Kwyll has passed its £18,400 Kickstarter target to fund ZX Spectrum Next support for its visual game creation software. Developed by Paul Gregory under the Indigobeetle name, the project already offers tools for making original ZX Spectrum games without writing code.
The campaign remains open for pledges until 22nd October 2026.
The editor runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Users create graphics, arrange rooms and define behaviour through a graphical programming system, with the existing version targeting the original Spectrum. Spectrum Next support forms part of the planned Kwyll 2.0 release.
Kwyll separates a game into elements including screens, tiles, rooms, objects, sounds and logic. Its introductory Gem Patrol tutorial demonstrates how these fit together through a small top-down project, covering connected locations, collectible gems, moving enemies and projectiles.
Room types also support reuse across a map. Editing a shared room design updates the locations using it, while individual locations retain their own state. The tutorial uses collected gems to demonstrate this distinction, allowing progress to persist after the player leaves a room.
The current Spectrum tools concentrate on individual rooms and screens rather than scrolling environments. Memory remains another constraint, and recent development has reduced the exported engine’s size by leaving out unused components. Optional elements include collision handling, animated tiles and several sprite-rendering modes.
Six months of development and a boxed edition
The funding plan supports six months of focused development. Alongside adding Spectrum Next support, Indigobeetle intends to improve documentation, tutorials, sample games and editor workflows.
There are already released games made with Kwyll. Indigobeetle’s examples include the festive platform-puzzler Santa’s Lost & Found, puzzle adventure Mined-Out 2 and Head On, a Spectrum adaptation of Sega’s 1979 arcade game.
Community projects listed on the official website include MGRDesigns’ Sewer Escape, PuttyCAD’s Poopy Platforms and SteveTyson’s Pathfinder.
The Kickstarter’s £40 Kwyll Edition reward includes a full Kwyll 2.0 licence with Spectrum Next support. The £60 Community Edition adds early development builds, priority voting on stretch-goal features and invitations to private online development sessions.
An £80 boxed tier includes the software on USB, a getting-started guide of more than 30 pages and an enamel Kwyll pin. The listed delivery estimate for these rewards is May 2027.
For anyone interested in the existing Spectrum version, Kwyll’s public beta is available separately through itch.io for US$9.99. Its listed full-release price is US$29.99.
Visit the Kwyll Kickstarter campaign for rewards and development updates, or find the current beta on itch.io.
