BOULDER DASH 40th Anniversary

The new version of Boulder Dash was released today, and it feels great! I've been celebrating this game for 40 years (!). Yes, there isn't much new, because the game mechanics are still the same. Although... that's exactly what I love about the new version—it's the same game mechanics again! Diamonds falling on my head mean losing a life and restarting the level. The old versions of the games feel right, too. Add to that the beautiful new graphics and sound by Chris Hülsbeck! Of course, I still have to explore the new features. But for me, this version is already the best! (Although the version in which I am named as a tester in the credits is also flattering, of course). Finally, a casual game that you can play for 5 minutes while drinking an espresso. Update: I've now also got it for the Xbox. The levels are not that easy, so the game remains fun for a long time. The level editor needs some time to get used to it, but I can't wait to play the upcoming community contributed levels!

Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary is a celebration of 40 (plus one!) years of the franchise by taking the game closer to its original roots. The arcade pace, the puzzles, the aesthetic of being defeated when you touch enemies or get bonked on the head by falling diamonds... while it's not exactly as it was back in 1984, I will dare say we have come close to it. And as the provider of the modern edition of Dangerdash, available as an accessable caveset to play right away, it was a grand honor to be part of shaping what could be the definitiive edition of modern Boulder Dash. Look forward to seeing works of mine on the Workshop, designed not only to test your mind, but also push for high scores. I've enjoyed helping the team bring this game to life and I certainly enjoy how this game has been polished. I will dare say that you will enjoy playing this game too. May it inspire you to design as the original BOULDER DASH has inspired me. -W.

[h1]This -IS- Boulder Dash as it should be nowadays[/h1] Wile i did write a review of other Anniversarys and versions of Boulder Dash - like the one for its 30th Anni if i remember right, "THIS" 40th Anniversary Version does nearly everything right and better. It has basically all the levels and tools to enjoy a game from the early 80s nowadays with some smaller but still usefull additions. Nothing to fancy but still enough to make it feel fresh and new. With this Anniversary, I really can say it feels good to pick up and play and feel "young" again. [h1]They added ALL and MORE?[/h1] Yes, unlike the 30th Anniversary, The new IP owners from Boulder Dash actually added basically "all" so that Boulder Dash really feels like an Anniversary and not just a game in the Boulder Dash line-up. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3554323899 They added 5 (+1 Tutorial) Worlds PLUS Fan-made classics like Arno and Dangerdash PLUS the Original Boulder Dash 1 plus 2 levels AND even Boulder Dash 3 ones as well, THOSE Classic levels alone are worth playing again for sure (and are not part of a DLC or something). The Classic BD 1-3 Levels even come in their respective classic 8-bit(ish) designs! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3554323862 It really is a long time i saw BD3 again haha. So yes, content wise, this Anniversary is MILES ahead from what came before. Next to this, the music is created from another big name from the 80s. The "Chiptune master" himself, Chris Huelsbeck. THE creator of the Turrican and Great Gian(n)a sisters soundtrack. The Music is fitting and not to much, more like nice background music but never the less well done. As for gameplay-wise, unlike the 30ths Anni version, the 40ths Anni version feels less "floaty". It feels really more like your movement has more impact and youre really "moving" around. It comes REALLY close to the movement the originals had somewhat but just more smooth. The whole game also gives, gladly, a game editor which let you create your very OWN levels as well which basically addes "limitless" playtimes. [h1]Ok but there are some honest problems though[/h1] Wile someone as me who grew up with the classics really enjoy the trip with this BD version, all the old stuff it offers, the music, levels and content overall, It comes with some bad stuff i have to adress. As much as i like all stuff i counted up, i have to adress the one big thing in the room: the camera movement. I know they surely tried to replicate the "original" movement of the cam somewhat but you can feel that mostly in the classic versions that the cam is a bit "fiddly" i would say. Sometimes, it cant keep up with your speed or, if you change directions WILE it still tries to follow you, it can jiggle around. Its hard to write about wile a picture cant really "show" what i mean either. Basically imagen that you ride a bike and your cam-man is "trying" to run behind you, recording you but only by foot. This is how the cam sometimes feel like - It feels like its a tiny bit to slow as it reacts. A (VERY) old video i recorded ones might can show what i mean from the original boulder dash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PQt-lBi9W0 Basically, the cam reacts to late to slow. It should react maybe 2 tiles earlier and sure a bit faster and should "snap" into the character if you change direction and not "gibber" around wile you do change directions. [h1]But whats your Statement over all?[/h1] In short, [b]recommended for sure.[/b] If youre born in the late/early 80s like me, im sure you will enjoy this game. Its true to the classics, ADDS the classic levels, FANlevels, new levels and even an editor PLUS "familiar" sounds and musics from an artist and musician from back in the day. It all just "fits" perfect together, No doubt. If you enjoy fun, logical games which are easy to play but hard to master, Boulder Dash is a must play, not just for retro fans or old farts like me. The Cam movement might be a problem and can sometimes feel out of place but you can look over it if you keep playing. Still, i really hope they fix that in the near future so that the cam moves maybe earlier and more smooth. [h1]Recommended. One, if not THE best Boulder Dash version up to date![/h1]

