Dave's Retro Forge

20/05/2025

Watch me remaster an enemy sprite from C64's Altered Beast arcade conversion!

Just for fun, I decided to have a quick stab at redrawing one of the zombies from the first level of Altered Beast on the Commodore 64, starting from a ripped sprite of the original Arcade version.

Altered Beast is one of those classic SEGA coin-ops I’ve always had a soft spot for. Sure, it’s a pretty mediocre game overall, but it has a unique charm that stuck with me over the years.

The C64 version wasn’t great either, a bit clunky, but not terrible to play. Graphically, though, it felt like a rushed and blocky adaptation of the 16-bit versions, losing much of the visual impact of the Arcade original.

In this video, I do a quick pixel art reinterpretation using Paint.NET, blending nostalgia, curiosity, and retro-style fun.

I use the C64 palette and manually draw each pixel with a 2x1 ratio, just like real C64 multicolor sprites. I start by ripping the original arcade sprite, then resize it to fit within the same number of sprites used in the C64 version.

Colors are reduced to just three, in line with C64 sprite limitations. I deliberately replace black with brown, since black is too limiting for this kind of sprite: the arcade graphics are colorful, and sacrificing a usable color just to include black would mean losing the chance to replicate some precious little details.

The footage is sped up by 300%, the full process took about 15 minutes in real time.

🎮 Discover my retro projects: https://daves-retro-forge.itch.io/
☕ Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/davesretroforge

18/05/2025

🥳I still can't believe I am doing the graphics to Geppo's excellent Turrican MSX port! I loved the entire saga on my C64 and Amiga! Take a look at Level 1 & 2 in the video.

Finally spaceships have their own movement and attack patterns. In this update there are some improvements in both code and gfx. You should see the second l...

23/04/2025

Which giant food bonus from Bubble Bobble is your favorite? 🍰🍩🍉🍊🍫🧊

The arcade version featured six iconic oversized treats… but the C64 version could only fit two due to memory constraints. Specifically, Watermelon 🍉 and Éclair 🍩.

In the remastered edition, we still only have space for two… but we could change which ones appear! 🤔 Which two would you choose to keep in a new C64 build?

Shortcake? Éclair? Watermelon? Tangerine? Chocolate Ice? Soda Pop Ice? 🍰🍩🍉🍊🍫🧊

I won’t share my favorites yet, as I don’t want to influence you 😄

Let me know your picks in the comments! ⬇️

16/04/2025

😃Here's the before-after video several of you asked me. Enjoy!

11/04/2025

After months of intense pixel pushing, I'm proud to show the complete remake of Level 1, now with fully redesigned backgrounds and sprites! From the lush mountain scenery to the iconic ground pattern and the chunky vine tangles, everything has been reworked to stay true to the arcade original, while optimizing for both CRTs and modern displays.

The limitations of the original C64 version (only 91 unique 2x2 tiles and a 256-character map) made this a serious challenge, but I’m thrilled with the final result. This is the version of Level 1 I’ve always seen in my head, now finally real.

Hope you enjoy this step in the journey! Let me know what you think in the comments 💬😊

🎮 Play the demo: https://daves-retro-forge.itch.io/toki-c64-remastered
☕ Support the project: https://ko-fi.com/davesretroforge

Toki C64 Remastered Team
🎨 Graphics & Coordination: Davide Bottino
🧠 Reverse Engineering, Coding & Tools (in order of joining): Mariano Cigliano, Pasquale Sannino, Euan Gamble, Martin Piper, Knight Rider, Oziphantom and, last but not least, ******* ****** (surprise, surprise!).
🎼 Music: Aldo Chiummo

Original Game Team
🧠 Coding: Al Dukes
🎨 Backgrounds: Bill Harbison
🎼 Music: Keith Tinman

09/04/2025

Toki C64 Remastered levels 1&2 are finally approaching their definitive forms

01/04/2025

Here's where I rebuild the actual levels for Toki C64 Remastered.😀

Here's where I rebuild the actual levels.😀

27/03/2025

🎉 Toki C64 Remastered - Level 1: Before & After! 🎉
Almost 26 months have passed since the project began, and after countless studies and mockups here's Level 1 finally done! I’m truly satisfied with how it turned out—better than I ever hoped! Considering the 256-character limit and just 91 unique 2x2 tiles (all used!), fitting in the mountain backdrop, extra details, and more color variety was a real challenge… but totally worth it! 😃

Check out the before & after and let me know what you think! ⬇️🔥

26/03/2025

😀Behind the curtains, work on our Toki C64 Remastered continues!
🥳Very promising breakthroughs regarding level backgrounds replacement have happened recently.
🤞Fingers crossed, it won't be long before we can actually swap in the new maps!
⬇️Meanwhile, have you downloaded the 1-level demo from https://daves-retro-forge.itch.io/toki-c64-remastered? 😄

✅DEMO AVAILABLE NOW
👍Thanks everyone for supporting us for almost 2 years! Please enjoy the demo and, as always, wish us luck while we continue working on the full version, with completely remastered graphics and sound.

💡Several well-known figures from the C64 coding and hacking scene have joined the project over time, their expertise and passion have been instrumental in bringing my (Davide) ambitious vision to life. Thank you guys, you are making this possible.

💯The Toki Remastered Team is:

-Graphics & Coordination: Davide Bottino
-Disassembling and Coding (in order of joining): Mariano Cigliano, Pasquale Sannino, Euan Gamble, Martin Piper, Knight Rider, Oziphantom and, last but not least, ******* ****** (surprise, surprise!).
-Music: Aldo Chiummo

Download here: https://daveplunder.itch.io/toki-c64-remastered