Greetings, digital explorer!

Embark on a pixelated journey inspired by Tony Halik, the real-life Polish explorer and filmmaker whose adventures spanned continents and decades. He was exploring ancient civilisations for NBC, Tony's love of discovery knew no bounds. Now it's your turn to step into Tony's digital shoes and unravel the mysteries of Montezuma's Castle in this nostalgic 8-bit homage.

System Requirements

• A trusty Commodore 64 or reliable emulator.
• A sense of retro adventure, fired up and ready to go.
• A supported storage device: 1541 (after transferring disk images into the floppy disk), SD2IEC, 1541 Ultimate, Ultimate64, Pi1541. We plan to support EasyFlash/EasyFlash3 in the near future.
• Optional: A joystick plugged into port 2. Keyboard controls are also supported.

Game overview

As Tony, you'll traverse the pixel art of Montezuma's Castle. Watch out for those tricky traps, avoid pixelated dangers and let chip tune rhythms guide your path.

Controls & Commands

• Joystick left/right or A/D on the keyboard: Standard movement.
• Up/Down on joystick or W/S on the keyboard: Navigate through ladders.
• Down / S on the keyboard: Makes Tony duck and dodge. (A useful skill in tight spaces!)
• Fire button or Space on the keyboard: Make Tony jump, whether to avoid danger or to reach the tantalising treasure.

Additionally:

• F1: changes colour scheme.
• Run/Stop: kills the player and restarts the room.
• Run/Stop + Shift: ends the game and goes back to the title.

Tips from an earlier explorer

Legend has it that Montezuma's Mask is more than just an artifact. Find it, and you may reveal more than its shiny surface. The door to something monumental awaits you!

Now, let’s talk strategy! Think of your points as your lifeline—literally. Every 3,000 points grants you an extra life, so collect those treasures like a squirrel hoarding nuts. You start with five lives, and they don't come easy, so cherish each one. Jewels, worth 200 points each, and potions, worth 100 points, are your best friends. But hey, if you’re feeling feisty, you can use those potions to send enemies to an early grave, earning you 50 points per vanquished foe.

Your inventory is a bit of a tight squeeze, with only four slots available. Keys, masks, and potions are the hot items here, while jewels thankfully don't take up any space. Be strategic—once an item is in your inventory, it’s there to stay until used or booted by a higher-priority item. Masks top the priority list (essential for level completion), followed by keys, and lastly potions. Don’t forget, keys unlock doors, masks complete levels, and unused items vanish into thin air when you advance to the next stage. So, plan wisely and keep an eye out for Montezuma’s legendary mask—your ticket to the next adventure!

Oh, and here’s a juicy secret for you: keep an eye out for hidden rooms, packed with additional treasures like jewels. They’re the stuff of legends, often tucked away where you’d least expect them. And sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll stumble upon hidden passages that whisk you away to higher levels. So don’t just walk by that suspicious-looking wall—give it a nudge and see what happens. Your path to glory could be just a secret passage away!

Tributes

To the legacy of Tony Halik for inspiring this pixel quest. For those of you who remember the days of 8-bit adventure, we hope this brings back fond memories. To newcomers, welcome to a legendary era of gaming!

About authors

Game concept & graphics: Rafał Dudek
Programming: Maciej Małecki
Music: Adam Gilmore, Sami "Mutetus" Juntunen
Sound FX: Maciej Małecki
Testing: Raffox, Rafał "Yogi" Wypych, Vladimir Jankovic, Louie Dimovski, Sönke Smiletzki, Krzysztof Odachowski
Help: David "Jazzcat" Simmons

Pixel-perfect adventure awaits!