Eye of the Beholder on Commodore 64. Really.

[@retrobitstv]

The game is now available here! eotb64.com/

[@JBOpie13]

Works with the MouSTer, by the way.

[@Khodeus]

@@JBOpie13 thank you, sir. I was just wondering about it!

[@Isoquant]

This is unbelievable! They went all out and created a modern retro masterpiece with full mouse support, 2 Mhz support, dual monitor support, lovingly crafted graphics and audio that max out the system's capabilities, and retains the full complexity of the original title... I'm speechless!

[@Murrlin27]

6:40 Fine! You attack the darkness!

[@BadManiac]

This is... I'm speechless. This is incredibly impressive. A single Megahertz and 0.064MB RAM and it does this! Hang on, let me pick my jaw up off the floor...

[@rabarebra]

You do not realise that you can load another 64kb from a disk image, and another one, and another one, and another? What is so impressive?

[@X1L3]

@@rabarebra Where's yours?

[@rabarebra]

@@X1L3 There.

[@zacmussatt9267]

An important thing to keep in mind is that 6502 architecture is vastly different than x86. That 1ish MHz clock cycle is used a lot differently. In a way it’s more efficient than say an 8088. Arguably the c64 is a more powerful machine that an 8088 running at I believe around 4mhz.

[@demoman1596sh]

@@rabarebra Bitter for some reason?

[@st3ddyman]

That's an incredible achievement. It looks even more beautiful running on the C64.

[@Charles_Bro-son]

The more muted colour palette fits the dark sewers fantasy dungeon setting well.

[@tubejay1]

I never had a C64 or any Commodore, but I have to admit, the SID chip is freaking great. What a cool sounding chip. The raunchy distortion it produces is just so awesome and good sounding.

[@retrobitstv]

Completely unrelated to the game but there are some great SID tunes still being made. LukHash recently released a full album for the C64 (it's also on Spotify, etc.) that's amazing! kzbin.infoQgIVV-Zjnbg

[@Damaniel3]

This whole thing is pretty impressive, but that dual monitor C128 mode is super slick.

[@darkridearts]

I was legitimately shocked when he got to that part 😅

[@t0xcn253]

I'm SAYING

[@datriaxsondor590]

Wow. If this game had been made back in era, it would've blown people's minds, including my own. XD It looks incredible for the C64. Props to everyone involved with this. Very, very nicely done.

[@archieil]

It'd cost $10k ;-)

[@Riva1000]

I started making games long time ago on 8bits, then Amiga, then 90s IBM PCs. I know all the tricks. But this, this is next level !

[@YourXavier]

3:35 That 3d turn is brilliant, considering the time.

[@cheater00]

What an amazing port. Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention.

[@charlesjmouse]

Speaking as a person of a certain age I have no nostalgia for the C=64 having not owned one BITD ...but I own one now because I am in to retro electronics and it has to be said development for this machine is more vibrant than any other platform - hence regular minor miracles like this. Very well done developers! (I'm finally going to have to build myself a cartridge solution it seems)

[@shaolin95]

The c64...such a legend. Insane what some can do with it

[@fourthhorseman4531]

That is hands down one of the most amazing things I've ever seen! I would not have thought a port of this quality possible. Amazing!

[@ArttuTheCat]

I played EYE OF THE BEHOLDER a lot on my Amiga 500, and the Commodore 64 version of this game looks amazing 😺👍.

[@earthlydescent]

When developers are given time and resources, the possibilities are endless.

[@ian_b]

To be fair, it's a double edged sword. It can also mean games that never come out whether commercially (Duke Nukem Forever) or particularly in the Kickstarter type scenario. Constraints do tend to mean products get delivered.

[@espressomatic]

Resources being the most important here. This game would not have been possible to make as a commercial product in the C64's production period for a few reasons. The most significant I believe is simply storage requirements for all the assets. Next is the intensive set of development requirements, that at the time of EoB's PC release, would have pushed a C64 port to an unsustainable budget - it would have been commercial suicide for a system past its prime even if the storage didn't make it an impossibility. This is a beautiful port done at a time where all the above (and more) concerns are simply non-issues. Non-commercial in nature, decades of experience doing things with the C64 that no one had time nor budget to explore when developing commercially in the 80's and products like EasyFlash (and compatible devices) offering cheap (and reusable) storage that weren't even a dream in 1991.

