Broken Altars Adds Mouse Support to C64

For retro gaming fans in the UK and beyond, a new Commodore 64 homebrew game has landed with a control option that still feels unusual on the breadbin, native mouse support. Broken Altars, developed by drmortalwombat, mixes resource management with tactical reconstruction, and also supports the more familiar joystick and keyboard setup.

The game puts players in the role of Fumbling Fred, a scholar of antiquity who is known for piecing together ancient ruins from limited historical records. Fred also keeps part of the treasure he finds, which funds his main task, restoring sixteen ancient altars that have been left in rubble for millennia.

Mouse support on the Commodore 64 is not new in hardware terms, the Commodore 1351 mouse existed, but it was never widely adopted in the way mouse control became central on the Amiga. That makes a modern homebrew title like Broken Altars stand out, especially as it is designed around mouse and keyboard input rather than treating them as an afterthought.

For players who prefer the old ways, the developer has kept full support for a classic joystick, or a joystick paired with a keyboard. That should make the game easy to try on original hardware, whether you are using a mouse for precision or sticking with the controls many C64 owners know best.

The game’s mix of excavation, planning and puzzle-solving gives it a slower, more thoughtful pace than many 8-bit releases. It is also another sign that the C64 homebrew scene is still finding fresh ways to use familiar hardware, even decades after the machine first arrived.

For more retro gaming news, see our News tag. You can also read more about recent homebrew releases on RetroShell.

Originally published by Indie Retro News. Read the original article.