Upcoming Commodore Amiga shooter Zepton shows off its Voxel engine

The PICO-8 shooter Zepton is heading to the Commodore Amiga, and even in its early state, the conversion already shows why the original game stood out. It’s fast, strange, technically clever and built around one simple goal: survive for as long as you can. Zepton isn’t a typical upcoming Amiga shooter. There’s no scrolling starfield, no long formation of enemies flying in from the top of the screen and no oversized boss waiting at the end of a stage. Instead, the player sits behind a small spacecraft and races across a blocky landscape while enemies attack from the distance. The Amiga version is being developed by Szilárd Biró, also known as BSzili, and it’s still very much a work in progress. There’s no sound yet, the presentation isn’t final and the finished release date remains unknown. Even so, the current build already captures the main appeal of the original game.

Zepton started life on PICO-8

The original Zepton appeared in 2017 as a game for PICO-8, the small fantasy console designed around strict technical limits. PICO-8 games run at a resolution of just 128 by 128 pixels and use a fixed palette of 16 colours. Developers also work with tight limits on code, graphics and sound. Those restrictions have produced thousands of compact arcade games, but Zepton immediately looked different from most of them. It appeared to be running a 3D engine. In reality, it wasn’t.

The game creates its landscape using a clever 2D voxel-style system. Rectangles are scaled, positioned and drawn according to their distance from the player. Objects at the back appear first, followed by scenery and enemies closer to the ship. The technique creates a convincing sense of forward movement without using normal polygonal graphics. It’s a smart trick, and it works.

The result brings to mind arcade shooters such as Space Harrier, After Burner and Thunder Blade, although Zepton has a sharper and more abstract visual style. Its world is made from blocks, towers, flat surfaces and strong colour bands rather than detailed scenery. That approach suits the game perfectly. Everything has a clear shape. The player can spot enemies, track missiles and react quickly, even when the action gets crowded.

The game doesn’t waste time

Zepton gets moving almost immediately. The player flies forward across the landscape while enemies appear ahead. A targeting system helps identify threats, but survival still depends on quick movement and good timing. The longer you stay alive, the harder the game becomes.

More enemies arrive. More projectiles fill the screen. Safe spaces disappear. You’ve got three main weapons to work with. Standard bullets provide fast, direct fire. Missiles can lock on to targets, which makes them useful when enemies move across the screen or sit outside the main firing line. The energy beam is the most powerful option, but it comes with a cost. Using it drains the ship’s energy.

That means you can’t simply hold the button and clear everything in front of you. The beam works best as an emergency tool, especially when several enemies attack at once or the terrain becomes difficult to read. This gives the combat more depth than you might expect from such a small game. Bullets reward accurate aim. Missiles help with awkward targets. The beam can rescue a bad situation, but only if you haven’t already wasted your energy. The decisions happen quickly. That’s the point.

Updates expanded the original game

Zepton didn’t arrive as a completely finished idea. The original PICO-8 version received several updates during 2017, improving performance and adding new features. These included mouse support, an optional inverted vertical axis and an expanded selection of weapons and bonuses.

Later versions also introduced items that could increase energy or clear the screen when the player became overwhelmed. The landscape changed too. The visible drawing distance increased, making the world feel larger and improving the sense of speed. These additions helped turn Zepton from a clever graphical experiment into a more complete arcade shooter. The technology still grabbed attention, but the game underneath it became stronger.

That matters for the Amiga version. A conversion like this can’t rely on visuals alone. The movement, controls and weapon balance need to feel right, or the whole experience falls apart. So far, the foundations look promising.

Why the Amiga is a good match

The Commodore Amiga built much of its reputation on strong 2D graphics, smooth scrolling and colourful arcade games. Zepton approaches the hardware from a slightly different direction. It doesn’t depend on large animated sprites.

Instead, it builds the screen from repeated geometric shapes, scaled objects and carefully arranged layers. That gives it a modern visual identity while still fitting comfortably within the kind of low-resolution graphics the Amiga handles well. The game also benefits from restraint. It doesn’t need detailed textures. It doesn’t need hundreds of colours. It needs clean shapes, steady movement and enough performance to keep the action readable.

The current Amiga build already delivers that basic effect. The ground moves quickly beneath the player. Objects grow as they approach. Enemies remain easy to identify. The sense of depth holds together. None of this sounds dramatic on paper, but it’s the difference between a convincing conversion and a technical demo that falls apart after a few seconds. Zepton needs to feel smooth. Any slowdown would directly affect the gameplay because the player has to judge distance, movement and incoming fire at speed.

BSzili has tackled difficult conversions before

BSzili isn’t new to ambitious ports. His previous Amiga-related work includes projects connected with games such as Blood, Exhumed, Wolfenstein 3D and Death Rally. Those conversions involved larger PC games and more complicated engines, but Zepton presents its own set of problems.

The original runs inside PICO-8 using a modern Lua-based development system. The Amiga version needs native code, different timing, different input handling and a new approach to graphics and memory. You can’t just move the artwork across. The conversion needs to recreate the logic behind the image.

That includes the order in which objects appear, the way the landscape scales and the timing that creates the illusion of fast forward movement. The targeting system also needs to remain clear when the screen becomes busy. Get any of that wrong and the game starts to feel flat or confusing. The early build suggests the core system is already working.

A small game with a strong idea

Zepton doesn’t need a complicated story. It doesn’t need long missions, cutscenes or dozens of levels. The appeal comes from the speed, the visual technique and the pressure of trying to survive one more wave. That focus works in its favour.

The Amiga version already understands what makes the game tick. It keeps the ship low on the screen, throws enemies into the distance and lets the landscape rush towards the player. The rest comes down to polish. Sound needs to be added. Performance needs to remain steady. The controls need to feel sharp. The menus and presentation will need finishing touches. But the core is there.

Zepton on the Commodore Amiga looks like a compact arcade conversion with a distinctive visual style and a clear understanding of its source material. It’s still early, and nobody should mistake the current build for a finished release. Even so, it already makes a convincing case for itself. Fast movement, simple controls and a screen full of incoming fire. Sometimes, that’s enough.