The Tale of Rabbits

This game is designed to be played on a retro ZX Spectrum Next computer or emulator that is included in a Downloadable file.

Disclamer: This game is created as a fanfic and has no relation to the original game or its developer. We claim no rights to the original game and do not infringe on the copyrights of the original game or its creators.

About the Game

It is hard to find a gamer today who isn't familiar with the wonderful platformer, Lode Runner. Released in 1983 for the Apple II, it became an instant hit. It was ported to a multitude of other platforms; in 2025, it finally reached the ZX Spectrum Next and TS-Config, and this year, the second installment of the game was released.

While you can certainly play Lode Runner II with classic graphics, you can also choose the "modern" version. In this version, a Rabbit Girl and a Rabbit Boy want to feed each other carrot soup. Unfortunately, the wolves know the truth: where carrots grow, rabbits are found! Never has cooking soup been so dangerous!

This game is a loose interpretation of the NES version. We did not aim for an exact 1:1 conversion; therefore, it has its own unique features. We have even added new graphics, and the levels are presented in a "light" version to keep the gameplay easy and accessible.

Technical Features

This game is designed to run on a ZX Spectrum-compatible machine ZX Spectrum Next or ZX Evolution with the TS-Config firmware. It will also work on other hardware emulators for which the firmware of this wonderful platform is developed, as well as on the UnrealSpeccy emulator or CSpect.

The game will also run on a physical ZX Spectrum Next or emulators (both hardware and software).

The game engine is specially designed to compile a single codebase for two platforms simultaneously. The ZX Evolution team developed this approach to satisfy the interests of users of both platforms in all subsequent games.

System Requirements

Minimum: ZX Spectrum Next or ZX Evolution based on TS-Config + AY8910

Recommended: ZX Evolution based on TS-Config + TurboSound + General Sound + Full Kempston + VDAC (VDAC2), and ZX Spectrum Next with the latest firmware.

Controls

Keyboard (customizable key mapping), Full Kempston Joystick. The game is designed for use with a Sega Mega Drive 1 joystick.

Sega Mega Drive 1 gamepad

Default Controls:

Cursor arrows - move the hero up, down, right, and left. Z and X keys - burn the floor to the left or right of yourself, Enter - pause the game. If you are trapped, use BREAK+SPACE to cancel the level and start over (with a loss of life). The Full Kempston joystick works in parallel with the keyboard. If you hold down UP and then START on the joystick, you also lose a life. You can customize the controls in the options.

Game Features

The game has two modes - classic and enhanced, they differ only in graphics, the levels and rules of the game are the same.

The game has 50 levels and a short final title screen.

In the options, you can configure the game to play without enemies if you just need to practice completing levels.

In EASY mode, enemies run 10% slower, the waiting time for their reappearance after death is significantly longer, and if you have collected all the gold and a ladder to the next level has appeared, then enemies do not reappear after death at all.

The game awards extra lives for points, namely: for 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 15000, 20000 and 25000 points you will be awarded an additional life.

And one more important detail, we made a password system, so you can always continue the game from the level you left off. Passwords save scores and lives, so keep them safe.

If you are the happy owner of a TS Config with NeoGS on board, you can choose this sound card at the very beginning of the game.

Authors

The game was developed by:

Game code: Slip, Alexey Epsilon

Music and sound: n1k-O

Graphics: Mister Robin

Testing: Black Cat

Greetings

This game would be not possible to finish without the warm support of those great people in our Boosty:

Mikhail Gamaev

Yury Batenko

Lepestok

Yaroslavna Knyazeva

Dima Kozlov

Nikhotmsk

Yar

New Source

Andrey Yakovlev

Fyodor Sumkin

Epsiloncool

and everyone else who has recently joined.

Thank you, friends!

Change Log

v1.0

The very first version