C64 Homebrew 'Oblast' Reimagines 1978 Arcade Game Blasto
Developer Cameron Kaiser releases a free, technically impressive reimagining of the classic arcade shooter for the Commodore 64.
A new homebrew release is pushing the humble Commodore 64 to its absolute limits. Developer Cameron Kaiser has just launched Oblast, a free, feature-packed reimagining of the 1978 arcade game Blasto, and it's a proper technical showcase.
Available for download now from the project's GitHub page, Oblast takes the simple black-and-white shooting gallery premise of the original and expands it into a sprawling, customisable experience. It's a clear labour of love that shows what modern coding techniques can squeeze out of the classic 8-bit machine.
🎮 Game Details- Original: Blasto (Arcade, 1978)- New Platform: Commodore 64- Developer: Cameron Kaiser- Status: Free Download
The original Blasto was a monochrome arcade shooter where players defended a wall from bouncing balls. Kaiser's version keeps that core but builds an entire universe around it. The headline feature is the sheer scale: 384 procedurally generated screens offer near-endless variety. You're not just playing a static port; you're exploring a new game built from that vintage blueprint.
Pushing the Hardware
This isn't a simple sprite swap. Kaiser has gone deep under the C64's hood. The game utilises the SID chip to create synced audio and visual effects, where sound pulses directly influence the on-screen action. It also boasts a silky-smooth 240Hz update rate, a figure that would make many modern indie games blush, let alone a title running on hardware from 1982.
The customisation options are equally deep. Players can tweak everything from the speed and behaviour of the enemy 'blobs' to the game's visual filters and control schemes. It transforms a straightforward arcade experience into a personal playground, letting you tailor the challenge and aesthetic to your liking.
It's part of a fantastic trend we're seeing, where talented developers use contemporary knowledge to create new classics for old systems. Just last month, we saw Blazon release a slick C64 port of the 1984 Amstrad CPC game Oh Mummy, proving the platform's active homebrew scene is stronger than ever. From the ZX Spectrum to the C64, these 8-bit boxes are getting a second life through dedicated coders.
For anyone with a real C64, an emulator, or a modern device like a MiSTer, Oblast is an essential download. It's a free, impressive demonstration of what the Commodore 64 can still do in 2025. You can grab the disk image and read the full documentation directly from the GitHub releases page.
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