Silly Venture 2024 SE: Winners in the Atari XL/XE Games category

August 18, 2024 • Updated: Mar 18, 2025 - 12:48 AM

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The summer edition of the Silly Venture 2024 festival, which took place from August 15 to 18 in Gdansk, Poland, once again brought together the community of developers and enthusiasts of Atari 8-bit computers, once again demonstrating the inexhaustible talent and creativity in the retro scene.

In the Atari XL/XE Games competition, first place went to «Firefighter Tobik 2», developed by Zdeněk "Zdenda" Zubr (graphics), Marek "Poison" Pesout (music) and Zdeněk "PG" Eisenhammer (main character sprite). A sequel to the game presented at Silly Venture 2023 WE, this game captivated the judges and audience with its exciting proposition, where a firefighter must put out flames in different levels, accumulating a total of 7,707 points.

Second place went to "Mafia"The Real Mafia, with 7,222 points. A C64 classic developed by Igelsoft in 1986, this game was successfully adapted for the Atari platform. Mafia combines RPG and turn-based strategy elements, allowing players to immerse themselves in the dangerous criminal world of Chicago during the Prohibition era. With up to four players, this title requires 64 kB of RAM and a floppy drive, which adds a touch of nostalgia and challenge to the experience.

In third place, with 7,000 points, was «Technical Difficulties - No Internet (The Dino Crisis)», an ingenious recreation of Chrome's iconic dinosaur race when the internet connection drops. Developed in just four nights by Tomasz "Pecus" Pecko and Pawel "Pirx" Kalinowski, with sound by Aleksander "Alex" Martin, this game stood out for its addictive gameplay and remarkable soundtrack, leaving a strong impression on the competition.

Fourth place went to «Female Pixel»by Krzysztof “xxl” Dudek, which scored 5,568 points. Self-proclaimed “the most woke game on Atari,” this 9.3 kB original title challenges players to guide a green pixel through a small maze made of ATASCII code. Featuring a brief digitized voice introduction, “Female Pixel” requires only an Atari 400 with 8 kB of RAM, standing out for its simplicity and innovative approach.

Special mention should be made of the presentation of «Welcome to Monty»for Atari XL/XE. This port, made by the atariBDSM group and published by the Polish company Retronics, is an adaptation of the game originally released by Gremlin Graphics for the C-16 in 1987. «Auf Wiedersehen Monty» is the sequel to the platform game «Monty on the Run»; however, it features an improved graphics engine, high resolution text mode and colorful sprites. The port was distributed on a cassette as part of a special package for those who purchased a "Strong Support" ticket for the festival.

Silly Venture continues to establish itself as an essential event for all those who enjoy retrocomputing; and especially for those who keep the magic of Atari 8-bit computers alive.