Frankee Goes Home
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
Get ready for a retro adventure!
In this 8-bit gem, you'll guide Frankee, the adorable (and slightly lost) puppy, through a perilous forest. Evade grumpy woodland critters, leap over pixelated obstacles, and gobble up tasty treats to prevent Frankee's energy levels from reaching zero!
This game is a nostalgic blast from the past, guaranteed to provide you with 8-bit fun. So dust off your joystick and prepare for a fantastic time like you had back then!
"That's possibly the best animated squirrel on the Spectrum"
FEATURES:
- Arcade-adventure game for the ZX Spectrum, The Spectrum
- Playable in emulators on Windows, Linux, and macOS
- 31 screens, 6 different locations
- 8 'enemies'
- Seamless gameplay
- Sinclair and Kempston Joystick support
- Redefinable keys
- Lots of fun!
Warning: May trigger intense nostalgia and an urgent desire for 80s games and musics!
Made with MPAGD by Jonathan Cauldwell
Download
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Development log
- Version 1.2 released38 days ago
Comments
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Nice game with cute characters and animations. Our German-language review can be found in our recorded livestream starting at 04:12:04. English subtitles are also available. Subscription to our YouTube and Twitch channel is welcome. 🙂
A good new platformer with a cute dog as the main character. I've also included it in my new "Gameplay of New ZX Spectrum games from March 2025" video, along with other recently released games. I hope you enjoy the video.
Hi!
Is it possible to get a version of the game without the flashing border?
ZX Spectrum emulator for my 8-bit computer is very slow in rendering this effect.
Thanks for the feedback. What emulator and computer do you use?
Wow, one of my friends had an Enterprise back in those days! I was envious of him for having 128 kb :)
Give me one or two days, and I'll try to make an Enterprise version of it.
That's cool to hear! This computer is rare even today and not many people know about it.
I (and our community) would love to see your game on this platform.
I'll do my best 😉
I'm working on it, but honestly, I'm struggling to port the game to Enterprise. I couldn't even get the emulator (ep128emu for Windows) to work properly. For a workaround, I'll make a version where you can turn the border effects on and off.
Great game, thanks.
Thank you for downloading it.
Nice game!
Thank you. Hope you enjoy playing with it, and one day Frankee will get home ;)
It looks great! Lovely graphics!
Thanks! Would you give some feedback on the gameplay? I hope you enjoy playing the game, too. :)
Hi there again! I've spent a little more time with the game now, so feel it's a good moment to give some feedback on the gameplay.
Firstly, it isn't an easy game. There are so many things that can drain your energy and it's easy to run out before you know it. The bones are handy, but sometimes the effort you expend to reach them outweighs the energy you get back from collecting them; especially where digging holes is concerned (it is a nice feature that Frankee can dig anywhere, even if it's for no purpose ie. when you're on solid ground (just a note that you can dig as you fall which might be a minor bug? Your dig might need to check if you're airborne or not)).
In the "lost in the woods" those bees are so annoying (as is anything that ignores the BARK) and there are a few bits where I'd like the "falls too far" energy loss not to kick in (particularly when you're jumping down from a platform to 'jump over' a dangerous bit of scenary (like a mushroom or shrub)).
In the hole it is a nice effect having only 3 colours (cyan, dark blue and Frankee's white coat) but it does make it tricky at times to work out which bits are dangerous and which bits are harmless pieces of scenary. I do find the blue drips hard to see and have lost far too much energy being caught by them. It's nice that, like all the graphics, they are realistic; but that can make them a little unavoidable. If you do come back to the game and make changes, I'd suggest making them cyan or white to allow players a little more chance at spotting (and avoiding) them.
I'm currently dying in the playtime section after the "in the hole" bit, but am getting a good feel for the game; and I feel like I'm getting further each play.
The game as a whole is nicely polished and well designed. It's engaging and fun. I look forward to any future games you create and make available. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks for the detailed feedback :)
Yes, it was my deliberate intention that while the game might seem easy at first, it should actually be difficult to complete. You have to figure out how to complete the levels — I know it's frustrating, but if I remember correctly, classic Speccy games were extremely difficult too (Manic Miner, Jumping Jack, to name just two).
Digging while falling, if not a bug, is indeed a superfluous thing. I might disable it as you suggested. Bees and bats don't hear the bark, so they don't get scared of Frankee — I know this doesn't make the player's job easier.
The game can be completed, and exciting levels await you. However, prepare for some more difficult moments: I suggest you count to ten before you damage your machine, joystick, or anything around you ;)
it looks awesome! The loading screen looks cool. It needs music.
Thank you for your feedback. Yes, music adds a lot to the experience, although I wanted to stay within the original ZX Spectrum's 48-kilobyte limit. But I definitely consider music for my next project :)