Quasimodo’s Christmas Caper by rwx designs

Quasimodo’s Christmas Caper is a new arcade-style Christmas themed platform game for the Commodore 64 home computer.
This game is the first of 3 spin-off games featuring the Quasimodo character from the currently in development game Hunchback Redux*, also for the Commodore 64 (*provisionally scheduled to be released in 2024).
The objective is to guide Quasimodo through 12 Christmas-themed levels clearing all the snowballs and collecting precious stars and collectables which will appear throughout, whilst avoiding the many obstacles and Happy Little Elves. Warning! The Elves don’t stay happy for long going about their business – if you take too long clearing the snowballs, they will magically turn on Quasimodo and become Naughty Little Elves looking to stop him with their snowball guns. And watch out! lurking in the wings is an evil snowman called Boris who will be out to try and thwart Quasimodo from completing his Christmas Caper.

Current game features v2.48 Release 4.2:

12 Christmas-themed levels filled with collectables and obstacles to avoid along the way.
Hidden Bonus level.
3 levels of difficulty.
‘Widescreen’ mode.
In-game music.
Single player – joystick only in Port 2.
Works on (PAL Only) Commodore 64/128/SX64, VICE 3.4+, CCS, Ultimate64e, MiSTer (FPGA), TheC64, C64Reloaded.
Digital .PRG, .D64 (Other digital formats may follow).
Free updates for any bug-fixed versions.
Separate game instructions PDF file.

Release 4 – additions:

Minor level/gameplay improvements.
Additional enhancements to graphics.
Revised levels.
Game engine optimisations.
Added Gold Star lock down mode.
Reworked title screen and options.
Updated documentation.

Further planned features (Release 5):

Native Commodore 128 version (2024)**.
NTSC Commodore 64 version (TBC) – this may be a cut-down revision due to limitations in NTSC mode.
Digital .TAP download included.
Loading screen for tape version of game.
Extended title and/or game music.
Further game code optimisations.
More graphical enhancements.
Changes to the end of game routines.

** date may be subject to change.
SPECIAL NOTE TheC64 PAL system users: There is a bug in the original firmware of TheC64 which may cause games to play at NTSC 60Hz speeds by default. Quasimodo’s Christmas Caper is designed to run at PAL (50Hz) speeds. To resolve this issue, factory reset TheC64, reboot and then select 50Hz and save the settings. Then re-run the game. Switching between PAL and NTSC via the menus doesn’t save the change unfortunately. It will affect all PAL games, not just Quasimodo’s Christmas Caper. NOTE: TheC64 may have had a firmware update which resolves this issue, please check with the vendor if this is the case or not.
Rated 82%* Overall by Zzap! Italia – Christmas Issue
Rated 76%* Overall by Zzap!64 (UK) Issue 12
*Review scores based on either pre-release or Release 1 version of game.
Please report any bugs in the comments section. There may be some quirks I already know about and have noted down to fix in a later release. Please rate the game if you enjoy it. Thank you.
Quasimodo’s Christmas Caper – An rwx designs game.
Coding, Graphics, Sound FX and Music by Robert Wilson.
**Copyright © 2023/2024 – rwx designs. ** ****This game is fully copyright under UK Law and not for redistribution and/or download from any other website/digital platform. Please download only from itch.io and support the author!