Project Firestart Commodore 64 / 128

Project Firestart is a legendary title for the Commodore 64, developed by Dynamix and published by Electronic Arts in 1989. Designed by Jeff Tunnell and Damon Slye, it is widely celebrated as one of the true grandfathers and pioneers of the survival horror genre—predating games like Alone in the Dark and Resident Evil by several years.

• The Plot: You play as Agent Jon Hawking of the United System States, sent to investigate the drifting research vessel Prometheus near Saturn\'s moon Titan. The crew of \"Project Firestart\"—a genetic engineering initiative trying to create cold-resistant mining species by combining ox DNA with alien fungi—has been slaughtered by their own experiments after a rogue scientist tried turning them into super-soldiers. Your mission is to recover the research logs, rescue any survivors, and destroy the ship.

• Atmosphere & Gameplay: The game leaned heavily into cinematic tension, featuring atmospheric sound design, automated cutscenes that triggered during key events, diary entries and logs scattered across terminals (apocalyptic logs), and stark, suspenseful exploration.

• Mechanics: It broke new ground by emphasizing survival over sheer action. Players had to manage limited ammunition, carefully handle weapon energy, avoid unnecessary combat, and solve environmental puzzles.

• Multiple Endings: Depending on whether you rescued the surviving scientist (Mary), secured the research logs, or stopped the human traitor (Annar) on the escape shuttle, the game featured several different fates and conclusions.

Despite critical acclaim and its massive influence on the horror genre, Project Firestart was only ever officially released for the Commodore 64 and never ported to other systems at the time, making it a beloved cult classic in retro computing circles.

This is sold as is as shown. No registration card is in the box. There are few imperfections in the box as shown in photos. The disk is untested and is AS IS. Shipped USPS priority mail and insured. Signature is required.