Magical Drop III: 3 Open Source Clones Compared
Gem Drop Deluxe targets the Atari 8-bit computer specifically, ported to C from its original 1997 Action!-language version; its standalone executable doesn't save state, so the disk-image versions are needed to keep score and level progress between sessions. Gem Drop X is a broader cross-platform port of the same game, first built for X11/Xlib and later fully rewritten to use SDL, running on Windows, Linux, macOS, Classic Mac OS, Amiga, and Dreamcast.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Atari
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 5y ago
- Stars
- 6
- Contributors
- 2
- License
- —
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoThe game includes all necessary assets.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, OSX, Classic Mac OS, Amiga, Dreamcast
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 1y ago
- Stars
- 0
- Contributors
- 1
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoThe game is a standalone puzzle game with all assets included.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Atari
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Not tracked
- Last updated
- Not tracked
- Stars
- Not tracked
- Contributors
- Not tracked
- License
- Not tracked
- Engine
- Not tracked
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
| Title | Gem Drop Deluxe | Gem Drop X | Gem Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Playable | Playable |
| Platforms | Atari | Windows, Linux, OSX, Classic Mac OS, Amiga, Dreamcast | Atari |
| Play in browser | No | No | No |
| Mobile | No | No | No |
| Project health | |||
| Development status | Halted | Halted | Not tracked |
| Last updated | 5y ago | 1y ago | Not tracked |
| Stars | 6 | 0 | Not tracked |
| Contributors | 2 | 1 | Not tracked |
| License | — | GPL-2.0 | Not tracked |
| Engine | — | SDL2 | Not tracked |
| Compatibility | |||
| Requires original assets | NoThe game includes all necessary assets. | NoThe game is a standalone puzzle game with all assets included. | — |
| Preview | | | |
Known limitations
- compatibility: The stand-alone XEX version does not save state and requires use of a DOS or the included disk image version for save functionality.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Magical Drop III clones on this page open source?
Yes — every clone catalogued here is an open-source project. Availability, license, and development-status details for each one are listed in the comparison table above.
What license do these Magical Drop III clones use?
Gem Drop X (GPL-2.0).
Do I need to own the original Magical Drop III to play these clones?
Gem Drop Deluxe and Gem Drop X run standalone, no original files needed.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to Magical Drop III.