BOULDER DASH 40th Anniversary Review

Score

Summary: A lovely time spent with an arcade classic; this game continues to provide decent entertainment to gamers young and old while not sacrificing legacy. Just don’t come in expecting a revolutionary change for a decades-old title.

4

Boulder Dash!

When coming across this game, I was vaguely aware of what Boulder Dash was. However, never having played it myself, I went in with little expectation as to what I could experience. What I didn’t expect was to spend 3 hours of my life simply playing the game and not even realizing the time had passed until I had checked.

Boulder Dash was originally released in 1984 for Atari systems, later being ported to other consoles, most notably the Commodore 64. It’s one of those Atari games that has that sort of charm to it – you know what I’m talking about. Very simple, high score-based gameplay with intriguing puzzle mechanics that, while perhaps nowadays might not seem incredibly intuitive, certainly contributed to its great international success.

Let’s start with the good; it is so inventive with its levels and mechanics. You have a simple goal: grab as many diamonds as needed and make it to the exit. Seems easy, right? Well, you can probably tell by the name that many obstacles, namely boulders, block and oppose your path. Digging under them causes them to move and shift around, and while one on its own might not be a threat, the levels are often packed with them that you have to not only be fast, but smart about where you decide to dig as losing focus means getting crushed and having to restart the level.

A huge plus of the game is how it introduces new elements that can help or impede your progress, all while reminding you of the basics and combining the new elements in creative ways. For example, boulders aren’t the only problem your character will have to face. Cave butterflies, fireflies and a time limit all threaten you while you search around for your beloved gems. The game also features a ranking system, showing how well you performed out of three stars. Packed with content, including a level editor and over 180 levels, including the original Boulder Dash 1, 2 and 3, you might find yourself lost to its addictive gameplay.

Boulder Dash, however, is simply an arcade game and that’s the most of it. Initially playing the game for the first time does provide a new experience and using the level editor can feel refreshing, especially with the simple UI. But the core gameplay is simply Boulder Dash, and while creative, a lot of the same tricks are used in multiple levels. Music and bugs aren’t a problem as much, save for a couple, but the loop can get repetitive after a while.

It’s not the prettiest looking software. The enemy models look decent but for some reason the character models give me a sort of cheap vibe, which isn’t helped by the funky-looking animations they use as well. The game also lacks a sort of “quick restart” button, which might not seem important but quickly becomes annoying when failing or retrying a level a certain way. Simply adding the ability to press R and restart the level would benefit the game a lot.

Final Thoughts?

All in all, Boulder Dash is a good homage to the simpler Atari/Commodore days and serves to show that even oldies can be goodies. Gameplay really holds up well today, giving even inexperienced gamers an easy understanding of what to do without being bombarded with tutorials. Hours of levels and even a level editor ensure that the game justifies its price. While monotony issues and visual bugs might stick to some players, that doesn’t stop this breakthrough title from proving again why it remains enjoyable after 40 years.