Tomb Raider - Commodore 64

So, some time ago I had an idea for a game: “Tomb Raider” on the C64.

I thought, why not give it a go? I started working on it, but as I normally find, my graphics skills just don't quite match what I have in my head 😂. Eventually, I put the project aside. You can see some of the progress I made on my YouTube channel.

Then this week I had an idea:

What if I let AI have a go at creating them?

Now, I know this may be controversial, and I'm fully expecting some pushback. But hear me out.

Using the new AI Astra model, I asked it to create a Lara Croft-style character for my C64 game. To be honest, this is the first time I've ever managed to get AI to create sprites that I actually thought were good enough to use. Maybe I've finally figured out how to prompt the thing properly! 😂

But I didn't stop there.

I asked it to create a custom character set to create a room.

And honestly, it produced something far better than I could have created myself.

So I kept going.

Feature after feature started getting added. I asked it to help with the graphics, gameplay elements and even create a version of the classic Tomb Raider style tune. I also experimented with taking a video created in Kling AI and getting astra to convert it into an REU video for a cut scene.

It wasn't long before I realised this was definitely not going to run on a stock C64. 😁

Four nights of work and well over 100 prompts later, I ended up with something that actually resembles the game I had in my head.

And that, for me, is probably the most interesting part of the whole thing.

And yes, I realise that some people will look at this and say:

“That's not programming a C64 game.”

And they're right.

It isn't.

I've programmed a few games over the years, with my limited knowledge, and I know exactly how much hard work goes into creating something on the C64. Programming, graphics, sound and memory limitations. It's a completely different challenge.

For me, this was about seeing what is possible.

I wanted to see where we are now with AI and what happens when you combine it with a 40-year-old computer.

And that leads to the question I'm genuinely interested in hearing people's opinions on:

If someone has a great idea for a C64 game but doesn't have the skills to program it, create graphics or compose music, is it really a bad thing if AI gives them a way to bring that idea to life?

Not everyone is ever going to learn 6502 assembly. Not everyone can draw pixel art. Not everyone can compose SID music.

But they might still have a really good idea.

So is it better for that game to exist, even if AI helped create it, rather than never exist at all?




First Attempt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AF07gmx69o
second:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUnyewsxP6c

Дата на публикация: 12 септември, 2026
Категория: Игри
Ключови думи: Tomb Raider 64 commodore