The tiny julia fractal bursts of COMPLEX^2+C on your screen in a mere 256 bytes, yet it paints a bold Julia fractal on the Commodore 64. Right from the first frame, this compact demo invites curiosity and thrills.
COMPLEX^2+C snagged first place in the C64 256-byte Intro Category at Xenium 2025, held 21–24 August 2025 in Łódź, Poland. The code—crafted by Saviour of Complex and Zymosis—runs on authentic hardware, captured and encoded by Lemming/N0S.
What makes COMPLEX^2+C stand out? In just 256 bytes, it delivers a surprisingly sharp and fluid Julia fractal paired with sound effects that lift the experience. CSDb users describe it as “surprisingly good looking and fast” with SFX that “make it very good”.
The performance is more than just a technical trick. On real C64 hardware—complete with PAL setup, MOS 6581R2 SID chip, MOS 6569R5 VIC-II chip, IDE64, RRNet, and 1541/1571/1581 drives—it proves that astonishing visuals don’t require hundreds of kilobytes.
COMPLEX^2+C isn’t just a demo; it’s a proof-of-concept: that creativity, precision, and deep hardware knowledge still shine in the retro scene. If you’re drawn to demos that blend minimalism with visual flair, this one will grab you fast.
Catch COMPLEX^2+C in action—watch the video above and see how just 256 bytes can deliver an elegant, fast-moving fractal at full speed on a classic C64.