[@thecappeningchannel515]

@@espressomatic agreed. This could only work as a labor of love. Not a commercial product.

[@LeftoverBeefcake]

Since we have such awesome hardware add-ons available for the C64 now, it's wonderful that people are taking advantage of them like this. I hope this trend continues!

[@lauraiss1027]

The condition in which your monitors and console are and whole clean setup, is a sight to behold on it's own. Love when retro hardware is being looked after like that. Thank you!

[@space302]

I remember having a terrible outdated PC that could barely play anything anymore at that time, yet Eye Of the Beholder was running flawlessly on it, and had way more depth than I expected, I didn't even manage to finish it back then.

[@luomotigre2803]

Holy moly...Getting my C64 fixed, now! Was superfan of this on Amiga back in the days...and I actually think it looks better in this color palette + there is automap!

[@robintst]

I am utterly blown away by the quality of this port. Gotta be honest, I think I like the overall visual presentation of this more than any of the originals.

[@TheLastLineLive]

Wow, this is super impressive, visually and audibly it's amazing and that dual monitor feature is mind blowing for such an old system.

[@Agmanthion]

your wizard looks like he's ready to attack the darkness if needed

[@bwgti]

Everyone in the comments saying how amazing this is seems like an overreaction. It is not. They have taken advantage of every c64/c128 trick and technique imaginable to produce a very, very nice version of this game. It’s the UI that gets me. This was always a huge shortcoming on the more involved c64 games. This version of the music is fantastic on the SID as well. Incredible work.

[@Virtualblueart]

I love how people keep doing amazing things with my favourite old beige breadbin. I would think things like this would be impossible if I didn't see it here.

[@YoreHistory]

Just so absolutely stunning and nostalgic for this old Gen Xer to see his beloved C64 able to run a modern version of classic EOTB...what amazing work went into this.

[@m0nde]

Very thorough review, thanks for all of your work telling us about this amazing achievement. Super Mario Bros, Sonic and now this, I hope more ports like this come our way on the C64!

[@mbrochh82]

this is one of my earliest childhood memories. I was watching my dad play and my job was to draw a mini map on paper while he traversed the dungeon.

[@steveleadbeater8662]

I'm always amazed at how well the old hardware is used. I'd have bought this back in the day. Astonishingly good, Andreas may be an alien.

[@DLeif-bk3ye]

Absolutely incredible.

[@GreySectoid]

This game looks incredible.

[@mattcole6230]

Just awesome! The developers must be overwhelmingly proud if this achievement!

[@ZZKJ396]

This would have been a monster hit back in the day, when there were millions of C64s too... these guys would have been millionaires.

[@EFreD-ed4ds]

Yes, because all the pirates from back in the day are also millionares.

[@DanLekin]

@@EFreD-ed4ds It would have been a cartridge game - not so easy to copy.

[@EFreD-ed4ds]

@@DanLekin What does that have to do with anything?

[@DanLekin]

@@EFreD-ed4ds It would have been sold pretty good, even back then when everyone had pirated games. I also had (and still have) a C64 with only a few original games, but if this game would have been this good, I would have considered to buy it and I think many people would had back then.

[@EFreD-ed4ds]

​@@DanLekin It would not have made them millionaires though. Not by a long shot. A cartridge game may be harder to copy, but I don't see how they would manage to distribute it to a large enough market back in the eighties.

[@ace942]

Never had a C64 (Had an Atari 800XL) but it is impressive that on such a small system they were able to create a very faithful recreation of Eye of the Beholder. Thanks for showing the game.

[@Virtualblueart]

I never would have expected this to be possible let alone look and play this well. Amazing!

[@rawberg_se]

Achievement unlocked - C64 Ninja Master Coder It's mindblowing!

[@andrewloranger]

Wow - such an amazing feat getting this ported while making it look and feel true to the original. BRAVO!

[@alexandredevert4935]

This is mindbogglingly beautiful

[@MrMarianoamigo]

love c128 features

[@carlchapman4053]

This was one on my all time favourites and my absolute best RPG until I got a PC and found Daggerfall but I still think of it even now, 30+ years later.