Positiv: Macht Spaß - "die gute alte Zeit" am aktuellen PC. Bei den Tutorials denkt man sich manchmal "Wenn das jetzt 'nur' die neuen Tutorials sind.... was kommt dann noch?" :-) Negativ: Leider fehlen (noch?) die Optionen zur Tastenbelegung der USB-Gamecontroller in Windows 11. So wird z.B. der Speedlink "Competition Pro" als "Game Controller for Anroid" erkannt, als auch im Spiel angesteuert; doch der nimmt einem aber auch wirklich jeden Spielspaß: Denn irgendwer hat den Schaltplan beim Zusammenbauen des Joysticks am Fließband verkehrt herum gehalten, oder in Richmond hat wer den Treiber in Windows 11 für Linkshänder ausgelegt, als würde man in der rechten Hand den Joystick halten und mit der linken Hand die Feuerknöpfe drücken... Die Ansteuerung der Feuertasten 1,2 bzw. 4,5 (linkes und rechtes "Feuer") sind also genau verkehrt herum... ....und das ist nach keinen 10 Sekunden Freude über das Spiel mal so RICHTIG nervig, weil man immer wieder intuitiv auf "zurück" bzw. "exit" drückt... und drei Minuten später schmollend das Spiel mit einem "Das ist doch Sch..." schließlich beendet, um eine Lösung für das Problem zu finden. Das Problem scheint sehr echt bekannt zu sein; eine neue Firmware oder ein alternativer Treiber ist leider für den Joystick jedoch nirgends zu finden... Am Ende bleibt einem nur ein beherzter pragmatischer Griff zum Lötkolben... was sich SEHR positiv auf den Allgemeinzustand des Spielers auswirkt.... ;-)

Sehr gut gemachtes Boulder Dash. Viele neuen Level + die alten von Boulder Dash 1-3. Sieht gut aus, Musik ist grandios, läuft einwandfrei, einige neue Spielmechaniken dabei (zumindest kannte ich einiges nicht) und der Schwierigkeitsgrad steigert sich gut von Level zu Level. Den Weltrekord zu schaffen ist sehr schwer. Aber Vorsicht: Macht süchtig ala nur noch ein Level...ok noch eines...eines geht noch...bis man schaut ist wieder eine Stunde herum. Was ich nicht so gut finde ist das es keine Online und Offline Ranglisten gibt. Das wäre schon schön wenn das noch nachgereicht wird. Auf alle Fälle ist das Game empfehlenswert für Veteranen und Neueinsteiger.

Actually, this is a "maybe" review. You will face at least one bug if you have a 144Hz monitor (anything above 60 Hz apparently). Change that to 60Hz for this game (tutorial 18). The game also doesn't like "adaptative v-sync" being ON, the controls become laggy and slow. On the + side: a new boulderdash! Lots of caves! But that's pretty much it. The few changes I mention below are getting very frustrating for me so I think i'll give up soon on that game, too bad. There are a few changes from the previous versions of this game which i dislike. Gems now kill you if they fall onto you. I don't remember that from the previous versions. Some timings are off, for instance, dropping a rock on a butterfly that goes in the same direction as the falling rock doesn't work anymore. Also, being next to a mob, even if not on its path will end you; you cannot be in a cell adjacent to an exploding mob anymore. You can also be killed by a falling rock, when it is on the same height as you, side by side, running into it, as if you wanted to push it while it falls even though this has no effect. Some levels are definitively bugged, one of the very early tutorial levels has walls that turn rocks into gems but only if they feel like it. Some of these walls just destroy the rock, producing nothing. Frustrating. I just stopped playing after a tutorial level with an amoeba that grows uncontrolled and apparently no way to control it. You need 50 gems on that level and the amoeba decides to transform itself at random times and produces 20 max gems. There are 12 or so more gems available on the level. Sometimes as well, it decides to turn into rocks. What the 6th letter of the alphabet. Finally, the options in the game are just graphics. One is a plant, I have no idea what this does. Same thing with the atari/c64 choice, I haven't seen a difference. Some explanations would be nice. There's apparently no way to turn off the timer (someone said it's a feature from the original). Last, the spawn of Rockford is unnecessarily long. In boulderdash 1, I needed several attempts before clearing a cave with an amoeba and when I got it, the progress was not saved. As someone else mentionned, the keyboard controls are flaky, the space key often doesn't work, projecting you straight into mobs. Sometimes, going left or right activates twice. PS: the c64/atari gfx options change the colors in boulderdash 1, 2, 3 caves, and the CRT ones changes the shape of the screen. But then, these 2 buttons are constantly displayed in those caves. Remains the flower/ivy icon...

I got it mainly for the old versions of Boulder Dash. I grew up playing BD in the 80s. This, M.U.L.E., Archon, Ball Blazer (Lucas Arts), Alley Cat, and Pharoah's Curse were favorites.

I feel like this could have been a warm, cozy reflection of a classic franchise and instead it plays like a medium-effort conversion of a phone game.

Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary strikes the perfect balance between preserving its nostalgic roots while offering a new experience. The updated graphics provide a new look, so the game is even better today than it was back in the arcades. The inclusion of 60 classic levels from the original trilogy gives a journey down memory lane. There are six entirely new worlds, each with fresh mechanics like enemy generators. There are 120 new levels, along with an editor and community content. This mix of classic and new elements makes this a remarkable tribute. Players can now choose between three heroes, each with different traits. Composer Chris Hülsbeck, known for other popular game soundtracks, enhances the gameplay, making every moment in this anniversary celebration something remarkable. [quote]For more puzzle game reviews, news, and everything puzzle-related, follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25928931-Puzzle-Lovers/]Puzzle Lovers[/url] and check out our [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/puzzlelovers]Steam group[/url].[/quote]

Nach 5 Minuten schon hin und weg. Wirklich sehr schönes Package zum 40sten. Schöne Grafik und angenehmer Sound. Spielt sich sehr gut. Fairer Preis.