Roc'n Rope

What it is

Roc'n Rope is an unofficial Commodore 64 conversion of Konami's 1983 arcade climb. Players shoot a harpoon across gaps, climb the anchored rope and scramble toward the phoenix through four arcade stages. It uses detailed bitmap graphics and original music written for the C64.

From the developer

In the developer’s own words, from brokenbytes.itch.io.

One harpoon. A long way up.

Roc'n Rope brings Konami's 1983 arcade climb to the Commodore 64. Shoot a harpoon across a gap, grab the rope it leaves behind and scramble toward the phoenix. Cavemen, dinosaurs, birds and falling rocks have other plans.

Built with a 1986 mindset: tight memory, fast sprite work, colourful bitmap stages and a soundtrack made for the C64. The route changes as the rounds turn over, so reaching the top once is only the beginning.

Gameplay

Make your own crossing: fire the harpoon, climb the anchored rope and hop between platforms.

Fight for every foothold: stun enemies with the flashlight, collect power pills and feathers, and keep your bonus ticking.

Four arcade stages: jungle ledges, icy caves, spinning wheels and a towering waterfall, followed by later-round variations.

Arcade sound on the C64: original music and sound effects accompany the climb.

Technical Features

Colourful bitmap stages: Four detailed worlds make full use of the C64 palette.

Arcade-tuned movement: Subpixel positioning and frame timing adapt the original physics to the C64's resolution and PAL refresh rate.

Full-screen overscan: A 320×248 pixel presentation stretches into the borders, with the HUD below the playfield.

Ropes in motion: Shoot, climb and survive shaking ropes. Sprites handle movement, while anchored rope segments can shift to bitmap when the screen gets crowded.

Controls

Joystick in port 2. Left/right walks. Up fires the harpoon; at an anchored pole it grabs the rope. Left/right crosses the rope, up at the far end climbs onto a platform, and down lets go or enters a ladder. Fire uses the flashlight.

Hardware

Commodore 64 with EasyFlash-compatible cartridge support, or VICE configured for EasyFlash.

Credits

Code: Antonio Savona Graphics: Steve Day Music & sound: Aldo Chiummo

Editor takes

BeaThe Jam Judge

“Four stages, one harpoon and a lot of idea packed into a small C64 scope, though you'll need an EasyFlash cartridge or VICE to actually play it.”

KaiThe Speedrunner

“Subpixel positioning and frame timing aim to keep the arcade physics intact, and that's where the rope-swinging feel will either sing or sting.”

IrisThe Pixel Nerd

“Colourful bitmap stages, an original C64 soundtrack and ropes that shift to bitmap when crowded make this a proper love letter to 1986 hardware.”

How to play

Use a joystick in port 2: left/right walks, up fires the harpoon or grabs the rope from an anchored pole. Cross the rope left/right and climb up at the far end; press fire to use the flashlight. Down lets go of the rope or enters a ladder.

Tips

Fire the harpoon only when the gap is clear; the rope gives you a route but leaves you exposed while crossing.
Use the flashlight to stun enemies rather than trying to jump past them.
Collect power pills and feathers to keep the bonus meter from dropping.
Watch for falling rocks and birds; they can knock you off just before the top.
The route changes each round, so re-check the layout instead of repeating the same path.

Questions

Is Roc'n Rope free?

It is available as 'name your own price' on itch.io, so you can download it for free or pay what you want.

What platforms can play it?

The itch.io download is packaged for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. The game itself is a Commodore 64 program and can also run on original C64 hardware with EasyFlash-compatible cartridge support or in the VICE emulator.

Is this an official Konami release?

Does it have a high-score list?

The current version does not appear to include a high-score list, though players have asked for one in the comments.

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