[@zosxavius]

This is a masterpiece. Seriously impressive work here.

[@TheRememdium]

Oh man! Me and my older brother played this, II and III to bits when we were young and it was a game that stuck with me so many years later, easily a favorite among many. What better game to bring back to life. Imagine having that dual screen with the map back in the day, would have been considered cheating back then. Great work on the re-texturing and everything else to everyone who was involved in this. And great video.

[@gardhul]

I'm blown away. Absolutely speechless...

[@ridiculous_gaming]

When I first ran Dungeon Master on my ST in 1987, it was simply jaw dropping. Running Eye of the Beholder, which was an Amiga favorite, is inconceivable to imagine running well on an earlier 8 bit.

[@stewiedarkinvisibleid]

Unbelievable! Incredible! Back in the day, I played Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder 1-3 on Amiga. Those were the days!

[@mrr8702]

my mouth dropped on the automap on the 2nd monitor, woooow! super cool :)

[@gonzo3915]

This is truly remarkable, thanks for the video good Sir.

[@retrobitstv]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@codingwithculp]

Absolutely stunning. Love that one of the characters was named Galstaff.

[@glenndoiron9317]

I cast magic missile on the darkness.

[@Ryan-ok2ks]

I almost choked on my soup when I saw that

[@Liquidcadmus]

This is incredible, makes you really wonder what the C64 is really capable of

[@shanilmisra]

I cannot believe that I played this game on PC thirty years ago (yes thirty!!!) and even made a walkthrough for it back then. I see the walkthrough still survived (RIP to my hand-drawn maps though), and just reading it again after so many years made me smile. Back then a 'mouse' and the 'internet' were novelties, and it showed. Also I see the walkthrough has garbled characters, and even back then I must have used extended ASCII to draw lines and blocks and so on. Anyway, having owned a VIC-20 I am ASTOUNDED that this game has been released for C-64. Brings back so many fond memories both of the era of the home computer as well as the early days of PC games. Fast forwarding about 8 years through to Baldur's Gate, it shows how much the genre as well as PCs grew in such a short time. Long live this game and the fascination it brought me back then.

[@Ephmral]

I loved Eye of the beholder game. This, and years later, Morrowind, were huge moments in my gaming life.

[@BrettLevin4096]

That’s amazing. It looks beautiful and the dual monitor support is super rad.

[@keithbeard7133]

Truly, a labour of love and it certainly shows! Thanks for rasing awareness of this project RB!

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

Fantastic work. Shows you how much is possible with enough time and enough memory.

[@retro3188]

Awesome! I love this port!

[@ohioterran7374]

Wow! This is extremely impressive!

[@jubsy]

Absolutely brilliant. This is so impressive!

[@420glass]

I loved Tunnels of Doom on Ti 99

[@agahnimous]

Wow, that is jawdroppingly impressive. Who would have thought this possible? Amazing work.

[@shaunhall960]

This was my game back in the day! Incredible skill went into making this game. Thank you so much for doing this video!

[@exodous02]

Wow, this is amazing. Imagine going back in time with this game. I guess it wouldn't be possible with the cart, that kind of space just wasn't possible.

[@IndigoIndustrial]

This is an impressive achievement on many levels.

[@MirageDU]

That is just awesome. Imagine showing someone back than what can be achived on this mashine.

[@bobfromsoireegames4309]

An incredible port. I wish developers back in the day had had as much time to complete these conversions.

[@CorrodedCoder]

I can't believe he utilised a second display on the C128 - I had never heard that was even possible!

[@sikkepossu]

That's unbelieveable how detailed the conversion is. I definitely need to get the boxed version if/when it is published.

[@c128stuff]

Will there be a boxed version? This is a 'fan art' game, which uses copyrighted material. Selling it would be a quick way to get some highly undesirable attention.

[@mjy]

@@c128stuff "A physical boxed edition is planned to follow."

[@retrobitstv]

Here's a preview of the custom box art! twitter.com/c64pixels/status/1572552591275597824

[@danielmantione]

@@retrobitstv I applaud that, but I also fear it: This is the point where the project will become commercial and once it becomes commercial it becomes much more likely that the copyright holders of the original game will act to protect their franchise. I hope they can appreciate the fan effort.

