Escape from PETSCII Planet (C64)

Summary

Escape From PETSCII Planet handles surprisingly well. Controls are responsive and movement through the dungeon corridors feels relatively smooth, a genuine achievement given the platform and the ray-casting engine driving it. Mouse-based aiming took a little persistence to get used to, but proved ok once that adjustment period had passed, and it goes some way toward making the first-person perspective feel legitimate rather than gimmicky. Combat itself is generally a fun and tactical experience, rewarding players who take the time to line up shots and manage engagements rather than simply charging in.

The treasure hunt style of play is one of the game’s genuine pleasures. Hunting down keys, gold, and hidden passages gives every floor a real sense of purpose beyond simply clearing enemies, and the first level proved considerably more challenging than anticipated, setting a tone of exploration that rewards patience.

The ray-casting effect itself is where the game earns most of its praise. The scaling and perspective work is genuinely impressive for the hardware, and it is easy to see why this has been billed as a first for the C64. The trade-off, however, is the grey scale PETSCII presentation. While technically striking, it makes it difficult to maintain a sense of orientation while exploring, and equally difficult to tell at a glance which walls are simply scenery and which conceal doors or hidden passages. An in-game map would go a long way toward resolving this, giving players a means of keeping their bearings that the visuals alone do not provide.

The joystick control scheme introduces its own frustration. The fire button doubles as the interact command for doors and walls, and there is no way to distinguish in advance whether a wall in front of you is meant to be interacted with. Approach one that is not, hit fire, and the result is a wasted bullet rather than an opened passage. It is a small design choice, but one that chips away at the otherwise confident feel of the controls.

Audio is adequate without being memorable. Sound effects are spare and functional, but the complete absence of in-game music leaves the dungeons feeling emptier than they might otherwise. It is not a dealbreaker, but it is a missed opportunity to build atmosphere.

Replayability is one of the game’s stronger assets. Between the standard campaign, extra-hard difficulty, the timed Gold Rush mode, and the overpowered Zeus Mode, there is plenty here to draw players back for another run. The Level Designer is a nice inclusion in principle, though it seems unlikely that many players will actually sit down and build their own levels with it, making it more of a bonus curiosity than a genuine driver of long-term engagement.

Despite its collective quirks, Escape From PETSCII Planet had me returning to it quite a few times. The disorientating visuals, the awkward fire-button overlap, and the sparse audio are all real shortcomings, but none of them were enough to keep this one off the desktop for long.