Konami’s Treasure of Usas is coming to Amiga in new fan-made port

Konami’s 1987 MSX2 platform adventure Treasure of Usas is being converted to the Amiga, with developer Hoffman currently working on a version built specifically for Commodore’s hardware. It’s still in development, so there’s no finished release to judge yet, but the project has moved well beyond the point of being a basic experiment. Characters are running around, stages are playable and several of the systems that made the original unusual are already working. That matters, because Treasure of Usas isn’t quite as straightforward as its screenshots might suggest. At first glance, it looks like familiar late-1980s platform territory. You run through compact rooms, avoid hazards, attack enemies and search for a way forward.

Two heroes, two different approaches

Treasure of Usas follows archaeology assistants Wit and Cles as they search for four pieces of a jewel connected to a statue of the goddess Ushas. You don’t simply pick a favourite character and stick with them.

Wit and Cles have different abilities and statistics. Wit attacks from a distance, which gives him an obvious advantage when enemies are difficult to approach, but he starts with weaker speed and jumping abilities. Cles is quicker and more athletic, although his kick forces him to get much closer to enemies. That difference becomes part of the level structure. Only one character enters a ruin at a time, so choosing who goes where can affect how comfortably you deal with a particular section.

There’s another wrinkle. If one character is defeated inside a ruin, the other may need to go in and rescue him. It turns what could have been a simple character-selection gimmick into something you actually have to consider while progressing through the game. Coins collected along the way can also improve character abilities or restore health, giving the player another decision to make between stages.

The emotion system changes your abilities

Then there’s Treasure of Usas’ stranger idea: emotions. Both characters can switch between four emotional states by touching specific icons during play. These states alter attacks and can provide different abilities, with Wit and Cles responding differently depending on which emotion is active.

It sounds odd on paper, but mechanically it gives the game another layer. A stage isn’t necessarily just about reaching the exit. You’re also thinking about which character you’ve brought along, what that character can currently do and whether changing emotional state will help deal with the next obstacle. The world is divided into five main areas. Each contains four ruins and a sanctuary, and you’ll need to clear those ruins before taking on the sanctuary and its boss.

Rooms mix enemies, switches, blocks, hazards and platforming challenges. Some situations suit one character better than the other, while others depend more heavily on understanding the available abilities. It gives Treasure of Usas a slightly different rhythm from the more immediate platform games of its period. There’s action, certainly, but there’s also some planning between the jumps.

Hoffman is rebuilding it for the Amiga

The Amiga conversion is being handled by Hoffman, who has previously worked on Amiga projects including Metal Gear, Knightmare and Cecconoid/Eugatron. Rather than simply reproducing the MSX2 presentation as closely as possible, this version is being adapted around the Amiga’s graphics and sound hardware. The existing footage already shows the original room-based structure running with an Amiga-specific audiovisual treatment.

The soundtrack is being handled by BanjoGuyOllie, giving the conversion its own take on the music rather than treating audio as an afterthought. That distinction should be noticeable here.

Treasure of Usas was designed around the technical characteristics of the MSX2, with colourful tiled environments, relatively compact rooms and a visual layout typical of Konami’s games for the machine. Moving that to the Amiga means translating more than code. Graphics, sound, controls and general presentation all need to work naturally on different hardware. The current build suggests that’s exactly what the project is aiming for.

There’s still work to do

This isn’t the finished game. The development version shows enough to establish how the Amiga port will play, but several details remain unsettled. Final hardware requirements haven’t been confirmed, compatibility information could still change and later stages may receive additional work before release. Controls, balancing and presentation can also evolve while development continues.

For now, the interesting part is how much of Treasure of Usas’ original structure is already visible. The two playable characters are there. The platforming is there. The emotion system and broader stage progression are being carried across rather than stripped down for a simpler conversion.

Treasure of Usas was always more mechanically involved than its side-on platform format suggested, and that gives Hoffman plenty to account for in bringing it to the Amiga. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s now a work in progress you can properly see taking shape.

Spread the love

Two heroes, two different approaches

The emotion system changes your abilities

Hoffman is rebuilding it for the Amiga

There’s still work to do

MORE AMIGA & RETRO NEWS