Boulder Dash

This article is about the video game series. For the amusement park ride, see Boulder Dash (roller coaster). For the similarly named board game, see Balderdash.
Boulder Dash

NES box art
Developer(s) First Star Software
Publisher(s) First Star Software
Designer(s) Peter Liepa, Chris Gray
Platform(s) Arcade (Max-A-Flex), Atari 8-bit computers, Apple II, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, ColecoVision, NES, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, PC, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, iOS, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Mac, Xbox 360, Atari ST, Amiga, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Android SmartPhones & Tablets
Release date(s) 1984
Genre(s) Arcade
Mode(s) Single-player

Boulder Dash (バルダーダッシュ Barudā Dasshu), is a video game released in 1984 by First Star Software for Atari 8-bit computers,[1] there have been numerous versions and sequels in this series for numerous interactive platforms including: Apple II, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, ColecoVision, NES, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, PC, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Intellivision, Mac, Xbox 360 and many other platforms. It was created by Peter Liepa with Chris Gray, and on October 28, 1983, acquired by First Star Software, which still owns the rights to the game and the intellectual property, including the registered trademark: "Boulder Dash".

The game's protagonist is called "Rockford".[2] He must dig through caves collecting gems and diamonds and reach the exit within a time limit, while avoiding various types of dangerous creatures as well as obstacles like falling rocks and the constant danger of being crushed or trapped by an avalanche, or killed by an underground explosion.

On January 21, 2014, First Star Software and TapStar Interactive announced Boulder Dash - 30th Anniversary, a freemium mobile title developed by First Star Software, TapStar and SoMa Play Inc. for Android and iOS. The PC and Mac versions of Boulder Dash - 30th Anniversary were listed on Steam's GreenLight June 24, 2016, and released on September 14, 2016 on Steam. The PC and Mac versions include a cave (level) editor which allows players to create, play and share levels on Steam's Workshop.

Rockford, left, drops a series of boulders on a series of butterflies. The butterflies explode into diamonds, which fall down the shafts. Commodore 64 version.

Series

The official Boulder Dash games started in 1984 with the original home computer title, and continue to be published by First Star Software, Inc.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVG34/40[9]
Crash93%[10]
Sinclair User5/10[11]
Your Sinclair8/10[12]
Zzap!6497%[13]
Home Computing Weekly5/5[14]
Award
PublicationAward
Zzap!64Gold Medal

II Computing wrote of Boulder Dash that "Bright, colorful animation coupled with a breezy story line make this game more than just a momentary diversion."[15]

Compute! favorably reviewed Boulder Dash Construction Kit, noting that the sample game was much more difficult than the original Boulder Dash.[16] Mean Machines gave the Game Boy port of Boulder Dash a score of 90%, praising it as "one of the finest video games ever written", describing the game as "one to buy as soon as possible" and noting its faithfulness to the original Commodore 64 version.[17]

IGN reviewed the Virtual Console release of the Commodore 64 version. Although the graphics and sound were both found to be dated they enjoyed the game stating that it "still feels as fresh as it did in 1984." They concluded by stating "though it doesn't look like much, Boulder Dash rocks."[18]

The ZX Spectrum version was voted number 9 in the Your Sinclair Official Top 100 Games of All Time.[19]

Zzap!64's reviewers gave a mixed response to Boulder Dash III. Gary Penn criticised the new graphics style but conceded that the gameplay was still enjoyable although not showing any real innovations from previous titles. Gary Liddon agreed that the game wasn't much different to its predecessors but remained good fun. Julian Rignall was the most enthusiastic about the game declaring it "the best in the Boulderdash series". Overall the game was given a 93% rating.[20]

The Boulder Dash Construction Kit earned a Zzap! Gold Medal Award.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "Interview with author Peter Liepa". Boulder-dash.nl. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Boulder Dash". The International Arcade Museum. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Campbell, Stuart (2008). "The Definitive Boulder Dash". Retro Gamer (53): 32–41.
  4. ↑ "Oh! FM-7 Museum". Retropc.net. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  5. ↑ http://www.c64sets.com/details_db.html?id=5616&t=Boulder%20Dash%20Construction%20Kit&i=manual%20page%206
  6. ↑ "Rockford". World of Spectrum. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Boulder Dash XL Announced". Bluesnews. November 9, 2010.
  8. ↑ Hilliard, Kyle (January 21, 2014). "Original Boulder Dash Creators Team-Up For Mobile Remake". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Boulderdash". Ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Zzap!64 100th Issue Pull-Out Special Page 5". Zzap64.co.uk. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  15. ↑ Shapiro, Neil (Oct–Nov 1985). "Of Jewels and Ghouls and Butterflies and Strategies of War". II Computing. pp. 24–26. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  16. ↑ Anderson, Rhett (February 1988). "Boulder Dash". Compute!. p. 53. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  17. ↑ Rignall, Julian; Richard Leadbetter (June 1991). "Boulderdash review". Mean Machines (9). Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  18. ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/06/23/boulder-dash-review
  19. ↑ "YS Top 100 Games of All Time". Your Sinclair. September 1993.
  20. ↑ http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=015&page=025&magazine=zzap
  21. ↑ "Zzap! Test: Boulder Dash Construction Kit". Zzap!64. Newsfield (20): 176–177. 1986. Retrieved 2016-07-22.

External links

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