Review: Boulder Dash

Overview:

As a diamond miner you'll have to dash out of the way of falling boulders to dig for diamond after diamond to complete your task. With pleasing controls, catchy background music, good graphics, and exciting gameplay, Boulder Dash is a great game, but is it worth its hefty price tag? It just depends on whether you are a fan of classic arcade and casual puzzle games. If you are, then I'd say yes, since this game takes the best parts of both and combines them into one fun game.

Features:

There are two features in Boulder Dash that stand out . They don't seem like much, but, while playing the game, they make it all the more easy and fun to play. These features are: the ability to utilize the iPhone's "pinch zoom in or out" while playing, and the ability to use the accelerometer to shift the play area any way you'd like to. These features are a vast improvement on the original Boulder Dash arcade game, and make the game much more fun to play. But, that isn't even the half of it. Boulder Dash offers a slew of customizable features, making the gameplay just the way you want it. First off, it allows you to, like many other games, select from five difficulties. But, unlike other games, it lets you choose from three different kinds of controls: two different directional pad layouts or the common "finger dragging method". I prefer the default directional pad layout since it feels the most natural, but the game is just as fun with any of the three types of controls. Another customizable feature is the ability to select between the classic, pixel-y look of the original, 25 year old Boulder Dash, or a more fresh and colorful renovation of the classic game (I prefer the latter).

This is one of the things that I think separates Boulder Dash from other revamps of classic games, as well as other puzzle games: it customizability when it comes to gameplay, controls, and just about everything else.

The Good:

The games' natural-feeling controls, vast amount of customizability, elements from the classic arcade game, and just about everything else about it make it a very fun game to play when you are sitting around with nothing to do. There are better puzzle games out there, and better classic arcade games out there, but Boulder Dash is one of the best games I've played which successfully combines the two into a wonderful revival of a classic arcade game.

The Bad:

Although Boulder Dash is customizable and fun, it does not have a bunch of potential for replayability. There are around 20 levels (100 if you play through each difficulty), but the game does get fairly old after a few days of gameplay, but this could easily be remedied with either an update with new levels, or just waiting for a week and then starting the game fresh when you aren't sick of it. But I wouldn't let this convince you out of purchasing the game if you are a fan of classic arcade games and/or casual puzzle games since this is still a great game in both of those categories.

Verdict

Boulder Dash is a fun game with customizable features, exciting gameplay, and good sound effects and music, but with a limited amount of gameplay. Boulder Dash is a must-have for fans of the original arcade game, arcade games in general, or casual puzzle games. So, is it worth the $4.99? It all depends on what you are a fan of, but I don't think you'll be disappointed with it.

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