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QUEST FOR TIKAL | Giant Adventure Game Homebrew for ATARI 2600
Independent Atari 2600 Homebrew in 2026!
Release details
Atari 2600 128KB Cartridge compatible with 2600,7800,2600+,7800+ (latest FW)
Launch edition limited to 220 NTSC and 10 PAL60 copies
First release July 7th.: 100 NTSC and 6 PAL60 copies - SOLD OUT
Second release 8/30: 100 NTSC and 4 PAL60 copies
Final 20 launch edition copies will be sold at PRGE '26 (+ anything left from eBay)
Video Launch edition contents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCihNzb9--o
Sold on Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/usr/retronextphase
Game details
Action-adventure game, starts with mainly puzzles, then increasingly adds more platforming
110+ unique screens spread over 4 levels excluding additional screen variations
Unlock codes to start directly at that level found in the level intro screens
Points system: in each level you can achieve a max of 250 points. Each level has optional 10 bonus objects worth in total 100 points (see manual for full details)
4th bonus level is unlocked after achieving at least 650 points. Requires starting at level 1 as each level has a max of 250 points
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsyrFNDqazk
Development details
Background
Developed Championship Rally for Atari Lynx in 2000 which was published by Songbird Productions
Always wanted to create another game but never had time until early 2025 when I retired from Microsoft
I had no experience with 2600 programming and was curious to see how it worked. Ramp-up time was a few months which included creating a custom 2600 screen editor
Game design goals:
Create a unique, modern-feeling game that blends game elements I loved from 80s games to create a varied experience (graphic adventures, platforming/exploration, puzzle games)
Must have a basic story to make it more engaging. Text display was added right from the beginning
Game should take at least 4 hours to complete and more to find all optional objectives for replay incentive
There must be a payoff for completing the game: added end screen with ranking
Try to avoid unrealistic object graphics and sounds as much as possible on 2600. For example:
Bats and spiders should not be half the height of your character height
Jumping should make a sound when you land, not when you jump up
Keep it authentic: no hardware enhancements (e.g. ARM in cart)
Game development details
100% written in assembler in VS Code + Atari Dev Studio
ROM size is 128KB in Superbank format. This format is a regular bankswitch format without any hardware enhancements. RAM size is regular 128 bytes (includes the stack) and basically about same as to first original cartridges for 2600 except with a lot more ROM
To push the Atari 2600 graphics to the limit, I created a custom screen editor that can calculate automatically the instructions for a given graphics block (kernel) and it checks whether it fits in a scanline
Created a sound pattern step sequencer tool for the intro and end screen music
I coded the game and designed the puzzles, graphics I did together with my wife Sandra Hanssen. She also created the box design and stickers
Development time was about 10 months for the game development excluding about 4 months in ramp-up and creating tools
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