Joan of Arc: Deus Contra Machinam brings a dystopian action game to the Commodore 64

Every so often, the Commodore 64 scene does something that makes you stop, smile, and check whether somebody secretly plugged 1985 back into the wall. Yes, it is still 2026. Yes, developers are still making new games for a machine old enough to have opinions about floppy disks. And yes, some of them look far more ambitious than they have any right to. The latest title marching toward the C64 is Joan of Arc: Deus Contra Machinam, a dystopian platformer developed by Griffonsoft and due to be released by Psytronik Software in the second half of 2026. And before you picture a straightforward medieval romp with chainmail, horses, and someone shouting “for France!” every three screens, hold that thought. This Joan is an arc welder, and her enemy is not an invading army but a tyrannical, self-aware computer system. It is less dusty history book, more industrial nightmare with sparks flying everywhere. Frankly, that is already more interesting than most workplace safety videos.

Weld first, ask questions later

In Joan of Arc: Deus Contra Machinam, players take control of a lone arc welder fighting to dismantle a machine intelligence that has seized control and enslaved the workforce. The mission is simple in the way all good retro game missions are simple: enter the hostile industrial zones, survive the machinery, solve the puzzles, smash the system, and free the workers.

Simple, of course, does not mean easy. This is the Commodore 64. Even walking near a suspicious platform can feel like signing a legal waiver.

The game is built around four industrial zones, each promising its own mechanical hazards, oppressive atmosphere, and opportunities to be crushed by things that absolutely look like they have been crushing people since the late 1980s. It is a setting that suits the C64 beautifully. Pipes, gantries, vents, warning lights, hostile machinery — the machine has always been good at making limited pixels feel grimy, dangerous, and strangely alive.

The electro-boomerang changes everything

The star mechanic is Joan’s steerable electro-boomerang, which sounds like the kind of tool you would invent after reading one health-and-safety manual and deciding to ignore all of it.

This gadget is not just a weapon. It is also the key to the game’s environmental puzzles. Players can use it to attack enemies, trigger mechanisms, reach switches, and interact with the world from a distance. That one detail gives the game a strong hook: this is not merely a run-and-jump platformer, but one where combat and puzzle-solving are tied together through a single flexible tool.

A steerable projectile on the C64 is always good fun when handled well. It adds tension, timing, and that lovely retro sensation of trying to control something dangerous while everything else on screen wants you dead. It also gives the game a personality of its own. Plenty of heroes have swords, guns, or magic spells. Joan has an electrified boomerang and a welding background. That is called career development.

Man versus machine, on a machine

The subtitle Deus Contra Machinam now feels especially fitting. This is a game about humanity fighting back against an oppressive artificial system, running on one of the most beloved machines in gaming history. There is a delicious irony there. You are using a Commodore 64 to overthrow a computer. Somewhere, a motherboard is sweating.

The premise gives the game a proper bite. The self-aware computer is not just a final boss waiting at the end of the line; it is the system itself. The factories, the traps, the controlled workforce, the machinery — everything suggests a world where industry has stopped serving people and started consuming them.

That is strong material for a C64 platformer. Retro games often work best when their worlds are bold and readable. Here, the idea is instantly clear: sparks against steel, worker against machine, freedom against automation gone completely off the rails. Subtle? Perhaps not. But this is a Commodore 64 game. Subtlety is nice, but so is hitting a robot with an electro-boomerang.

A platformer with purpose

What makes Joan of Arc: Deus Contra Machinam stand out is how neatly the concept fits the gameplay. Joan is not just a random hero with a cool weapon. She is a worker using her own industrial toolset to dismantle the system that imprisons others. That gives the action a satisfying sense of rebellion. Every switch thrown, every enemy disabled, every puzzle solved feels like another small act of sabotage.

The four-zone structure should also give the adventure a clear arcade rhythm. Each area can introduce new hazards, new puzzle logic, and new ways for the computer system to make Joan’s day worse. Ideally, the game will keep escalating until the player feels less like they are clearing levels and more like they are tearing out the guts of a digital dictatorship one screen at a time. Also, let us be honest: “arc welder versus evil computer” is an excellent pitch. It is compact, weird, and immediately visual. You can almost hear the SID chip warming up.

A banner worth following

With release planned for the second half of 2026, Joan of Arc: Deus Contra Machinam is shaping up to be one of the more intriguing upcoming Commodore 64 releases. It has the ingredients retro fans love: a strong central mechanic, a memorable setting, a clear mission, and just enough oddball energy to make it stick in the mind.

The C64 has always thrived on games that do a lot with a little. Here, the promise is not just another platformer, but a compact dystopian action-puzzler with a proper identity. Four industrial zones. A self-aware tyrant computer. A workforce to free. One arc welder with a steerable electro-boomerang and, presumably, very little patience. The machine may be in charge, but Joan has other ideas. And sparks. Lots of sparks.

Preview verdict

Joan of Arc: Deus Contra Machinam looks like a fresh and characterful C64 platformer, mixing industrial dystopia, puzzle-solving, and electro-boomerang combat into one very promising retro package. For Commodore 64 fans, this is absolutely one to watch. Also, any game where an arc welder fights an evil computer on a Commodore 64 deserves respect. Possibly a hard hat too.