Andrew Newton presents a selection of festive retro games to enjoy this Christmas…
With the presents wrapped and the kids tucked up in bed, it’s time to set aside a little time for ourselves and power up our favourite retro computers to play some great little Christmas-themed games. Whether it was a game with Santa, snowmen, elves or even Lemmings in snowy environments, there was always something to keep us occupied in the run-up to the special day. Below are some of those games that kept us jolly before the new influx of games under the tree….
Psycho Santa – Bullfrog 1993 – Amiga
The festive season was always a fantastic time for gamers, as it often meant bumper issues of the computer magazines, all loaded with cover tapes/disks packed with themed mini games, competitions, and extra pages of Pokes, cheats, solutions and more. The One magazine issue 52 has a coverdisk featuring Psycho Santa, a cheeky little Christmas‑themed minigame that was created by Bullfrog, makers of Populous and Theme Park.
I’m assuming the demonic wraith is actually Jack Frost because of the icicles on his fingers. Either way, it’s scared of snowballs.
Despite its odd name, Psycho Santa is a fun, festive arcade shooter with oodles of silly charm. Players would fly around on Santa’s sleigh, tossing presents down onto a set number of houses while dodging and shooting at evil snowmen and strange enemies within a time limit. Santa’s present stash wasn’t unlimited, but by shooting the flying nasties, players could replenish their supply.
After each level, players could attempt a bonus stage where Santa hops on a pogo stick and bounces around a big Christmas tree to collect extra gifts and points.
I’m sure a ladder would have been easier.
A Very Sheepy Xmas – Quantum Sheep 2020 – Spectrum
The festive fun didn’t stop for these old computers, as there are still talented individuals sitting in their rooms, programming games to this day. One such game is A Very Sheepy Xmas, a cute-looking Christmas platformer where players have to help get pressies to Santa. Old Father Christmas has possibly been at the brandy and has danced so much that he has forgotten to collect the presents. As the ever‑helpful Quantum Sheep, players will need to jump and climb through 25 colourful platforms to collect the scattered presents and climb the ladder to give them to Santa before it’s too late.
Deadly bats attempt to stop our heroic sheep in his quest, while a bemused Santa shakes his stuff upstairs.
Players will need to avoid the numerous enemies and other hazards that litter each screen, climb ladders and slide down ice platforms if they are to complete their tasks.
A Very Sheepy Xmas gives me strong Chuckie Egg vibes, and that’s not a bad thing. Combined with colourful screens, clearly drawn characters, and the gradually increasing difficulty of the level designs, A Very Sheepy Xmas is an excellent little game.
First bats, then snowmen, who else did Santa invite in while he was on the brandy?
Special Delivery: Santa’s Christmas Chaos – Creative Sparks 1984 – Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
Heading back into the early years of the 8-bit computers, we have Special Delivery: Santa’s Christmas Chaos, where players would take the role of old Santa himself. In this little arcade romp, players would steer Santa’s sleigh across a scrolling winter sky in an attempt to catch the presents being thrown down from the top of the screen by little angels. Players would have to catch as many of these as possible while dodging the mountains (understandable), clouds (Santa must be allergic to water vapour), and baddies.
An angel drops a present while a cumulus cloud looms menacingly over Santa.
That’s not where the fun ends, as once players have collected enough goodies, it’s time to land on a rooftop, avoid fireballs and snowballs in a giant chimney, and sneak the presents under the tree without waking any of the sleepwalking children (and every house has sleepwalking children). After the pressies are under the tree, it’s time to grab the back door key and get outside before gathering more gifts from angels.
Crash magazine gave the Spectrum version a very respectable 71%, noting how smoothly the game scrolled. I can’t fault the review, it’s an enjoyable little game to play.
These sleepwalking children need medical help. Where are the parents?
Santa & Rudolph Do Christmas! – Ian West/ Jonathan Eggelton 1993 – Amiga Public Domain
It wasn’t just companies and gaming magazines making Christmas games, small developers were also making games for the public domain market (often costing just the price of a blank disk and postage).
Santa & Rudolph Do Christmas! was created using AMOS, but don’t let that put you off from trying it, as it’s a fun little arcade shooter. Players take the role of either Santa Claus or Rudolph the Red‑Nosed Reindeer and must roam the single screen, collecting the presents as they appear. Once enough presents have been collected, they then need to be dropped off at one of the open windows on the houses/huts/igloos etc.
Santa takes a leaf out of Richard Branson’s book and goes by balloon.
It’s not all plain sailing for our seasonal heroes, as there are all manner of hazards moving around the screen, such as UFOs, flying penguins, tanks, birds and more. All pose a risk to players, so it is essential to dodge them. Alternatively, it’s much more fun to try blasting them, because everyone knows Santa carries a blaster gun.
The graphics are lovely to look at, everything is nice and clear, and if it wasn’t for the background, you probably wouldn’t guess it’s an AMOS game. One of the most enjoyable features is the jolly Christmas classics like Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.
I’m sure whoever built this house didn’t get planning permission.
Santa – Artic Computing 1983 – ZX Spectrum
Finally, we go right back to the early days of Christmas games with Santa, and one that is probably aimed at a younger audience. Santa consists of seven mini games where players take control of either the fat man himself or his red-nosed friend, and all seven need to be sorted if Christmas is going to be a happy one for all the boys and girls. These seven games include a Missile Command-esque game where players will need to prevent snowflakes from hitting the floor by firing a laser. There’s a level where Santa must eat his way through a giant Christmas Pudding and collect so many gold coins, while also avoiding pudding worms, and there’s a level where players race Rudolph through a forest and try to avoid the trees.
Santa is from the very early days of Spectrum gaming, so expect blocky graphics, ticking and beeping sounds, and slow gameplay.
Never was there a Rudolph racing game better than this…. possibly.
With Santa, reindeer, sheep and snowmen, there are another five Christmas-themed games for you to spend a few hours on. So grab a joystick, a cup of cocoa, and maybe a mince pie or two, and let Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph spread some Christmas cheer. Thanks for reading, and from all of us at Flickering Myth Towers, have a very Merry Christmas.
Andrew Newton
