Updated 2023.01.20
RoX is a 2001 freeware Windows game created by Ilya and Dmitriy Safro. It's similar to my Commodore 64 favorite
Boulder Dash but with stylish modern graphics and music.
I created this page because when I discovered RoX, I could find no information about it or custom level sets. The official Safrosoft site was gone.
Download RoX
The latest version of RoX is 1.4.
If you attempt to run RoX on any version of Windows beyond XP, you will likely encounter errors because you are missing three DLL files:
dx7vb.dll
dx8vb.dll
d3drm.dll
To solve this problem, I followed the instructions on
this page (related to a different game). The page provides download links for the DLL files (which are included with Windows XP). Do this at your own risk, but it worked for me.
Alternatively, RoX fan Max modified the installer to include everything you need. Use this at your own risk, but I tested it successfully.
Another alternative is OxRox, a RoX remake that you can find a link to at the bottom of this page.
RoX Levels
RoX includes an editor that lets you create your own level collections when you're finished or frustrated with the 69 pack-in levels.
To play a collection created by someone else, simply extract the CLVL file into your RoX\Levels folder.
These are some newer level sets that were not on the old official Safrosoft site. I created one collection and the rest were sent to me by others since I created this page.
This is a level pack that was once available on the Safrosoft site. This includes all of the levels listed
below this sentence (and many more) but none of the levels listed
above.
Here are some of the level collections from the above pack:
 ammon.zip | The Sky Is Falling by Ammon |
| arc.zip | Adventures 1 and 2 |
| bomber.zip | Fast Reactions 1 and 2 |
| boris.zip | Monisworld by Boris |
| chao_thing.zip | Box o' Ease and Crate o' Difficulty 1 and 2 |
| charlie.zip | Box of Apples, Box of Bannanas, and Box of Peaches by Charlie Davies |
| chris.zip | The Gnats by Chris |
| cosimo87.zip | Special Level 1 and 2 by Cosimo87 |
| csatai.zip | PCRex |
| cyrille.zip | Go! and Small Levels 1 by Cyrille |
| dono.zip | Dono Medium, Hard, Extreme, and Mini by Dono |
| echnik.zip | Aalglatt, Ein Maerchen, Frischauf, King Lui 130, Nur Buchstaben, and Nur Zahlen by Echnik |
| evc.zip | Limited I |
| firestorm.zip | Firestorm |
| firstkiss.zip | FirstKiss |
| frensygt.zip | Mariannocchia 2-6 by Mariannocchia |
| grafit_bt.zip | Szappanos G. Hun |
| james.zip | Addedcheese 1-9 and Rainbow by Chezzjames |
| jamie.zip | Subconscious by Jamie Adams |
| jason.zip | IshKaBibble and Sambuka by Jason |
| kylz.zip | Planet of the Bugs, Reincarnate the Dead, and Training Data Base by Kylz |
| mirjam.zip | MIP I and II by Mirjam |
| octapolis.zip | Octapolis by Octapolis |
| parousia.zip | Lords, Knights, ToughGuys, and The Basics by Kyp |
| pascual.zip | Pascual |
| reiner.zip | Harder Than Ever and Jor by Reiner |
| robert.zip | Check Your Rox Level, Fruits, Rocks and Unids, The War, and World's Easiest Levels by Robert Jajszczok |
| spydre_byte.zip | Spydre |
| suraj_pabari.zip | Death Collection I and II by Suraj Pabari |
| teresa.zip | Little Collection 1 and 2, Xambow 1 and 2 |
| titti.zip | Mikonos |
| week.zip | The Week of Thresher |
| worldofchaos.zip | WorldOfChaos 1-4 |
RoX Help
Level 57
Opinions differ over whether level 57 ("Omega") is possible. Here are three solutions by RoX fans:
- Damian wrote a solution to the level: rox_omega_solution.txt
- Piet had no luck with the above solution but found that it's sometimes possible to pick up two bombs rather than just one by pressing the spacebar and arrow key at the same time.
- Martijn modified the actual level set: rox_fixed_levels.zip.
Cheating
On the main menu, press and hold
Esc and
Space when you select
Play. This (temporarily) unlocks all the levels in a collection.
RoX Music
You can put MP3 files into your RoX\Music folder to have them play in the game.
A 2002 Safro data-and-music CD was available on MP3.com before that site became something else. This music is mostly what you hear in the game, but more deliberately structured.
I like this music, and I've received permission to distribute it. These tracks are encoded at 128 kbps, unfortunately, but I guess we considered that good enough back then.
RoX News
There have been hints over the years of more from the creators of RoX.
- Around 2014, there was a demo for a browser-based version of RoX at Amoebabyte.com (now gone).
- In 2011, Safrosoft was revived with a Web log and a new site at safrosoft.net (now gone) with news of a possible future mobile port of RoX.
- In early 2005, there was an early alpha demo of a RoX sequel. Below are some screenshots of that demo, as well as the demo itself.
RoX Links
- RoX - a tribute page at Martijn's Boulder Dash fan site
- OxRox - an unofficial RoX remake by FatOx Games (still in active development as of January 2023)
On
another page, I recommend additional freeware games.
