OVERKnuckles' Chaotix Recompiled brings the 32X platformer to Android natively, with true widescreen
Knuckles' Chaotix, the 1995 Sega 32X platformer that never got an official re-release, now runs natively on Android phones and handhelds. Knuckles' Chaotix Recompiled is an open-source (MIT) static recompilation from YuutaTsubasa, the developer behind Free Riders Recompiled. The project shipped five releases on October 23 alone, from v0.7.0 to v0.11.0.How it works
This isn't an emulator. The game code for the 32X's three processors (the Mega Drive's 68000 and the add-on's two SH-2s) is translated ahead of time into C++ and compiled for your device. A small compatibility layer covers the 32X and Mega Drive video chips, timers and sound hardware, and an SDL3 frontend makes it an ordinary app. There are builds for Windows, Linux, macOS and iOS, plus two Android APKs: the usual arm64 one and a 32-bit ARM build for older devices.
Features
- True widescreen in levels, bonus stages and special-stage results. The game's renderer draws real tiles and sprites in the extra space instead of stretching the picture, and the centre 320 pixels stay identical to the original.
- Touch controls with a new look, plus gamepad support and fast-forward on both.
- Save states and rewind (rewind is off by default on phones to save battery).
- Mod packs with an in-game list, plus texture, music and menu-text mods.
- Achievements, time-attack ghosts, a music player for the game's 41 songs and speedrun timers. Ghosts are off by default on Android because they run a second copy of the game.
What you need
Your own legally obtained ROM of Knuckles' Chaotix (Japan, USA). The app checks its SHA-1, then copies it into its own folder on first launch. No 32X BIOS is needed. The downloads contain the recompiled code but none of the game's data, and Overclocked doesn't host or link game files.
The developer has checked the Android setup flow on an AYANEO Pocket S2 Pro, but notes that the latest APKs haven't been tested on a device yet, so treat it as a work in progress. Download it from the project's GitHub releases. Knuckles' Chaotix Recompiled is now in the Overclocked ports directory. Today's directory updates also cover Chupathingy v0.8.0e, which adds surround sound, cutscene movies and online co-op to its Halo: Combat Evolved port, Free Riders Recompiled 0.10.27 and Ocarina ReTuned's Android Preview 0.1.2.