[@vetodrom]

@@danielmantione there is a cut between the game and the box. The game will be available as fan-port not connected to the unbranded box (with fanart) and cartridge (which is compatible with eotb). It needs to be seperate to avoid licence issues, but it is IMO a reasonable way to provide a nice physical box for collectors.

[@Mclaneinc]

It's not my sort of game, BUT you have to admire the level of work that has gone in to this, Amazing!!

[@Dorelaxen]

10:52 I am Galstaff, Sorcerer of Light!

[@pw1169]

Thankyou for showing this in a CRT!!

[@Michael-im5mq]

The graphics in a lot of ways actually look better than the original source. And a C128 with dual monitors is an absolute unit.

[@thorham1346]

Not really. They're good, but not that good.

[@stolz_ar]

Simply amazing. Great video!

[@RetroGameStream]

Dang such a cool project and I really enjoyed how the video was presented. New fan right here!

[@realmchat6665]

Wow, so cool and an amazing accomplishment.

[@ShamblerDK]

I remember playing on my dads C64 back in the 80s. It's got so many great games.

[@suadcokljat1045]

Dual monitor feature is great

[@TheGunnarRoxen]

That is gorgeous. What an achievement!

[@johnny5805]

If it took over 16 years, imagine how utterly optimized that code must be !!

[@nomorecontinues6564]

Excellent overview video, well done!

[@CommodoreGreg]

This is incredible. This is the kind of thing you know is theoretically possible but never, ever expect to see.

[@MansBestCat]

Period-correct display, made noone feel old

[@manganoid7426]

This is simply amazing. Not many things leave me in awe these days, yet this left me speechless. Itb would be cool if developers made some original games looking suck like this on c64\128 and make them exclusive for the system :D Thank you for this video :)

[@omnibrain3198]

I wont switch to an Amiga with incredible games like that still coming out for the C64.

[@ScavengerFX]

This was a great video, thank you!

[@toomanymodz]

Amazing work. I'll be buying the box set for sure!

[@Lofote]

06:40 Summoner/volition quote 😉

[@michaelhill6453]

Jaw dropping! How can such an amazing project be free?

[@Mustakari]

This game needs a way to use a serial linked 64 to display the map. 128's are quite rare.

[@retrobitstv]

Hah that would be cool. Not sure there's any space left in memory to add more features though!

[@Charleshawn66]

OMG It is out!! It is so good!!!!! Just rewatched your video as a tutorial. TY again for the content!

[@WillCooper1]

That right screen gave me Sword of Fargaol vibes! 🙂

[@blackstarafro2]

I played this game. I think I still own it.

[@cricri593]

I remember I had to decode the map files to have the plans of the tunels the games not having a map

[@TheMisterGuy]

That's incredible. How did they get this to run at a playable rate with graphics that good on that machine? Really impressive.

[@stephanan]

The C64 masters a kind of bank switching. From $8000 to $BFFF, the banks of e.g. an Easyflash are displayed there. All you have to do is write the bank number in $DE00 and it will be active in no time at all.

[@subtledemisefox]

The QoL features make this probably the definitive version of this game

[@Microbex]

If this game existed in the golden days, I would have been in heaven.

[@gorber81]

oh, the memories... ☺

[@James-fo8rf]

Wow amazing port.

[@tsuikagura]

Oh gawd now I want a mouse, a flash cartridge and 2 monitors. o_o This port is AMAZING!!! Little kid me probably just lost my mind seeing it :D

[@whatifindinteresting3067]

looks great

[@DerDude1977]

Fantastic work on the C64. I don't know how many times I finished it on the Amiga or PC. Still a great game as well as the second part. Technically the C64 port is the best I have ever seen on a C64. Great features with the auto-mapping and the bestiarium too. When it comes to atmosphere EOB 1 to me is still the best "dungeon crawler" of its kind. EOB 2 was great too, but part 1 to me is still the best. Better than all the rest (Dungeon Master, or when it comes to newer games Legend of Grimrock(? - was it called so? I thought it wasn't nearly as good). EOB 1 & 2 had the great quality games from Westwood had back then. EOB 3 was trash as Westwood didn't program it.)