The Lab

ROM hacks, mods, fan games, decomps, revivals and retro tools.

These are preservation and learning projects built on games I love. I write tools in Python and C to read old files, understand old code, and rebuild what is missing.

Patches and tools only. No ROMs, disc images or game files are hosted here. You bring your own copy.

Revivals

Bringing shut-down games back online.

Theme Park (EA 2011) Revival running
Revival + decompWeb remake in progress

Theme Park (EA 2011) Revival

EA and Progressive Media shut down the servers for the mobile Theme Park on 12 June 2015. This project brings the game back.

  • 335 classes decompiled and documented
  • 53 Python tools decode textures, models, animations, audio, fonts and the park map
  • A fake server lets the original Android app log in and run again
  • A Three.js web remake, with a decomp-style progress site

Contains no EA files. You bring your own copy of the game and the scripts generate everything locally.

Project site

Decomps

Taking old games apart to rebuild their code.

Hotel Mario: Decomp and PC Port running
Decomp + recompilerPlayable, title to credits

Hotel Mario: Decomp and PC Port

Hotel Mario (Philips CD-i, 1994) rebuilt two ways: a matching decompilation and a PC port that runs from your own disc image.

  • A static recompiler turns the 68000 code into C ahead of time
  • Runtime for OS-9 calls, CD streaming, the CD-i video chip, ADPCM audio and saves
  • The original program reassembles byte for byte; about 14% is rewritten as C so far
  • All seven hotels and the ending checked with scripted test runs

No game data in the repository. You supply your own disc image.

DecompResearch

Super Yoshi NDS Decomp

An early decompilation of a Nintendo DS game, with research notes on Miitomo, MKT and DMW alongside it.

  • Write-ups will land here as each teardown is ready

No game data is shared.

ROM hacks

Patches for games you already own.

Nothing here yet. Projects will be written up as they are ready.

Mods

Changes and add-ons for existing games.

Nothing here yet. Projects will be written up as they are ready.

Fan games

New games built as a tribute to old favourites.

Nothing here yet. Projects will be written up as they are ready.

Tools

Editors and helpers for retro projects.

Browser toolLive

GB Sprite Studio

A pixel sprite editor for Game Boy, NES and Game Boy Advance that runs in your browser.

  • Works within the real colour limits of each console, including preset Game Boy palettes
  • Exports tile data as hex bytes ready to paste into homebrew code
Open the editor
EditorIn development

SMW Studio

A tool for building Super Mario World hacks. It makes patches only, so you use it with your own copy of the game.

  • Write-up coming soon

Outputs patches only. No ROMs are hosted or shared.

Looking for my original games?

LetterCore, Paintra, Slap to the Moon and the rest live on Retrospect Games, with free browser games in the Retrospect Arcade.

Visit Retrospect Games
Advertisement
Loading ad...