3D FPS-videogames for Commodore 64 in development

Commodore 64 fans have had little to complain about in recent years, thanks to the increasingly talented developers offering a wide range of games. This time, we take a look at one of the biggest gaps in the market for this platform, the 3D FPS game category, which was originally inspired by the classic Wolf3D and Doom titles.

Red Serpent Invasion, Grey, and Escape From PETSCII Castle are three different, technically ambitious Commodore 64 games that all push the limits of raycasting-based 3D rendering. Although they share the FPS genre and Wolfenstein/Doom inspiration, each took a different approach to dealing with hardware limitations.

The original games Wolfenstein 3D and Doom:

In recent years, several developers have attempted to bring the classic Wolfenstein 3D and Doom-inspired raycasting-based 3D FPS experience to the Commodore 64 platform, which was not originally designed for this task. Three different projects stand out: T.R.S.I. – The Red Serpent Invasion, Grey, and Escape From PETSCII Castle.

T.R.S.I. – The Red Serpent Invasion (Preview version)
The game, developed by Tristar & Red Sector Inc., was unveiled at the Evoke 2022 demoparty. The community considers it one of the most promising “Doom-style” attempts on the C64.

Technical solutions: extremely fast and smooth screen refresh rate, outstanding 3D engine.

Limitations: unusual key layout, lack of joystick support.

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Grey (Preview version)

The work of Polish developers Kamil Wolnikowski (Jammer64) and Piotr Kózka (Piotoor). The project was launched in 2023 and now has a fully playable version.

Technical solution: raycasting-based engine that achieves 16 FPS on a basic C64.

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Escape From PETSCII Castle (Preview version)

Developed by Jim Orlando (jimbo9757), it was first made for PET, then ported to C64.

Technical solution: unique raycasting engine that builds a 3D world from PETSCII characters.

Together, these three projects show that modern developers are capable of reinterpreting the 3D FPS genre on the Commodore 64 platform. They approach the genre not as a nostalgic look back, but as a technical and creative challenge, proving that the C64 can still be an inspiring playground for experimental programmers today.