Zelda: Ocarina of Time on PS1 Sounds Impossible… Yet Here We Are

The PS1 homebrew scene simply never stops. We already looked back at what 2025 meant for the community and, in retrospect, it was easily one of the strongest years the PS1 homebrew scene has ever had. But surprisingly, 2026 is shaping up to be just as exciting, if not even bigger.

In only a few months, we’ve already seen the appearance of several ambitious projects: a fully playable Geometry Dash-inspired clone for PS1, a port of The Secret of Monkey Island, and a major update for the already impressive Five Nights at Freddy's PSX project. And that’s without mentioning several other projects we still plan to cover soon, including a mysterious new project centered around Serial Experiments Lain.

One of the biggest milestones for the community this year has also been the release of PSX Splash 2.0, the evolution of Bandwidth’s Unity-based toolset that allows developers to create PlayStation games directly from Unity workflows. The tool recently received its own Game Jam event, which alone produced nine brand-new PS1 homebrew titles. We’ll continue covering these projects individually, and we’re also preparing a dedicated article focused entirely on the Game Jam itself.

And yet, even with all of that happening, another massive surprise has just appeared.

Last year already gave us one of the most ambitious PS1 homebrew projects ever attempted: a port of Super Mario 64 for the original PlayStation. While still far from complete, that project already features a functional alpha where most of the game’s levels can be explored on Sony’s 32-bit hardware.

Now, the developer Bonnie Games (who previously brought Celeste Classic to PS1 using PSYQo) revealed an even more ambitious idea: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time running on the original PlayStation.

At the moment, the project is still highly experimental, but it is already playable and accompanied by early gameplay footage showing some surprisingly promising results. Much like the Mario 64 PSX project, this is clearly an early prototype rather than a near-finished conversion, but the fact that it already works at all is impressive considering the scale and complexity of the original game.

The prototype, also built using PSYQo, already includes basic player movement and collision detection, allowing players to explore a simple 3D environment. One of the most interesting technical aspects shown so far is the camera system. The camera can be rotated freely and is controlled independently from movement using both analog sticks, resulting in a surprisingly modern dual-stick control scheme that almost recalls games like Dark Souls.

 

 

Naturally, the project still has a long road ahead. Performance is currently very low, and several graphical issues are visible throughout the footage. Textures are not yet mapped correctly onto polygons, and players can see through walls, exposing parts of the map that should normally remain hidden. However, these problems are completely expected at such an early stage and mainly highlight how technically challenging it is to adapt a game like Ocarina of Time to PlayStation hardware.

According to the developer, the project is not only intended as a port attempt, but also as a learning exercise to better understand the original PlayStation architecture. The experience gained from this experiment is expected to support another ongoing project called BONNIE-32, an engine designed to reproduce authentic PlayStation-style graphics natively.

Bonnie Games has also shown interest in similar community efforts, particularly the Super Mario 64 PSX project, studying its codebase to better understand how these kinds of conversions can be approached. Still, the developer openly acknowledges that Ocarina of Time is a much more complex game, making a full and faithful adaptation considerably more difficult.

Even with all its current limitations, this prototype already represents an exciting first step. If development continues, this could eventually become one of the most ambitious PS1 homebrew ports ever attempted. Projects of this scale remain extremely rare and, alongside experiments such as Super Mario 64 PSX or Half-Life PSX, they demonstrate just how far the modern PS1 homebrew scene continues to evolve.

Check out the original post for more details, and make sure to follow Bonnie Games on his social media for future updates.

 

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The Secret of the Monkey Island PSX

 

Developer: Mark Bauermeister

Release Date: April, 2026

Graphics: 2D

Version: Alpha 

Genre: Point & Click

Players: 1

 

Description 

The most iconic graphic adventure game of all time is now receiving a PS1 port that aims to bring the original experience to Sony’s 32-bit console. More than 30 years after its original release by LucasArts, The Secret of Monkey Island is finally making an unexpected arrival on the original PlayStation through a new homebrew project.

 

Extra Info 

The Secret of Monkey Island was originally released in 1990 by LucasArts and quickly became one of the defining titles of the point-and-click genre thanks to its humor, memorable characters, and clever puzzle design.

