The legendary composer Andrew Barnabas. Best known to Amiga enthusiasts as “Nightshade” of the legendary group Crusaders, Barnabas is the creative force behind the iconic, high-energy soundtrack of the 1991 shoot ’em up classic, SWIV for the Amiga home computers. He and many more could try Grind for the very first time in Norway at the SpillExpo event thanks to Grind developer tsak, Amitopia, and Crusaders.
People could come to the Crusaders’ stand between the 7th and 9th of November 2025 and try Grind! That was a remarkable success for sure!
Andrew Barnabas, together with many other visitors at the Crusaders booth at SpillExpo, took a hands-on approach this weekend, testing out the upcoming Amiga FPS, Grind.
Doom for 68000 ain’t a fairytale anymore
Grind is dubbed “Doom for the 68000 Amiga.” The game is a testament to the continued ingenuity of the platform’s developers, pushing the 40-year-old hardware to its absolute limits to deliver a modern-feeling, 3D experience.
What would have happened if this quality-written 3D game had been released back in the 1990s?… We can only speculate… but the Amiga flame would for sure be many times stronger. Yet, we are in 2025… and Grind moves the boundaries of what’s possible.
For many, Barnabas’s pulsating title music for SWIV is instantly recognizable, a masterpiece of four-channel tracker composition that was groundbreaking for its time. It showcased the capabilities of the Amiga’s Paula sound chip, helping to set a high bar for game audio in the early ’90s.
Cultural Impact meets Cultural Shock!
For years, PC users spread a rumor—and even direct statements from Doom‘s original creators—suggested that the Amiga’s architecture, particularly its reliance on the complex planar graphics system, made a smooth, high-fidelity 3D shooter like Doom impossible on the stock 68000 machine. The platform had to settle for various 3D ‘clones’ that often struggled.
These rumours still happened after the releases of Breathless, Gloom Deluxe, and the Alien Breed 3D series. Especially when Quake was ported by ClickBOOM. 7-8 FPS in the smallest window, and PC users continued to say that Doom on Amiga is impossible.
Incredible 3D FPS Engine
However,.. now the rumour is smashed! Grind, powered by the incredible Dread engine, shatters this myth and rumour. It gives a cultural shock like no other game! A remarkable achievement!
Grind, showcases modern coding techniques to deliver a fast, textured, and atmospheric FPS experience on the base Amiga hardware.
Andrew’s presence at SpillExpo served as a powerful reminder of the lasting cultural impact of the Amiga era, with his music acting as the perfect theme song for a generation of gaming. His words about how amazing Grind is will sit in my mind forever.
The whole team behind Grind should be really proud of what they are making. The fact that this game runs so well from just a floppy is insane. The FPS counter doesn’t match what the experience was for Andrew and other visitors. Yes, even minor kids loved the Grind graphics.
A huge thanks to task that made a special license for Amitopia and Crusaders to share Grind at SpillExpo.
