 19 – Shell Shock
Hill 19 was a strategic action-shooter in development in 1988 by Gremlin Graphics, planned for both the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64. It was envisioned as a game similar to Ikari Warriors or Commando but with a greater emphasis on strategy. The project was ultimately cancelled and repurposed into another title, Butcher Hill. The Amstrad CPC version was worked on by Lance Abson, with graphics by someone called Cooky.
The recovered prototype, found on disks from Lance Abson, offers a playable but incomplete glimpse of the game.
You would control a team of about three characters, including a Radio Operator and a Gunner, each with special abilities. For example, the Radio Operator could call in airstrikes or medics.
The game features a vertically scrolling environment where you progress up the hill. The design includes foxholes, trenches, and terrain that offer cover and tactical options, with turn-based movement.
The recovered disks contain about 2 levels that are fully playable. You can shoot enemies and move up and down the screen, but the prototype has no sound. The exact controls and full mechanics are not entirely documented.
The game was cancelled because Gremlin Graphics decided to pivot towards a more story-driven, multi-load format following the success of Oceans Platoon. The project was reassigned and eventually scrapped to make way for Butcher Hill. However, producer Martin Hooley still had confidence in the project, and it was decided to repurpose the game into a new title called Shell Shock. Development continued in-house at Imagitec Design for a few months, but the developers left before it was finished.
The recovered prototype serves as a lovely glimpse at a Gremlin game that never was. It offers a fascinating look at what Butcher Hill could have been, showcasing a blend of action and strategy that was becoming popular at the time. While incomplete, it stands as an important piece of gaming history, preserved thanks to the efforts of Lance Abson and the Games That Weren’t project.
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Dia de los Muertos
Dia de los Muertos is a platform game for the Amstrad CPC, created by Vitop69 and released on itch.io in October 2025. It is the developer’s first pure Z80 assembler program, made as a personal tribute to his father, who gave him his CPC 464 for Christmas in 1985 and taught him to program in Basic.
The game is available for download in DSK and CDT formats.
The game follows Pedro, who must reach his family’s tomb by the Day of the Dead on 2 November. His journey takes him through three main areas: the desert, a cursed castle, and finally the Santa Fe cemetery. His enemies try to slow him down by draining his time. The player must collect candles along the way to gain extra time and reach the celebration on time.
The core gameplay involves running and jumping through platform-based levels. A key mechanic is that holding down the directional pad and the jump button while jumping will extend your jump range. The game also includes a hidden trick: in one of the levels, you will encounter something that should not be there according to the game’s logic, and stepping on it activates a useful feature.
The game is a full, playable title released in English and Italian versions. Early player comments praise it as a very nice platform game, with one reviewer noting that the main character strongly reminded them of Orko from Masters of the Universe. A German-language video review with English subtitles is also available.