Like the original game, this homebrew project is a point-and-click adventure focused on exploration, dialogue, and puzzle solving. Players take control of Guybrush Threepwood, a young man whose dream is to become a pirate. Throughout the adventure, players must explore different locations, interact with characters, collect objects, and solve puzzles in order to progress through the story.

One of the elements that made the game so iconic was its humor and writing. The dialogues are full of jokes, absurd situations, and memorable exchanges that helped define the identity of LucasArts adventure games during the 1990s. Unlike action-focused titles, the gameplay is much slower and relies heavily on observation, experimentation, and logical thinking.

From a technical perspective, the current PS1 homebrew port is still in an early stage of development. The first footage shows the introduction sequence running at 320x239 resolution, with performance currently hovering around 5–6 FPS. The developer is testing the project using DuckStation configured to simulate 8MB of RAM, suggesting that optimization work is still ongoing. Despite these early limitations, the project already demonstrates the ambition of bringing a classic point-and-click adventure to original PlayStation hardware.

An alpha version of the project is currently available through the developer’s Patreon (around €4), giving early supporters a chance to try it out.

Related News

Secret of Monkey Island Is Coming to PS1 After 30 Years!

Apr 7, 2026 - CyaneCornix01

A new PS1 homebrew project aims to bring The Secret of Monkey Island to the console more than 30 years after its original release. Early footage shows the game’s introduction running, highlighting both promising progress and the technical challenges still ahead.

 

Media

Official Download Links

Patreon - YouTube 

Green Herb Engine PSX

 

Developer: t0fuzzer

Release Date: TBA

Graphics: 3D

Genre: Survival Horror

Players: 1

 

 

Description

The Green Herb Engine is a game engine for the original PlayStation (PSX) that aims to replicate the look and feel of the original Resident Evil. Its long-term goal is to provide a foundation for creating a classic survival horror experience, reminiscent of the genre-defining titles released on Sony’s 32-bit console.

At the moment, most of the available information comes from a series of videos published by the developer on YouTube, where progress is showcased on a regular basis. In addition, the developer maintains a Patreon page, where supporters can receive updates, gain access to more detailed information, and even test the engine depending on their subscription tier.

 

Extra Info 

Based on the footage shared so far, the engine already allows players to control Jill Valentine using her original PS1 model, moving through environments that closely resemble the iconic Spencer Mansion. Several enemies have also been implemented, including Hunters and Tyrants, which can be seen roaming the environment, chasing the player, and attacking to deal damage.

Player movement appears to closely match the original game, successfully capturing the distinctive feel of classic survival horror controls. However, some elements are still incomplete: certain enemy animations are missing, and their behavior has yet to fully replicate the complexity of the original AI.

The developer has clarified that the use of assets from the original game is temporary, meaning that original characters, enemies, and environments are expected to replace them in the future.

The engine also includes several debug and performance indicators displayed on screen. These include the engine name, a real-time FPS counter (consistently running at around 30 FPS), animation sequence data, enemy AI states, and character health values.

One of the most impressive aspects shown so far is the camera system, which accurately reproduces the fixed camera angles of the original Resident Evil games. As the player moves through specific areas, the camera dynamically changes along with the background, closely mimicking the classic presentation style.

Sound has also been implemented, with the engine already capable of playing audio, including music from the original title.

 The Green Herb Engine is still a work in progress, but it already demonstrates a strong understanding of the technical and artistic foundations behind classic survival horror on the PlayStation. If development continues at this pace, it could eventually become a powerful tool for creating new experiences inspired by the golden age of the genre.

 

Recent Experiments

In a recent Patreon post, the developer shared one of their latest experiments: rendering two Tyrants on screen simultaneously. While there is no detailed performance data available yet, a screenshot suggests that it is technically possible, although further optimization may be required.

Another notable experiment involves the use of masking techniques, allowing sprites to appear correctly in front of 3D characters. This is a key feature for accurately recreating the visual layering seen in the original games.

 

Some questions to the Developer 

 

Coop mode possible?

Funny you ask — I actually have a TCP networking layer already working via DuckStation injection, so the groundwork is there. Co-op is deep in the backlog but it's definitely something I want to explore down the line. But for local co-op with secondary joystick. Absolutely yes to that.

