Operation Hibernation

11/20/25: There's now a NABU version of Operation Hibernation. Because somebody somewhere wanted that. (At least nobody asked for a CreatiVision version.) 
11/9/25: Operation Hibernation Plus will run on a Master System! But the colors are awful! ohsg1000_red.sg changes the color of the Plinkies to a lighter red that's more easily visible on television sets.
10/14/25: An attract mode/instruction guide has been added to Operation Hibernation Plus, making it the most full-featured version of the game currently available. (Until the inevitable Master System version.)
10/11/25: Whoops! ZeroPage Homebrew discovered a bug... if you hold down the jump button, Byron skips across the screen, even if there's nothing underneath him. That's since been fixed. Thanks to ZPH for noticing.
10/8/25: Just did some upkeep on the ColecoVision version of Operation Hibernation.
9/29/25: Found a goof in the design. Jumping plinkies gives you points, but it's not immediately reflected in the score, something I've rectified in Plus and will consider fixing in the other versions (they're very short on ROM). Beyond that, Burnie Solarr's hit box has been refined in the Icy Heights stage, because Byron was getting burned to a crisp even when he wasn't actually touching Burnie. Nobody likes that- including myself!- so I've addressed it. There was something else I fixed or adjusted, but heck if I can remember what.

9/26/25: Plus for the SG-1000 is more or less finished. I say "more or less" because I'm pondering some additions that are not entirely necessary, but could be fun to include. We'll see how things pan out.

9/22/25 also: We have a release candidate for Operation Hibernation Plus! Can you discover the legendary Rainbow Bridge? Will you emerge victorious in this ultimate challenge, which stomps less skilled players flat with its chaotic combination of rolling disks and shifting platforms? Could there possibly be an SG-1000 game with an ending? Find the answers to all these pressing questions and more by downloading the release candidate, RC1!

9/22/25: We're closing in on a complete version of Operation Hibernation Plus for the SG-1000! All that's left is an ending and a couple 'o sound effects. Check out the beta, "Operation Hibernation Plus 9-22-2025" in your favorite SG-1000 emulator.

9/19/25: There's an update for the SG-1000 version of the game. The snow stage is officially part of the line-up! This time it's a race against the malevolent fire spirit Burnie Solarr. Look out for those nasty avalanches, too!

9/15/25: Er, oopsie! Had to update the SG-1000 version, Operation Hibernation Plus, with the improved fruit grabbing routine. This is still a WIP; I wanted to add more content but have no idea when all that will be finished. May be in a week. May be in a month. You know how hobbyist programmers are.

9/11/25: So someone wanted a Spectravision version of Operation Hibernation, which puzzles me as I already offer an MSX version of the game, and the Spectravision is basically the prototype for that computer. But... okay? It works in BlueMSX, I can tell you that. I can't tell you that it works on a Spectravision, because only 0.00001% of the population owns one of these computers, and I am not one of those individuals. It's going in the list of free demos for another week, like the MSX version.

(Peculiarly, I had to pull a small bit of text from the game to make it fit into 32K. Why was this necessary when the MSX version already fit into 32K is anyone's guess, but uh, sure, why not.)

9/8/25: Okay, so now we have an MSX version of Operation Hibernation. The sound effects are slightly different from the ColecoVision game, but they're serviceable. I'll keep this free for a week for testing purposes, or longer if the MSX 25 contest demands it.

9/3/25:A little treat for the arcade nerds... an instruction card, so you can figure out how to play at a glance.

9/1/25: It's 90215 day! And time to answer to YES!

Er, sorry, progressive rock nerd. Annnnyway! Time for some housecleaning around here on yonder Itch.IO. Deprecated builds have been thrown out. A new demo version is available that lasts for one loop, and is essentially ColecoVision shareware (has this ever been done before...?). The ColecoVision version, Operation Hibernation (digital) now costs money... relax, it's just five dollars. 

All builds of Operation Hibernation Plus (SG-1000) are works in progress, so those are free as well. So is Operation Hibernation MSX, but once I fix the sound issues (and this could take a while) it's going in with the paid software. 

By the way, they're doing an MSX competition over at msx.org. If you like either Operation Hibernation or Solar Fox 2: Space Evaders, for the love of Pete's dragon VOTE FOR THEM!!! I did rather miserably in the last competition with Whack 'Em Smack 'Em Byrons... that poor baby bear got so many knocks on the noggin, and all for fifteenth place? He deserves better for his pain and suffering! (Not to mention mine.)

8/31/25: We have box art! Also, I need to do some clean up on the files available. Apologies for things being such a mess!

8/29/25: Operation Hibernation now has instructions! Read along and discover the mysteries of both the game and its hungry, hungry hero!

8/29/25: Build "ohdigital.rom" (ColecoVision) has been enhanced with the Ace targeting system. Jump for a fruit and you'll almost always collect it, without destroying nearby ladders. This is the end of development for the ColecoVision version of Operation Hibernation. This is the end of development for the ColecoVision version of Operation Hibernation.

"Oheasier.rom" (ColecoVision, difficulty adjusted version) has been given the Ace treatment.

"OhMSX.rom" (MSX version) has been given the Ace treatment. Splash and fire sounds are still absent.

8/29/25: Experimental build "OHEX2.ROM" (ColecoVision only) seeks to address the problem that's plagued Operation Hibernation from the beginning. Now, when Byron reaches for a fruit, he's probably going to grab it! Slight downside... it sometimes removes ladder tiles, which are kind of important. Working on a fix!

