Released in 2020, Zeta Wing — programmed by one person, Sarah Jane Avory — feels like a big‑budget C64 release. Avory, known for Gemini Wing on the Amiga, really pushed the hardware here and felt big budget.
One thing I really appreciated was the difficulty setting. I’ve always said I enjoy games, not that I’m good at them, so an easy mode was very welcome. Also, you don’t lose all your power‑ups each time you’re hit. It looks like an 80s shooter, but it’s a bit more forgiving.
This one ticked the boxes for me. It has a catchy soundtrack, it’s not overly difficult (as these bullet‑hell games so often are), and it looks fantastic. Many stages feature parallax scrolling that feels like it shouldn’t be possible on humble C64 hardware. It also ran smoothly for me with no signs of slowdown — on a C64 Mini, (not tested on original hardware).
The game features seven stages. (I didn’t make it to the end because again I’m not very good.) The stages I played had boss fights at the end too, which wasn’t a given for shooters at the time.
I had a good time with this one. The game is available on itch.io, usually for a few pounds. It works on the C64 Mini, Maxi, and original hardware. It’s great to see old hardware getting releases like this from industry veterans.