Wait this is amazing. There's so much that could be done if completed! How long did it take you to get this far?

Thanks! Research started very long time ago, then on off. Then simple things, then gradually improving. Early engine ideas started April 2022 when I managed to load Jill's head.

I wonder if you can make an Alone in the Dark: the New Nightmare demo with this same engine.

I have been analyzing this game, and of course I played it, very nice lightning effect there with flashlight. From what I can tell they created two version of prerendered backgrounds, the normal and illuminated version, and light is just unmasking the illuminated background + lightning effects. While this is not part of Resident Evil engines, I would be possible to work on this. I am very curious what community has say on these topics. Thanks!

Very impressive. What sdk are you using? And about how much time did this take to implement?

I am using all glory original PsyQ 4.6. Old compiler. This is result of many years of research, of course I was off a bit too, dayjob you know. But I took deeper dive at R3000 assembly and C, and then started experimenting more and more. The animation thing was a big blocker for me, once I got to understand this, it became much easier. Never thought I get that far actually....

this on the githubs?

Not yet, its planned at some point, I will release soon tool to build custom iso based on orignal game assets and my engine. So I dont get too much of Capcoms attention

 

Media

Official Download Links

Patreon - YouTube - Reddit

When PS1 Homebrew Disappears: The Hidden Problem No One Talks About

One of the most important, and often overlooked, aspects of any homebrew project is its distribution, and long-term preservation, on the internet. It may seem like a minor issue, but the reality is that some homebrew projects are at risk of disappearing at any moment, potentially becoming inaccessible to everyone.

Why does this happen with homebrew projects and not with regular games? The answer lies in the distribution model. While commercial games are usually available through official platforms like Steam, homebrew titles rely on wherever the developer chooses to upload them. Depending on the developer, a project may be hosted in one or several places (some more reliable than others). Another key factor is the community distribution behavior. Commercial games are frequently reuploaded across the internet, often driven by piracy. Homebrew projects, on the other hand, are rarely mirrored, as they are typically free and users assume they will always be available through official channels.

The problem is that not all platforms last forever, and not all developers remain active to maintain or reupload their projects. This is especially critical in niche scenes like PS1 homebrew, where projects are often distributed as standalone builds without centralized hosting. Imagine a developer who uploads their project to a file hosting service like Mega, and for whatever reason the file gets removed. Not only is the developer’s work at risk of being lost, but an entire community loses access to a piece of its shared history, in a scene where the goal is to keep the platform alive even decades later.

This reflection isn’t purely hypothetical. There are already real cases where PS1 homebrew projects may have been lost forever and it’s likely that many more have disappeared without being documented or even noticed by the wider community.

A major example is the shutdown of PSXDEV, once one of the most important hubs for the PS1 homebrew community. The forum was full of technical information, discussions, tools, and also hosted numerous homebrew projects created by its users. While many of those projects were fortunately mirrored elsewhere, others depended entirely on that platform. When the forum went down, those projects effectively disappeared.

We don’t know how many projects have been lost, but we were personally aware of one specific case: version 2.0 of Snake PSX. While version 1.0 was still available on the official page, the improved version had vanished. We reached out on Reddit to see if anyone had a backup of the lost version, but initially, there was no success.

However, about a month later, something unexpected happened. The original developer of Snake PSX, rubixcube6, came across our post. Fortunately for everyone, he provided a new download link for version 2.0, along with the source code and project assets. He also updated his official page to include the latest version.

We’d like to give a huge thanks to rubixcube6 for restoring his project and for sharing its full source and assets, helping keep the PS1 homebrew community alive and growing.

We invite you to check out the game and give it a try. We’ve also previously covered this project, so feel free to revisit our earlier article: Snake PSX.

A Small Dilemma

To close this article, we’d like to share a reflection about project preservation and distribution.

A key question arises: should this website provide direct download links ourselves (for example, via file hosting services)?

There are two situations to consider.

