Rastan for Amiga 500 is still in development as new gameplay video appears

There are some games that just feel right on the Amiga, even if history never gave them the chance the first time around. Rastan, Taito’s legendary 1987 arcade hack-and-slash platformer, is one of them. For years, Amiga fans have wondered what a proper home conversion of Rastan could have looked like on Commodore’s beloved machine. Thanks to basementApe, that question is finally being answered — and the best part is that the project is still very much in production. The latest buzz comes after a new gameplay video appeared on YouTube, showing fresh progress on the Amiga 500 version. This is not just another tiny tease, either. The footage suggests the project has moved beyond the earlier demo material, with new work being shown from level 2 and development continuing on the next major sections of the game.

That is great news for anyone who has already tried the current demo. Available through basementApe’s itch.io page, the demo gives players a taste of Rastan running on a stock-style Amiga 500 setup, complete with redrawn visuals, reworked backgrounds, and that unmistakable arcade-fantasy atmosphere. It already felt promising, but this latest update makes it clear the game has not been abandoned or left to gather dust. What makes this conversion especially exciting is the care going into it. This is not a quick nostalgia cash-in or a rough proof of concept. The team has been rebuilding Rastan with respect for both the arcade original and the Amiga hardware. The sprites have been remastered, the scenery has been reimagined, and the sound and music are being shaped to suit the machine rather than simply copied across. And honestly, that is exactly what an Amiga version of Rastan deserves.

The original arcade game was all about atmosphere: huge beasts, deadly ledges, crumbling ruins, brutal sword swings, and that wonderful feeling of being a lone warrior fighting through a hostile fantasy world. Seeing that spirit brought across to the Amiga so many decades later is a real treat for retro gaming fans. Of course, the full game is not finished yet. The itch.io page still lists the project as in development, and there is no final release date at the moment. But recent comments from basementApe suggest steady progress is being made, with work continuing on later parts of the game. For Amiga owners, this is one to keep firmly on the radar. The demo already shows huge potential, and the new gameplay video proves that Rastan on Amiga 500 is still moving forward. The barbarian has not put down his sword just yet.

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