The second H.E.R.O. tribute game from Luca Carminati was released for the PC in 2020. It is called “H.E.R.O. Is Back 2” and is an excellent update of John Van Ryzin‘s classic mine rescue game.
H.E.R.O. Is Back 2, PC
H.E.R.O. Is Back, Commodore 64
Created by Luca Carminati and first released in 2025, H.E.R.O. Is Back is a homebrew continuation of John Van Ryzin‘s classic mine rescue game, H.E.R.O.
Wycheweald, ZX Spectrum
Wycheweald is a rare thing on the ZX Spectrum – an actual Role-Playing Game, with a first-person viewpoint and turn-based combat. It was created by Red Zebra and first released in 2023. And, while it is a little slow to play, it is well presented and quite absorbing. That is: if you like these kinds of esoteric RPGs. Which I do! 🙂
Pac-Man Arcade, ZX Spectrum
Written by Marco Leal and first released in 2023, Pac-Man Arcade on the ZX Spectrum is about as close as you could possibly get to the original Pac-Man, without using voodoo.
Ghosts ‘N Demons, PC
Written by BonusJZ and first released in 2016, Ghosts ‘N Demons is an amazing homebrew tribute to Capcom‘s Ghouls ‘N Ghosts arcade game. It’s actually an unofficial remake of the original “Makaimura” for the WonderSwan handheld gaming console, which goes some way to explaining the game’s weirdly small screen size.
Sam’s Journey, Commodore 64
Developed by Knights of Bytes and published by Protovision, Sam’s Journey is a super-polished platform game released for the C64 in 2025. It has numerous similarities to Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo, which is no bad thing, and features 27 levels, each with multiple sections.
Homebrew Special
Here’s a celebration of homebrew gaming grabs for you! The word “homebrew” has come to mean “making games at home“, and – in modern times – this has become a hobby/pursuit for many budding coders, game-designers, artists and musicians.
DarXide, Sega 32X
Co-designed by David Braben – along with his team at Frontier Developments – DarXide is a more frivolous space shooter, compared to what he usually puts out. It was first published, exclusively for the 32X in Europe, by Sega in 1996.
Metal Combat: Falcon’s Revenge, Super Nintendo
This sequel to Battle Clash was released only in Western regions in 1993 (USA) and 1994 (Europe), for the Super Nintendo. It was developed by the same team at Intelligent Systems who made the first game, and it is called: Metal Combat: Falcon’s Revenge. It features lightgun-style shooter gameplay and uses the Nintendo Super Scope.
Continue reading Metal Combat: Falcon’s Revenge, Super Nintendo
Battle Clash, Super Nintendo
A SNES game that uses the Nintendo Super Scope is a rare and welcome thing, so Nintendo‘s 1992 Battle Clash is already onto a winner before the cartridge is even inserted… The weird thing is: this Japanese-made Super Scope game wasn’t even released in Japan (that I can see). Something about the Super Scope not being “as popular” in Japan as it was in the West.
The King of Grabs 