SIRIUS RUNNER

Welcome to Sirius Runner, a small ZX Spectrum game I developed as a homage to the runner genre, which is actually a lot older than you might think!

I took my very first steps in programming back in the 80s with classic Spectrum BASIC. Since then, my coding journey has spanned decades, taking me through ASM, C, Java, Lua, and modern Cloud architectures. But recently, I felt the urge to go back  to see exactly how far I could push the machine right now, using absolutely no Assembler and no modern compilers or augmented BASIC. Just pure, vanilla 1982 code.

And yes... it is still just as slow as I remembered! But it's also incredibly capable of doing many things in its original incarnation. Because at the end of the day, true playability doesn't care about ultra-realistic graphics or blazing fast clock speeds. It only cares about one thing: FUN!

Update: download version 1.1 to enjoy the ASM version of the game, and compare it to the BASIC version.

Boot up your emulator, manage your fuel, and let's see if you can reach Sirius.

ENGLISH INSTRUCTIONS

🚀 The Mission

You are the commander of the Path0-Alpha. Earth is dying, and your mission is to navigate through 15 treacherous sectors of deep space to reach the Sirius system, following a mysterious blue ray of hope.

You must reach sector 0 before your Time or Fuel runs out. The lower your final step count (Time score), the better your world record!

🕹️ Controls

Your ZX Spectrum targeting computer responds to the following keys:

• O / P : Move Left / Move Right.
• Q / SPACE : TURBO. Doubles your speed (border turns blue). Warning: Burns fuel at an extreme rate!
• A : BRAKE. Halves your speed (border turns red). Consumes very little fuel, perfect for tight corners.

📊 HUD & Resource Management

At the top of the screen, keep an eye on your vital stats:

• L (Lives/Sectors): You start at 15. Reach 0 to win the game and arrive at Sirius.
• F (Fuel %): Your energy. It depletes constantly, and faster if you use Turbo. If it hits 0%, you are stranded. Game Over.
• T (Time): Your countdown. If it reaches 0, it's Game Over.

Pilot Tip: You must balance Turbo and Brake. Going too fast will drain your fuel, but going too slow will cause you to run out of time!

⚠️ Hazards & Items

Navigate the dynamic corridor and watch out for the radar symbols:

• . Walls: The boundaries of the space corridor. Crashing into them damages the hull, costs you time/fuel, and resets you to the start of the sector.
• * Asteroids: Lethal rocks. A direct impact will critically stall your ship, costing 20 Time and 5 Fuel, and resetting the sector.
• # Anomalies: Gravitational traps that instantly drain 15% of your fuel!
• F Fuel Container: Restores your gas tank. Bonus: Picking it up grants you a micro-shield (cyan flash) for a few fractions of a second so you can safely recenter your ship!
• S Shield: Experimental tech. Grants temporary invulnerability against asteroids and anomalies. It also allows you to physically bounce off the corridor walls without taking damage!

INSTRUCCIONES EN ESPAÑOL

🚀 La Misión

Eres el comandante de la Path0-Alpha. La Tierra se muere y tu misión es navegar a través de 15 traicioneros sectores del espacio profundo para alcanzar el sistema Sirius, siguiendo un misterioso rayo azul de esperanza.

Debes llegar al sector 0 antes de que se agote tu Tiempo o tu Combustible. ¡Cuantos menos "pasos" des (tiempo final), mejor será tu récord mundial!

🕹️ Controles

El ordenador de a bordo de tu ZX Spectrum responde a las siguientes teclas:

• O / P : Mover a la Izquierda / Derecha.
• Q / ESPACIO : TURBO. Duplica tu velocidad de avance (el borde se vuelve azul). Aviso: ¡Consume combustible a un ritmo extremo!
• A : FRENO. Reduce tu velocidad a la mitad (el borde se vuelve rojo). Consume muy poco fuel, ideal para curvas estrechas.

📊 Interfaz y Gestión de Recursos

En la parte superior de la pantalla, vigila tus constantes vitales:

• V (Vueltas/Sectores): Empiezas en 15. Llega a 0 para ganar el juego y alcanzar Sirius.
• G (Gasolina %): Tu energía. Se agota constantemente, y mucho más rápido si usas el Turbo. Si llega al 0%, te quedarás a la deriva. Game Over.
• T (Tiempo): Tu cuenta atrás. Si llega a 0, Game Over.

Consejo de Piloto: Debes equilibrar el Turbo y el Freno. Ir demasiado rápido agotará tu gasolina, ¡pero ir demasiado despacio hará que te quedes sin tiempo!

⚠️ Peligros y Objetos

Navega por el pasillo dinámico y presta atención a los símbolos del radar:

• . Muros: Los límites del pasillo espacial. Chocar contra ellos daña el casco, te resta tiempo/gasolina y te devuelve al inicio del sector.
• * Asteroides: Rocas letales. Un impacto directo detendrá tu nave, costándote 20 de Tiempo y 5 de Gasolina, reiniciando el sector.
• # Anomalías: Trampas gravitatorias que drenan un 15% de tu combustible instantáneamente.
• F Contenedor de Fuel: Restaura tu depósito. Bonus: ¡Recogerlo te otorga un micro-escudo (parpadeo cian) durante unas fracciones de segundo para que puedas centrar tu nave con seguridad!
• S Escudo: Tecnología experimental. Te otorga invulnerabilidad temporal contra asteroides y anomalías. ¡También te permite rebotar físicamente contra los muros del pasillo sin sufrir daños!

PATH0 Gaming 2026