The first is when a project is already available through official channels. In this case, we believe it is not appropriate to redistribute it ourselves. Not only would it be unnecessary, but it could also reduce traffic to the developer’s official pages and diminish their visibility. Developers deserve recognition and control over how their work is shared, and part of our role is to direct users toward those original sources. We see ourselves as a bridge between users and the homebrew community, not as a replacement for the developers’ own platforms. Providing alternative download links could unintentionally weaken that connection and reduce engagement with the original creators.

The second scenario is when a project is no longer available through official means. This is a very different situation. One of the main goals of this website is to help preserve PS1 homebrew projects. For that reason, we keep backups of the projects featured on our site in case their original sources disappear. If a project becomes unavailable, our first step is to try to contact the developer. However, if no response is received after a reasonable amount of time, we believe it is ethical to host the project ourselves to ensure it is not lost. 

Every project is part of the history of the homebrew scene, especially for PS1, where the community continues to grow. Losing these works would mean losing part of that history. In such cases, preservation becomes more important than strict distribution control. Under those conditions (no official access and no response from the developer) we commit to keeping these projects alive for the community.

Preserving these projects isn’t just about access, it’s about protecting the history of a scene that is still being written.

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If you're interested in more stories like this and want to stay up to date with the PS1 homebrew scene, feel free to check out our YouTube channel, where we’ve recently shared gameplay of Tetrade, a Tetris-style game for PS1.

Don’t forget that you can follow us on Twitter (X), check out our collection of games on Itch.io and join our Reddit community!

GeoDash PSX: A Geometry Dash Demake Built for the Original PlayStation

The PS1 homebrew scene continues to prove that there’s still plenty of room for surprises. One of the projects we covered a few weeks ago (a Geometry Dash-inspired clone) now finally has a playable demo, and it comes with a lot of new features.

The project developed by fvciprian now also has an official name. Previously referred to as “Geometry Dash PSX,” it is now called GeoDash PSX. It’s a rhythm platformer clearly inspired by Geometry Dash, but with one key difference: it’s written in C and runs natively on the original PlayStation. 

Far from being a simple recreation, the project rebuilds the core mechanics from scratch to fit 1994 hardware, something that already represents a significant technical challenge. 

The level select screen stands out with a clean and visually appealing design. Players can navigate through different tiles, each representing a level using simple geometric shapes. When selecting a level, its name appears in the bottom-left corner, giving quick feedback before starting.

At the moment, the available levels are:

• Stereo Madness
• Back on Track
• Polargeist
• Dry Out

(The remaining slots are currently labeled as “Unknown”.)

The gameplay stays very close to the original. The cube moves automatically to the right, and the player must jump at the exact moment to navigate platforms and avoid spikes, otherwise it’s instant death. All the core mechanics are present, including jumping, physics, death handling, coin collection, gravity changes, and more. Recreating this kind of fast-paced, timing-based gameplay on PS1 hardware is no small task, especially given how precise everything needs to feel.

 

That said, the flying sections could still use some visual improvement, as the player character doesn’t look as polished in those moments. Still, considering this is an early demo, there’s clearly room for refinement.

 

We also encountered a bug during one of these flying sections: it’s possible to exit the portal that should return the player to normal gravity, allowing the level to be completed in an unintended way.

Once a level is completed, the game displays a green results screen confirming your success. From there, you’re shown several stats, including:

• Completion time
• Number of attempts
• Death count
• Coins collected

At the bottom, players can choose between two options: replay the level or return to the level select screen which, realistically, means jumping into another run and spending hours trying to master it. The game also includes an autosave feature, meaning your progress is stored automatically.

Overall, the demo delivers a surprisingly faithful experience, successfully capturing the feel and rhythm of the original game. Despite some rough edges and early-stage limitations, GeoDash PSX already shows strong potential and stands as an impressive example of what can be achieved on PS1 hardware.

Projects like this continue to push the boundaries of the PS1 homebrew scene, proving that even decades-old hardware still has plenty of untapped potential when approached with modern ideas. 

If you’re interested in trying the game, you can check out the game page here: GeoDash PSX

And if you want to see how the project has evolved, you can also read our previous article covering earlier footage before the demo: New Progress with Visual and Gameplay Improvements

Don’t forget that you can follow us on Twitter (X), check out our collection of games on Itch.io and join our Reddit community!