Deadband preview: a mysterious new sci-fi horror game for the Commodore Amiga

Deadband is one of those new Amiga projects that immediately makes you look twice. Not because it shouts the loudest, or because it tries to cover the screen with explosions, but because it has a mood. Developed by Jesper Andersen and his indie game company Remanence Games, this work-in-progress sci-fi horror adventure takes a familiar retro setup — a sealed laboratory, a terrible accident, something strange left behind — and gives it a more unusual twist. Instead of controlling a soldier, a bounty hunter or the usual heroic type with a weapon and a suspiciously relaxed attitude towards danger, the player becomes a glowing energy being. That alone gives Deadband a different flavour. It seems more interested in building tension, creating atmosphere and letting the player slowly understand what has happened inside its abandoned facility. A small indie production with a clear identity, a strong central idea and enough mystery to make the player want to push a little further into the dark. Sensibly, not in real life. Never push further into a dark abandoned lab in real life…

The story behind Deadband

The story begins before the player becomes the strange creature seen in the game. At the centre of it is a young boy who was once present in a high-tech laboratory where his parents worked. Then disaster struck. Sirens sounded, panic spread, a flash of light changed everything, and the facility was sealed away from the outside world.

Years later, that boy is no longer human in the ordinary sense. His consciousness appears to remain inside the laboratory, now transformed into a luminous energy creature. The player moves through the facility as this being, exploring corridors, machines and underground rooms that still seem to carry the weight of whatever happened there.

It is a simple but effective setup. Deadband does not need pages of backstory to make its world interesting. The idea of a child trapped for decades inside the consequences of a scientific disaster is already strong enough. It gives the game a slightly tragic edge without turning it into melodrama. The horror here does not seem to come from constant monsters jumping out of vents. It comes from place, memory and uncertainty. Also, probably from machines that should have been switched off a very long time ago.

Exploration before action

What makes Deadband interesting at this stage is that it appears to be more about exploration than spectacle. The current prototype includes two levels, basic movement, interaction, early environmental puzzles and an inventory-style mechanic that lets the player pick up an object and drop it somewhere else. That may sound modest, but for this type of game it is exactly the right sort of foundation.

The pace feels like it belongs to a puzzle adventure rather than a traditional arcade platformer. You are not simply running from left to right, clearing enemies and chasing a high score. You are moving through a hostile space, looking for meaning, testing objects and working out how the environment fits together. In other words, the player is doing what all good adventure players do: picking something up, carrying it for ages, dropping it in the wrong place, and then pretending that was all part of the plan.

This slower rhythm suits the premise. Because the player character is not a normal person, Deadband has room to handle interaction in a slightly different way. The energy-being concept could lead to unusual puzzles, environmental hazards and abilities that would feel out of place in a more conventional Amiga platformer. That gives Jesper Andersen and Remanence Games a promising design space to explore as development continues.

A strong identity for an early prototype

Deadband is still an early work in progress, and that needs to be kept in mind. This is not a finished commercial release, nor is it trying to pretend otherwise. The prototype is more like a first look at the game’s direction: a playable slice that shows the tone, basic systems and overall intention.

That honesty helps. Retro fans are used to seeing ambitious projects appear, disappear, return, change shape and occasionally surprise everyone. What matters at this stage is whether the game has a clear reason to exist. Deadband does. Its mix of sci-fi horror, environmental puzzle solving and Amiga hardware awareness gives it a recognisable identity even before all the final systems are in place.

There is also something appealing about the way it avoids over-explaining itself. The central image of a glowing creature wandering through a sealed laboratory is strong enough to carry the player’s curiosity. You want to know what happened. You want to know why the facility still feels active. You want to know what the character really is now. And, because this is a videogame, you also want to know whether that object you just picked up is essential or complete nonsense.

Sound as part of the horror

One of Deadband’s most promising areas is its sound design. The game places a clear emphasis on audio, with individual assets given their own sonic character and the laboratory environments designed to feel alive. That is important because horror on classic hardware cannot rely on modern visual tricks. It needs suggestion, rhythm and mood.

The Amiga has always had a strong relationship with sound, and Deadband seems to understand that. A corridor does not need to be packed with enemies to feel threatening if the audio gives the player a reason to feel uneasy. Mechanical hums, strange effects and carefully prioritised samples can make a space feel much larger and more dangerous than it really is.

That kind of approach is especially valuable in a game built around atmosphere. A good soundscape can turn a simple room into a place where the player hesitates before moving forward. It can make machinery feel hostile, empty spaces feel watched and small interactions feel meaningful. It can also make you regret playing late at night with headphones on, which is usually a sign that the sound designer is doing something right.

Designed with real Amiga limits in mind

Deadband is being developed with classic Amiga systems in mind, aiming towards OCS and ECS compatibility. The likely requirements include 1MB of chip RAM, Kickstart 2 and a floppy drive, which places the project firmly in the world of real Amiga expectations rather than modern retro branding alone.

That matters. Making a new game for the Amiga is not simply a matter of choosing a pixel style and calling it a day. The machine has limits, habits and strengths. Developers have to think carefully about memory, performance, sound channels, loading, animation and how much they can ask the hardware to do at once. Every atmospheric effect has a cost. Every sample, object and screen detail has to earn its place.

This is where projects like Deadband become interesting beyond the game itself. They show how modern indie developers can work within old constraints without treating them as a gimmick. Jesper Andersen and Remanence Games are not just making something that looks retro; they are building something that appears to understand the platform it is targeting.

Simple controls, sensible design

The current prototype keeps the controls straightforward. Joystick movement handles navigation, the fire button is used for interaction and picking up objects, while pressing down and fire drops a carried item. There is also a restart option for when the player gets stuck or dies, which is always welcome. Even mysterious glowing energy beings deserve a second chance.

Simple controls are the right choice for this kind of game. If the focus is on atmosphere, puzzles and exploration, the player should not be fighting the interface. Deadband’s controls sound direct enough to let the player concentrate on the environment rather than remembering a complicated command list. That is especially important for an Amiga game, where elegant joystick design can make a big difference to how natural the whole experience feels.

The inventory mechanic is also nicely restrained at this stage. Carrying one object and using it in the right place can create puzzles without overwhelming the player. It gives the game room to build environmental challenges around observation rather than menu management. Nobody wants to solve a sci-fi tragedy by scrolling through twenty-seven items and wondering why they still have a rusty spoon from level one.

Why Deadband is worth watching

The modern Amiga development scene is full of talent, but Deadband stands apart because it is not taking the most obvious route. It is not just another shooter, not just another platformer and not just another tribute to a famous old favourite. It is a slower, stranger and more atmospheric project, built around mystery and mood.

That does not automatically make it a future classic. It still has a long way to go, and much will depend on how the final game expands its ideas. The puzzles will need variety, the world will need enough detail to stay interesting and the horror atmosphere will need to remain tense without becoming repetitive. But the basics are already promising.

Deadband has a strong premise, a memorable player character and a setting that fits the Amiga surprisingly well. Its early prototype suggests a game made with care rather than noise, and that is often where the most interesting indie projects begin. Jesper Andersen and Remanence Games have found a concept that feels both retro and slightly different, familiar enough to appeal to Amiga fans but unusual enough to stand on its own.

For anyone following new Commodore Amiga games, sci-fi horror adventures or atmospheric retro puzzle games, Deadband is a title to keep an eye on. It is still early, but it already understands something important: atmosphere is not decoration. Sometimes it is the whole reason you keep playing. Preferably with the lights on, although Deadband seems fairly determined to make that feel like cheating.