James Pond 2: RoboCod, ported from Amiga code to PC

The fish is back on the surface. Gary Riches has converted Millennium's 1991 Amiga game James Pond 2: Codename RoboCod to C++. The game's code, design and graphics are Chris Sorrell's. The method is called static recompilation. With this method the game is not rewritten from scratch; the 68000 machine code is carried over into C++ as it stands. The parts that don't convert run on a 68000 interpreter inside, and the Amiga's custom chips are emulated as well. Version 1.0.0 went up on GitHub on 26 October. Supported systems are Windows, macOS, Linux (Steam Deck included) and a homebrew-opened PS5. The game is free, and the source code is under the GPL-3.0 licence.

On a widescreen display the picture isn't stretched; it is redrawn from the game's state. The game logic stays at 50 frames. For 60 Hz and faster screens, in-between frames are generated. The sound can be played through the A500 or the A1200 filter. There are also three save slots, quick save and level select.

Now for the catch: the game itself isn't in the package. You need an .adf copy of the Kixx re-release or of the common cracked disks, and a WHDLoad install will do the job too. Millennium's copy-protected original disk isn't supported, and neither are .dms and .ipf images. So anyone with the original box on the shelf has a harder time of it. There's no proper picture yet of what players make of it.