Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
Price: $3.99 USD
Blurb: “Return to the underground classic world of treasures and traps in the HD remake of Crystal Caves! Guide Mylo through puzzles and arcade challenges of your favorite episodes, then explore the whole new Episode loaded with all new puzzles, enemies, challenges, hazards and help Mylo get back home! “
I would like to point out that this is a game from 1991-ish, updated to work on modern displays. It is an excellent game for the young ones, which should keep them busy for ages. (Plus, it wont take up much space on your computer.)
The PC really lacked for nice platform games in the early 90’s so Crystal caves was considered special, but it was outshone by Prehistorik 1 & 2 and never really floated to the top. It was also riding the wave of Commander Keen from Apogee the year before , that was hugely popular. However, I cannot see it become very popular, even now, in HD, but as I mentioned before, it may keep the kids busy for a fiver. Keep in mind that the original can still be played via DosBox and was free as in “Shareware”.
The installation did not go well, I had to try some old versions of Ubuntu to get it installed.
So what are the enhancements over the original? There is a fourth world. There is also music. Not great music, but also not beeps n boops like the original on PC speakers. I think music is key here as the game needs to be passed to the next generation. If you are a die hard retro fan, you may not like the music, so you can turn it off.
I honestly did not like the original, (Coming off titles in the 80’s with soundtracks by the likes of Rob Hubbard / Chris Huelsbeck, it is not hard t see why. ) object sizes were waaaay off, for instance, a mine cart would be smaller than you, but a shoe will be your (sprite’s) size. This sort of bugged me, as every sprite had to be 16×16 with the odd one larger. Also, because of the limited palette, things would seem to blend into the coloured background. I will include a screen-shot here where you need to spot the main sprite, so you can have an idea what I am talking about. On this front, nothing has changed. It is still the same palette and the same graphics, with sprites that don’t make sense. (Also they were bargain basement sprites compared to other Apogee titles, even compared to 8-bit computer games from the 80’s.) Do not hold your breath for a story either, then again, a four year old does not need a story. The game-play is simple enough for any kid, you run , you jump, you shoot and you collect colourful objects. No ducking, sliding, double jumping, etc. There are some puzzle elements in the game, but they are very basic – I suppose the targeted audience is under 10 – but kids know when they are being skimped on.
The big bonus? Crystal caves now has its own level editor and you can share your creations with friends. If you are not the creative type, so far, the online levels are 50/50, which is to be expected as most “creators'' will be under the age of 12. The level editor also ensures that you did not waste your money when it comes to replay-ability. The opportunity here is you can sit down and teach your kids how and play what you made with them. Who knows, you may discover a hidden talent!
The question is: Should you buy it? My answer is, it depends. If you want a burst of nostalgia or to amuse the kids, sure. If you wanted some button mashing, nope.
The game is at a leisurely pace and you quickly learn that you cannot shoot forever as, one, the bullets are limited and two, you may hit something vital your sprite needs to live. If you liked matching gems or clicking on playing cards to sort them into stacks, this is right up your alley. Since the original did not do it for me, the HD version with the music and level editor leaves me with a glass half full and half empty situation. Now here’s the kicker, if what we have now was available in 1992, I may have liked it a bit more.
To be thorough, I have to mention that the original is available on GOG for a whole $0.49 USD, but Windows and Mac only.