8/27/25: It helps if you offer critique of a game before it's finished, folks. Hmph. Anyway, a reader on Indie Retro News complained that the game was too hard, so the "Easy Does It" build addresses this. It's almost too easy with the timing adjusted, but the extra time you have to catch fish in the Fish Ladder stage makes me think it should be like that for ALL versions of the game.

A reader of this site suggested shorter deaths for Byron, so that's what he's getting.  OH Plus Short Deaths takes some of the flourish out of two deaths (Caught by Foes and Time Over/Poopy Diaper), so you're not sitting there having traumatic flashbacks of Bubsy the Bobcat.

Finally, I'm working on a new snow stage for OH Plus. It functions differently from the other stages, with Byron getting chased by a new foe, "Burnie Solarr," over ice cliffs. Every platform Burnie touches melts into nothingness, so move those Huggies or you'll fall to your doom!

QUICK NOTE! The most recent build of Operation Hibernation is OH digital, and that's for the ColecoVision. And I just realized I can change the names on Itch.IO rather than having to delete and re-upload them, so I've made things a bit more clear. It's been renamed OH Digital (ColecoVision).rom.

Thanks to a reader for pointing this out.

Also, the MSX version has been adjusted to make collecting fruit easier. It's never going to be perfect, but it'll be better than it was. Still need to work on those two sound effects...

Operation Hibernation for ColecoVision has reached the end of its development cycle. Starting in September, I'll charge five dollars for a digital copy. The game will also be available as a physical ColecoVision release, courtesy of CollectorVision.

8/23/25: Wrapping things up on Operation Hibernation. Fruit collision detection is still not absolutely perfect, but it's as good as I can reasonably make it.

8/22/25: The floodgates have opened on the SG-1000 version of Operation Hibernation! That 48K opens up whole new worlds of cool crap, including award images for reaching the salmon rushdown stage, and the next loop. Can you reach the THIRD loop? You might find some guest stars waiting for you...

8/22/25: An experimental MSX version (no "noise" sounds yet; I'm working on it) and a work in progress "Plus" version for SG-1000 has been added. There's more graphics and better colors in the plus version, thanks to redesigned color scheme and the 48K limit of SG-1000, but more is planned in the future!

8/20/25: Some cheats and tests have been removed. Nine still works for 99 lives, while 7 during play advances to the next stage. The opening can be skipped... you're welcome. Birds now chirp when they appear, and the warning for a bird's appearance has been increased to 48 frames. Byron makes an audible burning noise as he burns to a crisp. Fruit collision improved (and STILL not perfect! Oy!). Magmanites now jump out of time in the second loop, making every jump a tense affair.

8/19/25: Better (not perfect) fruit collision detection and a better center of gravity for Byron, so he doesn't careen off the left edge of a platform so often. (Still, be careful!)

8/18/25: The latest build has more sound effects, more polish, and more challenge in the second loop. It's so close to complete it huuuuurts.

Byron J. Lennox is back, and he's brought his appetite! The star of Whack 'Em Smack 'Em Byrons is on another wacky adventure, stocking up on fruit for the approaching hibernation season. Get him good and fat for his long winter's nap, but steer clear of Plinkies, Soarians, Magmanites, and various other hazards in each stage.

 Survive all three stages and you'll be taken straight to heaven... or a fish ladder, which may as well BE heaven for any self-respecting bear. Gobble salmon and point-heavy rainbow trout to pack on the pounds, but stay away from the electrifying Shockray Eel... this grumpy guppy is on nobody's menu!

This early beta of Operation Hibernation contains the following:

* Title screen
* Three stages
* Enemies for all three stages
* Collision detection with background objects, including fruit, floors, and ladders
* Six death animations! This kid's got more ways to die than Frogger!
* A fish grabbin' bonus stage
* Coffee Time-style introductory sequence (I'm really proud of this one)
* Gorgeous flowing animation in the fish ladder (I'm HUGELY proud of this)
* Collision detection with onscreen "jerks"
* NEW! Improved ladder handling (fewer drops through floors)
* NEW! More music and sound effects (but not all. We're close, though!)
* NEW! Game over screen. Very simple, but I've seen game over screens like this in actual arcade games. Would be nice to have some fun game over music, though. Workin' on it...
* NEW! Byron doesn't sink into platforms after a jump, leading to a more professional and arcade-authentic design
* NEW! Tricky archer fish in stage two that fires at you from the bottom of the stage, but can be eaten by the especially daring player
* NEW! More difficult second loop. 

This early beta of Operation Hibernation doesn't contain the following, but will in the future:

* QOL improvements to reduce cheapness and jank (you'll know it when you see it)

This early beta of Operation Hibernation doesn't contain the following, but these features could be possible if there's cartridge space and motivation! (Looking increasingly unlikely with a little over a K left on the cartridge...)

* Fourth "rainbow bridge" stage
* Between stage cinematics
* An ending. On the ColecoVision?! Great Shatner's ghost!
* High score table
* Vanity logos, but these are so memory hungry!

The current plan is to finish this up by the end of August. It nearly IS finished at this point, so that schedule is totally, totally doable. Unless I drop dead from a heart attack. That's also totally doable... it seems to be going around lately.

Anyway! As was the case with Solar Fox II, this early beta is absolutely free. The apple's there for the biting until it fully ripens.

(Full disclosure: some sound effects were created with a sound utility created by Amy Bienvenu, converted to a web app by Bienvenu using artificial intelligence. The original utility and the sounds themselves were crafted by hand.)