Swamp Hero 64

Swamp Hero 64 is a homebrew game for the N64 by Torte00 and released on 30 Oct 2022 for the 2022 64brew Game jam. It’s an incomplete game, but you can play as a sort of tank that shoots at ghosts in a 3D environment.

You can download the ROM from the download page for this homebrew game by using the password swampyghosts or see the source code on Github and download from Drive.

Swap Hero 64 Style and Gameplay

The game is incomplete so there’s not much in terms of an objective, but there are a couple of interactive elements to it.

You play as what looks like an armoured tank or a double-layered jelly dessert whose top layer rotates and shoots bullets. There are three ghosts that move around that you can shoot, but that’s about it. There is a building and a lamppost, but they are just for decoration.

UltraED

Swamp Hero 64 was made using the UltraED engine for game development. It’s a level editor/game engine for the Nintendo 64 made by Deadcast2.

Torte00 has said that the system didn’t allow for more than a few objects to be present on the map at once, so he was limited to just having a few ghosts. He also wanted to include a second stage with different objects like pumpkins but ultimately was limited to what we got.

‘Spooky’ theme

The game has some spooky ghosts and a creepy-looking mansion. The unidentified blob you control is pretty unsettling as well.

Credits

The creator of Swamp Hero 64 is Torte00, who worked on it as a solo developer.

Review and conclusion

Unfortunately, there isn’t much to say about this game since it is incomplete. I do like the concept of a 3D tank-style battle game on the Nintendo 64 since other games (like BattleTanx, Goldeneye or Lylat Wars) have tanks but they don’t have independently moving turrets. It’s slower to control but it allows for a more tactical style of gameplay which is definitely an interesting concept.

The models in Swamp Hero 64 are cute and spooky, it’s a good effort as a first foray into development for the Nintendo 64. Even though UltraED is not being supported anymore, I look forward to what Torte00 has in store for the future developing Nintendo 64 homebrew games.