Publisher: Kalypso Media
Developer: Five Star Software/Catnip Games
MSRP: $9.99
by: Nick "bapenguin" Puleo
Growing up with an Atari 300XL computer we had a lot of games on numerous floppy disks that my Dad somehow managed to acquire. Despite the dozens of games we had there were a few I kept coming back to - a game named Orc Attack, the Ghostbusters game, and a puzzle-ish game called Boulderdash. Finally in the age of arcade remakes the latter is seeing the light of day. Called Boulderdash XL, the same concept returns to the modern age.
The goal of Boulderdash is simple - dig through the dirt, push boulders out of the way, and collect gems. If you collect enough gems you’ll clear the level. Sounds easy enough - except gravity plays a part. Dig too close to some boulders and they’ll come crashing down on you killing you. Of course, there’s also strategy to it - you can use this to kill enemies that might be blocking your path.
Bolderdash XL doesn’t veer far from it’s roots, these same basic concept apply to the entirety of the game through the 150 or so levels. The difficulty in the game comes from the race against the clock, forcing you to act quickly. Boulderdash XL also offers two characters to play as - though this seems only for cosmetic effect.
One thing I really loved is the game offers a retro mode which will display the old school 8-bit style graphics of the original. While my Atari 300XL only had two colors (White and Purple) - and this one had a few more - I still was taken back to when I was 7 playing in our basement.
If you were a fan of the original, you’ll love Boulderdash XL. If you’ve never played the game, give it a try, you’ll find its simple yet challenging gameplay quite addictive.
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