Fractalus for PC is a modern remake of the Lucasfilm classic Rescue on Fractalus | short;Play

[@santospoland]

One of the most underrated remakes that I can think of. Spectacular work.

[@hippocrates72]

Level 06 31:50 Jaggi (1st! darkness) 33:27 Jaggi (2nd, darkness) 35:45 Jaggi (in ship!) Level 07 39:29 Jaggi (darkness) 40:37 Jaggi (darkness) Level 08 (44:08)

[@stickyfox]

I'd be curious to know if there's any modern equivalent to the terror of being eleven years old and alone in your darkened bedroom and seeing your first Jaggi... maybe you didn't read the instruction book and catch the tip about the green flight helmet.

[@ThisIsPete]

Instruction book? Hah. As a kid all I had for the original was a pirate copy of the pre-release version "Behind Jaggi Lines", so you better believe the first time a Jaggi popped up without warning I pretty much shat my pants, haha!

[@madmax2069]

3:21 Funny you say the modern day remake looks like the original box art, but also in the modern day remake the little screen in the cockpit looks like how the original version looked (12:20 haha you finally pointed it out).

[@ohheyitskevinc]

Nice one! Had this on my 800XL back in 85 I think. 3:53 - we’ve all been there. I’d make myself feel better by telling myself it was an alien. Frying pilots by powering up or letting them run out of air while they’re banging on the airlock was fun. The best part of this game is the IFR. You could literally get around at night and not hit a thing. The two yellow lines over the primary flight displays showing clearance to the sides so you avoid mountains. The radar. The lasers lighting up the sky etc. You’d have thought after all these years - the aliens would learn to knock and get some white helmets.

[@hypatian9093]

If 20 year old could die from a heart attack, this game would have managed to kill me. You all know what I mean ;)

[@andrewclegg9501]

Destroy the downed ships after rescuing pilots. No where for the Jaggis to ambush you later. And fall off my chair when I was 15! Damn good recreation, downloaded for the Mac today.

[@andyhodgson7692]

3:52 😂😂 when Rescue on Fractalus becomes Murder on Fractalus.

[@ThisIsPete]

Not my fault if they don't label the buttons in the Valkyrie properly! :)

[@deresonate]

Fantastic seeing how well this sticks to the original source... that mothership is spot on! And so smooth too! The Atari may have been the best place to play the original but this has it beat. 🙂

[@willybeeproductions9357]

A little late to the comment party here but I just had to say how glad I was to see Pete test this modern rendition of Rescue on Fractalus. Commodore enthusiasts like to claim the first Lucasfilm games as their own, but truthfully the first two titles were born on the Atari 8-bits. I remember how excited I was that George Lucas was venturing into the world of home computer gaming, though I was mystified at the time as to why he didn't make any Star Wars titles under the Lucasfilm games banner. It wasn't until recently while watching a Retro Computing conference with the original programmers that I learned that it was because Lucasfilm could earn more money by selling the licensing rights out to third party developers instead. I'm not sure about you guys, but I remember as a kid that buying and bringing home a NEW game from the store was a kid's version of bringing home that "new car smell" and I distinctly remember that feeling with this game and Ballblazer which I was fortunate enough to get my grandmother to splurge for on the same day for me. These two titles were SO much different than anything we'd seen before for the XL machines. Both had unique loading screen animations, fantastic soundtracks, and graphics like nothing before. I remember turning off all the lights in my rec room and sitting down to pretend that I was in the cockpit of an X-Wing fighter while playing Rescue on Fractalus. I had played it for several days and not reached the higher levels yet. Then one night, again with the lights off and the volume turned up LOUD, I landed my craft and watched a GREEN helmeted pilot run towards my ship. Then without warning the alien jumped up in front of my windscreen and pounded on the glass (in the first computer game jump scare of my life) and I panicked! I didn't know what to do! So I watched helplessly as the creature broke the glass and vapourized my ship...GAME OVER. Without the internet, and I believe that I didn't have my XM301 modem until at least a year later so I had to go and RE-READ the manual to see what I needed to do to kill the aliens. Whew! I was ready for them next time. But what a memory! All of a sudden shoot'em up games seemed less satisfying and I wanted more Lucas games! Anyway, I can't wait to try this new version for the PC....obviously handcrafted with love by the programmer(s) here as a love letter to this groundbreaking game! Ballblazer has had revisits up until the PS1 days, but no one has ever resurrected Rescue on Fractalus, and to have it done as a public domain game with AMAZING graphics but not re-inventing the wheel at all is fantastic. I wonder if this developer has a similar version of Koronis Rift in his hopper?? Or even Ballblazer, or The Eidolon? Thanks for this review Pete! I'm not sure if the jump scare is fast enough or loud enough to have the same effect on me that the original did back when I was 14, but then a lot of time has passed since then. Once you've seen a loud-mouthed schnook like Donald Trump become President, NOTHING shocks you anymore!

