Rastan Amiga 500 Alpha 0.50 demo adds stage 2, fireballs and new enemies

Back in April, we reported that Rastan for the Amiga 500 was still very much alive and kicking, with a new gameplay video proving that basementApe’s mighty conversion of Taito’s arcade classic had not wandered off into the misty mountains of unfinished retro projects. Well, sharpen your sword and check your loincloth, because Rastan is back with another update. The latest Alpha 0.50 release is now available, and this one is a chunky step forward for the project. The big news is the addition of Stage 2-1, 2-2 and 2-3, loosely based on the original arcade version. That means more platforms, more danger, more enemies, and more chances to fall into something unpleasant while pretending it was all part of the plan. This new version also adds two new enemies, retouched Stage 2 foes and a completely reworked Stage 2 boss. So, if you thought the first demo was already doing a fine job of making the Amiga 500 sweat, this update gives the old machine a few more reasons to quietly ask for a day off.

Stage 2 also brings some new mechanics to the party, including slope sliding, traps and fireballs. Fireballs, of course, because no self-respecting fantasy action game is complete without something flaming being launched at your face. There are some welcome player-friendly improvements too. Alpha 0.50 includes a continue screen with unlimited credits, at least for now, along with stage select from the title menu, keyboard controls and a two-button control option. Player movement has also been adjusted to feel closer to the arcade original, while Stage 1 has been made slightly easier. That last part may sound small, but anyone who has played old-school arcade games knows that “slightly easier” can be the difference between heroic victory and shouting at a joystick from 1988.

The update also includes several optimisations and bug fixes, including reduced slowdown from certain enemies and fixes for downward plunges and moving platforms. In other words, the sort of behind-the-scenes magic that does not always sound exciting in a headline, but makes a huge difference when you are actually trying to survive longer than thirty seconds. The follow-up news is the arrival of the HD versions. Before anyone starts imagining Rastan suddenly running in 4K with ray-traced muscles, this is Amiga “HD” as in hard drive. BasementApe has now uploaded both an .lha version and a WHDLoad package, making the demo much easier to enjoy from a hard drive setup. The developer does note that these HD builds should work fine, although they have not been personally tested yet. So, as always in the wonderful world of retro computing, there may be a tiny gremlin hiding somewhere. Probably behind the copperlist.

What continues to make this project exciting is that it is not just a basic copy of the arcade game squeezed onto the Amiga. Rastan for Amiga 500 features reworked sprites and newly imagined backgrounds, while still aiming to run on a stock Amiga 500 with 512 KB extra RAM. That is no small task. The Amiga may be legendary, but it is not a magic box. Even if some of us still treat it like one. The game is being built with Earok’s Scorpion Engine, with basementApe handling graphics and code, and audio contributions from JMD, Tsak and basementApe. It is already shaping up to be one of those homebrew projects that reminds you why the Amiga scene remains so special. Decades later, people are still pushing the machine, still finding tricks, and still somehow making us say, “Wait, this is running on an A500?”

BasementApe has also shared a clearer idea of where the project may be heading. A lot of progress has apparently been made over the past couple of months, with most of Stage 2 completed during that time. If development kept moving at that pace, the full game could theoretically be finished in four to six months. More realistically, the developer says six to twelve months is a safer estimate, since this is still a hobby project and real life has a rude habit of appearing just when you are trying to draw barbarian sprites. The finished Amiga version is currently planned to feature four stages in total. That decision is partly down to hardware limits, especially as later arcade stages would need considerable reworking to perform properly on OCS Amiga hardware. There is also the simple question of time, energy and keeping the game fun rather than turning development into a boss fight of its own. As for the much-requested high jump, that feature is still undecided. BasementApe says it will only be added if it properly earns its place in the gameplay. That is probably the right call. After all, not every barbarian needs to leap like a caffeinated kangaroo.

Originally released by Taito in 1987, Rastan remains one of the great fantasy arcade action games. It had swords, monsters, dangerous jumps and just enough Conan-style energy to make every player feel like they should be standing on a cliff during a thunderstorm. The game appeared on several home systems, but for Amiga fans, a proper version always felt like unfinished business. That is why this Amiga 500 project continues to attract so much attention. It is not just nostalgia doing the heavy lifting here. This is a serious and very promising conversion, carefully adapted for Commodore’s 16-bit machine rather than simply forced onto it with crossed fingers and a prayer to Agnus. With Alpha 0.50 now available, plus the new hard-drive friendly releases, Rastan for Amiga 500 is looking stronger with every update. The barbarian is not ready to retire yet — and judging by the latest demo, neither is the Amiga scene. So yes, Rastan is still in development. Yes, it is still impressive. And yes, your joystick may want to file a complaint.

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