Cosmic Payback (ZX81)

After the original ZX Spectrum release of Cosmic Payback, I began to wonder if the ZX81 might be capable of running the game. The thought lay in my head from early 2023 until about late 2024 when I started to work seriously on it. Now in 2025, the game is complete, and my idle thought has become reality. See below for the original plot details...

EARTH, 2562 A.D.

After centuries of war and suffering, peace slowly began to return to the world. Just as civilization had started to recover, however, another crisis fell upon it - an extra-terrestrial armada pillaged the earth, taking with them virtually all of the known supplies of gold. Society was plunged into chaos - financial markets experienced a recession of unparalleled proportions, electronics production ceased altogether, and people with dental fillings dared not wander out in public.

An international task force was created with the aim of recovering the gold. Scraping together what they could with the miniscule amount that had not been plundered, a shuttle was constructed that would serve justice upon the invaders. It contained a few spherical exploration pods, which would navigate the planetary surface by means of bouncing upon it.

You are responsible for piloting the pods and returning all of the gold to Earth. If this mission fails, humanity will be doomed to return to the Stone Age.

You are our only hope!

Bounce your way through fifteen levels of challenging gameplay and fast 3-D action with Cosmic Payback on the 16K ZX81!