[@ThisIsPete]

It'd be lovely to see some of the other Lucasfilm fractal games resurrected, for sure. The Eidolon is a game I very fondly remember -- even if some of the monsters in it used to genuinely creep me out as a kid! Yeah, the alien jump scare in the remake is arguably a little weak compared to the 8-bit original (which absolutely is still terrifying, I can confirm, having played some OG Rescue on Fractalus recently) but everything else is absolutely spot on, so I can forgive them that, I think! Definitely worth a shot, and as I say, I'd have happily paid money for this. For it to be free is just the icing on an already delicious cake.

[@willybeeproductions9357]

@@ThisIsPete Absolutely Pete! It's hard to believe that someone would put this much effort into a lovingly crafted recreation of this game and then release it for free. Although I think Lucasfilm might have an issue with him if he looked for any kind of monetization from it. If I were calling the shots at Lucasfilm though I'd look at hiring the guy to create an entire package of the first four Lucas games and release it on the Switch or all three major consoles. Call it the Lucasfilm Games Classic Bundle. Could release his remakes alongside emulated versions of the originals. There's got to be a few bucks in it for all concerned. Those games were so head and shoulders above all else at that time in gaming that they MUST hold some Retro value to the rest of us out there. Given the quality that he's used in recreating Fractalus. I downloaded it, but I think my PC isn't powerful enough to handle the graphics of the game as it stutters. I may have to upgrade so I can play it cleanly. Perhaps the 32 bit version would be more suitable. Anyway, another great review Pete! Thanks!

[@buffalodebill1976]

Nice to find out someone adores this version, too 🙂 I also like it, and very much in fact, as it really keeps the spirit of the original - I mean, it has both the charm & spookiness of factor. I also really dig the fact, that there are no fancy "modern audience" updates - it's again just the same core gameplay, with updated graphics and sounds. The extra options (modifying the view and re-assigning the keys) are not intrusive and feel as-if these would have been implemented back in the 80's, if that was possible. Really, this one's an excellent and most importantly, a truthful remake of the ever-great original classic.

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

I had this on Atari 800 back then. It's a cool project and I salute them for doing this, but it's also a reminder of how the games from back then are too simple for me to want to play anymore. Here's my impractical pitch for how this could be more interesting while remaining essentially faithful to the original: radio conversations telling a story. Conversations between the pilot and the morhership, between the pilot and the guys being rescued, and between the pilot and the aliens in disguise trying to convince the pilot to let them in. I know this isn't a practical ask, but having a narrative would help me not mind the repetition and give me a reason to keep going.

[@2001pl]

looks awesome, thank you so much !

[@IPman77]

I cant believe this exists...one of my fav games ever...thankyou Luke.

[@deanfowles3707]

God damn I’d love to play this

[@psyentist2000]

First time I played Behind Jaggi Lines - yes, I belonged to a computer club too! - on my Atari 800 I was scared to death when confronted by the first Jaggi! They don't seem quite so scary now, but an amazing recreation nonetheless. Still have an original copy of RoF and will be playing this version on Windows ASAP!

[@alphatimberwolf8379]

this is beautiful! just like i remember, only better 🙂

[@errollleggo447]

Wow!

[@auritone]

Holy hell, this is awesome!