Ash

Ash is a platformer for the Commodore Amiga 500, built with its own custom engine.

⚠️ This is an early prototype. The level in this build is a test playground for showing off features, not a real level from the game. Expect rough edges, placeholder content and lots of changes.

The story

The game is based on classic Norwegian folk tales, among them Askeladden og de gode hjelperne: “The Ash Lad and the Good Helpers”.

Word has spread across the land: the King has promised his daughter, and half his kingdom, to whoever can bring him a ship that sails just as well on land as on water, and through the air as well. No one has managed it. But the youngest of three brothers, the Ash Lad, sets out to try his luck.

Four worlds

His quest takes him through four worlds, each full of dangers and strange creatures:

• 🌲 The Troll Forest: Dark woods where trolls and twisted forest folk lurk among the roots.
• ⛰️ The Mountain Realm: High peaks, deep caves and steep cliffs.
• ❄️ The Glacier: A frozen wasteland under the shimmering northern lights.
• ☁️ The Sky World: A realm high above the clouds with a floating golden castle.

The good helpers

Along the way, the Ash Lad meets three peculiar companions. Without them, the quest would be hopeless. You can switch between Ash and his helpers at any time, and each has their own abilities to overcome the challenges in your way.:

• 🪨 Rocky is so ravenously hungry he eats stone. Can chew through obstacles.
• 🧊 Chilli has seven summers and fifteen winters in his body. Can freeze things when he's turned left and melt stuff when faced right.
• 🪶 Wimpy is so light on his feet that he can fly. Can reach many places Ash cannot.

What’s in this build

• 🌅 A living sky. The palette shifts smoothly from sunrise to day to sunset as you move through the level. Every tile and character is drawn to work across all times of day.
• 🏞️ Multi-layer parallax scrolling and a full-screen playfield.
• 🍃 Moving platforms, like lily pads that rise up and sink back down again.
• 📦 Liftable blocks. Pick them up, carry them, and drop them on enemies or use them to reach new places.
• 👾 The first forest creatures: Hothead charges at you, Hedgehog keeps on walking, Mosskin throws rocks, and Rootling hides among the trees and lashes out when you get too close.
• ⚡ Full 50 FPS on stock Amiga 500.

The helpers and the later worlds are not in this build yet. This prototype covers Ash in the first world.

Requirements (tested with)

• Amiga 500 (OCS) with Kickstart 1.3
• 512 KB chip (stock, no expansion needed)
• Works on real hardware (floppy or Gotek)

How to play
Write the ADF to a floppy or load it on your Gotek, or insert it in your emulator, and boot. The game starts by itself.

Controls (joystick in port 2)

• Left / right: run
• Up or fire: jump
• Fire next to a block: pick it up. Press again to drop it.
• Jump on enemies to stomp them, or drop blocks on their heads.

Feedback
I’d love to hear what you think, especially from those running it on real hardware! Leave a comment below.

Made with love and play-tested by my daughter, who is the biggest fan. A lot of the inspiration came from reading the old folk tales to her. 🧡