Mort & Phil for Commodore Amiga revives Mortadelo and Filemón as a puzzle-platform game

Mort & Phil is the sort of Amiga release that makes you stop scrolling. Not because it screams for attention, but because it has a clear idea behind it. Take one of Spain’s best-known comic duos, build a proper AGA game around them, and let the characters do what they’ve always done best: cause trouble, solve problems badly, and somehow get through the mission. Developed by Amiga Factory using the Redpill engine, Mort & Phil adapts the idea behind a 2006 mobile game and rebuilds it for Commodore Amiga hardware. This isn’t just a quick conversion with a familiar name attached. The Amiga version adds reworked visuals, new presentation, extra audio work and a structure built around two playable characters with different skills. That already gives it a stronger identity than many licensed platform games. You’re not just jumping over hazards. You’re switching between Mort and Phil, reading the level, working out who can do what, and using the right agent at the right time.

A comic duo with a long life behind them

Mort & Phil are better known in Spain as Mortadelo y Filemón. Francisco Ibáñez created them in the late 1950s, and their first appearance came in January 1958 in Pulgarcito, the children’s comic magazine published by Editorial Bruguera.

At first, the pair worked as a parody of detective stories. Filemón was the boss. Mortadelo was his tall, unlucky assistant, always ready with a disguise and almost never ready with a good plan. That simple setup quickly became the engine of the strip. Mortadelo could dress as almost anything, and Ibáñez used that idea for fast gags, visual surprises and ridiculous escapes.

The comic changed shape during the 1960s. The characters moved away from detective work and into spy missions for the T.I.A., a chaotic secret agency filled with recurring faces. The Superintendent became their long-suffering superior. Professor Bacterio brought dangerous inventions. Ofelia added another source of trouble. The missions got bigger, louder and much more absurd.

That format worked because it could handle almost anything. Crime stories. Sporting events. Politics. International trips. Office disasters. A simple misunderstanding could turn into a full comic episode. Ibáñez had a gift for busy panels, fast reactions and background jokes that rewarded a second look.

Outside Spain, the duo appeared under different names. English readers may know them as Mort & Phil. In German-speaking markets, they appeared as Clever & Smart. Dutch readers saw them as Paling & Ko. That matters, because this isn’t some obscure one-country licence. These characters travelled across Europe for decades, long before this new Amiga version appeared.

From a mobile idea to an Amiga game

The new Amiga game takes its starting point from a mobile title released in 2006. The story is simple enough: the Superintendent has been kidnapped, and Mort and Phil have to rescue him. That gives the game a clean setup, but the real interest sits in how the two characters play.

You can switch between them during the game. Phil feels like the more direct character, useful when the situation calls for authority or a straightforward approach. Mort brings the disguises. That’s his thing. He can use different costumes to get past certain obstacles and solve specific level problems.

This gives Mort & Phil a puzzle-platform feel rather than a pure action-game rhythm. You don’t just charge forward and hope for the best. You look at the screen, spot the obstacle, and think about which character fits the job. It’s a simple idea, but it suits the licence. Mortadelo and Filemón have always worked best when everything looks manageable for about five seconds before it falls apart.

The game also keeps the pace accessible. It doesn’t seem interested in punishing the player for the sake of it. The focus sits on timing, character use and problem solving. That’s a smart choice for an Amiga title based on a comic. The characters should drive the play, not just stand in for generic sprites.

Built with AGA in mind

Mort & Phil currently targets AGA Amigas, and that decision makes sense once you look at what the game is trying to do visually. The original plan aimed wider, with support for OCS, ECS and AGA machines. The game’s 32-colour style points back to that early goal. But features such as parallax backgrounds and HAM-style screens made full support across older Amiga models harder to deliver without cutting back the presentation.

So the project now focuses on AGA. That gives the developer more room for dual-playfield scrolling, richer screens and a presentation that suits the comic roots. And that’s the right call. A game like this needs clear characters, expressive scenes and a strong sense of place.

The art doesn’t feel like a lazy lift from another format. Character sprites, object sprites and level ideas come from the mobile version, but the Amiga edition reshapes them for the machine. Comic images have been retouched, adjusted and rebuilt where needed. Static screens such as menus, intro images and game-over panels have received careful pixel work, while the animated menu background required extra reconstruction from comic material.

That work matters. Amiga games live or die on readability. Good colour use, clean silhouettes and clear layouts do more than show off the hardware. They help the player understand the game. Mort & Phil seems to understand that.

Sound and polish count too

The later work on Mort & Phil has focused on the small things that make a game feel finished. Sound effects now cover actions such as changing costumes, moving, using switches and failing. Music has also been added to give the game more personality than the old mobile version could offer.

Controls have received practical additions as well. Players can restart a level, return to the menu or exit the game without fuss. These details don’t sound exciting on paper, but they matter when you’re actually playing. A good Amiga release needs charm, yes, but it also needs basic comfort.

The game is being prepared in both English and Spanish. That’s a sensible move. In Spain, Mortadelo and Filemón barely need an introduction. Outside Spain, the English title Mort & Phil gives the game a cleaner entry point while keeping the link to the original comic intact.

Why this Amiga release stands out

New Amiga games appear often enough now that novelty alone isn’t enough. A release needs a reason to exist. Mort & Phil has one. It brings a major European comic property to the machine with a design that fits the characters. It uses character switching in a way that makes sense. It leans into puzzle-platform play instead of chasing another generic action template. And it gives AGA hardware a job to do beyond simply displaying more colour.

It also feels different from the usual retro release pattern. No spaceships. No fantasy warriors. No arcade clone with new graphics. Instead, Mort & Phil pulls from a comic tradition built on disguise gags, clumsy agents and fast visual comedy. That gives it a clear flavour in the Amiga catalogue.

The key test will be balance. The final game needs responsive controls, fair puzzles and enough variety to keep the two-character idea fresh. If it gets those things right, Mort & Phil could become one of the more memorable Amiga AGA releases of 2026. Not because it looks backward with misty eyes. Because it turns a well-known comic world into a focused, playable computer game. That’s the part that counts.