Back in October 2019, the talented folks at Hokuto Force dropped a nostalgic little gem for Commodore 64 fans—a demo called Wizard of Wor Sprite Comparison. And if you’re a fan of retro game visuals and classic arcade titles, you’ll want to check this one out.
This C64 demo is more than just a walk down memory lane—it’s a fascinating side-by-side comparison of sprite work from the original Wizard of Wor arcade game and its Commodore 64 counterpart. For sprite and pixel art enthusiasts, it’s like a behind-the-scenes tour of an 1980s art department!
Pushead coded the demo, repping both Hokuto Force and Proxima. The pixel wizardry (pun intended) and design magic came from Worrior1, also of Hokuto Force, who also penned the text and original concept behind the project. The music? A moody, atmospheric rendition of Wizard of Wor, crafted by c0zmo, known from Bliss, Performers, and Welle:Erdball. You’ll find the SID file in the High Voltage SID Collection under:/MUSICIANS/C/C0zmo/Wizard_of_Wor.sid.
This release is a love letter to retro gaming, offering a look at how faithfully—or creatively—the C64 handled arcade-to-home conversions. With its smooth presentation and thoughtful comparisons, it’s a great showcase of what makes the C64 demoscene so vibrant.
Want to dive in and see for yourself? Here’s where you can grab the demo on CSDB:
Download the D64 file
