Boulder Dash (video game)

Last updated
Boulder Dash
Boulder Dash Original Cover Art.jpg
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)
  • Peter Liepa
  • Chris Gray
Programmer(s)
  • Kazunori Ishiguri
  • Toshiyuki Sakai
  • Hisatada Ohta (1990 arcade)
Composer(s)
  • Azusa Hara
  • Fuse (1990 arcade)
Platform(s)
Atari 8-bit
Release
March 1984
  • Atari 8-bit
    • NA: March 1984 [2]
    • UK: August 1985
  • C64
    • NA: April 1984
    • UK: 1984
  • Apple II
  • PC-88
    • JP: October 1984
  • FM-7
    • JP: November 1984
  • ColecoVision
    • NA: December 1984
  • Arcade
    • NA: 1984
    • JP: August 1985
    • JP: May 1990 (1990 arcade)
  • IBM PC
  • 1984
  • ZX Spectrum
  • CPC
    • UK: August 1985
  • MSX
  • 1985
  • Super Cassette Vision
  • BBC, Electron
  • NES
    • JP: March 23, 1990
    • NA: June 1990
    • EU: 1990
  • Game Boy
    • JP: September 21, 1990
    • EU: 1990
  • Atari 2600
  • June 2012
  • Intellivision
    • NA: March 18, 2015
Genre(s) Puzzle, maze [3]
Mode(s) Single-player

Boulder Dash is a 2D maze-puzzle video game released in 1984 by First Star Software for Atari 8-bit computers. [4] It was created by Canadian developers Peter Liepa and Chris Gray. The player controls Rockford, who collects treasures while evading hazards. [5]

Contents

Boulder Dash was ported to many 8-bit and 16-bit systems and turned into a coin-operated arcade video game. It was followed by multiple sequels and re-releases and influenced games such as Repton and direct clones such as Emerald Mine .

As of January 2018, BBG Entertainment GmbH owns the intellectual property rights to Boulder Dash.[ citation needed ]

The game's name is a pun on balderdash . [4]

Gameplay

Rockford drops a series of boulders on butterflies which explode into diamonds and fall down the shafts. Boulderdash-screenshot.png
Rockford drops a series of boulders on butterflies which explode into diamonds and fall down the shafts.

Boulder Dash takes place in a series of caves, each of which is laid out as rectangular grid of blocks. The player guides the player character, Rockford, with a joystick or arrow keys. In each cave, Rockford has to collect as many diamonds as are needed and avoid dangers, such as falling rocks. When enough diamonds have been collected, the exit door opens, and going through this exit door completes the cave.

Development

As an aspiring game developer, Peter Liepa reached out to a local publisher called Inhome Software. They put him in touch with a young man—Chris Gray—who had submitted a game programmed in BASIC that was not commercial quality, but had potential. [6] The project began with the intention of converting this game to machine language and releasing it through Inhome, but according to Liepa, the game was very primitive. [7] He decided to expand the concept and add more interesting dynamics, and he wrote the new version in Forth [8] in about six months. [9] When it became clear that the game was worth releasing, Liepa rewrote Boulder Dash in 6502 assembly language. [10]

Dissatisfied with the lack of a contact from Inhome Software, Liepa searched for a new publisher. [11] He settled on First Star Software, which, according to him, was very happy to publish the game. [12]

Ports

The game was licensed by Exidy for use with their Max-A-Flex arcade cabinet. Released in 1984, it allows buying 30 seconds of game time. [13] This was the first home computer game to be converted to an arcade console. [13]

Reception

II Computing said that "bright, colorful animation coupled with a breezy story line make this game more than just a momentary diversion". [21] Computer Games magazine called it an "incredible addicting maze game" along the lines of Dig Dug , but faster and more exciting. [3]

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. [22] The same publication reviewed the NES version favourably, stating that it was "an extremely impressive title" and "one of the greatest games ever written". It was given a 92% rating. [23]

The ZX Spectrum version was placed ninth in the Your Sinclair Top 100 Speccy Games Of All Time (Ever) by journalist Stuart Campbell. [24] In 1993, Commodore Force ranked the game at number 17 on its list of the top 100 Commodore 64 games. [25]

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". [26]

Boulder Dash was included in the top 30 Commodore 64 games by C't Magazin in Germany. [27]

The game sold more than 500,000 copies by August 1994. [28]

Legacy

Boulder Dash was the first in a long series of games:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore 64</span> 8-bit home computer introduced in 1982

The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International. It has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time, with independent estimates placing the number sold between 12.5 and 17 million units. Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in August for US$595. Preceded by the VIC-20 and Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from its 64 kilobytes(65,536 bytes) of RAM. With support for multicolor sprites and a custom chip for waveform generation, the C64 could create superior visuals and audio compared to systems without such custom hardware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Minter</span> British video game designer

Jeff Minter is an English video game designer and programmer who often goes by the name Yak. He is the founder of software house Llamasoft and has created dozens of games during his career, which began in 1981 with games for the ZX80. Minter's games are shoot 'em ups which contain titular or in-game references demonstrating his fondness of ruminants. Many of his programs also feature something of a psychedelic element, as in some of the earliest "light synthesizer" programs including Trip-a-Tron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Star Software</span>

First Star Software, Inc. was a Chappaqua, New York based video game development, publishing and licensing company, founded by Richard Spitalny, Billy Blake, Peter Jablon, and Fernando Herrera in 1982. It is best known for the series Boulder Dash, which began on the Atari 8-bit family, and Spy vs. Spy, which first appeared on the Commodore 64. Games were ported to or written for home computers, consoles, and later for Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, and portable devices. Millions of units have been sold in both the Boulder Dash and Spy vs. Spy series of games.

<i>Moon Patrol</i> 1982 video game

Moon Patrol is a 1982 arcade video game developed and released by Irem. It was licensed to Williams for distribution in North America. The player controls a Moon buggy which can jump over and shoot obstacles on a horizontally scrolling landscape as well as shoot aerial attackers. Designed by Takashi Nishiyama, Moon Patrol is often credited with the introduction of full parallax scrolling in side-scrolling games. Cabinet art for the Williams version was done by Larry Day. Most of the home ports were from Atari, Inc., sometimes under the Atarisoft label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beam Software</span> Former Australian video game developer

Krome Studios Melbourne, originally Beam Software, was an Australian video game development studio founded in 1980 by Alfred Milgrom and Naomi Besen and based in Melbourne, Australia. Initially formed to produce books and software to be published by Melbourne House, a company they had established in London in 1977, the studio operated independently from 1987 until 1999, when it was acquired by Infogrames, who changed the name to Infogrames Melbourne House Pty Ltd.. In 2006 the studio was sold to Krome Studios.

<i>Repton</i> (video game) Video game series

Repton is a video game originally developed by 16-year-old Briton Tim Tyler for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and released by Superior Software in 1985. The game spawned a series of follow up games which were released throughout the 1980s. The series sold around 125,000 copies between 1985 and 1990 with Repton 2 selling 35,000 itself. The games have since been remade for several modern systems, including iRepton for the iPhone / iPod Touch in 2010, and Android Repton 1, Android Repton 2 and Android Repton 3 from 2016 to 2018.

<i>Last Ninja</i> Series of video games

Last Ninja is a series of video games published by System 3. The first game in the series titled The Last Ninja, was released in 1987 for the Commodore 64 and was one of the most successful games for the system. In 1988, System 3 released Last Ninja 2, and in 1991 the third game in the series, Last Ninja 3. In 1990, Last Ninja Remix was released for 8-bit systems. This was Last Ninja 2 with new music, a new introductory sequence, slightly changed graphics and fixed bugs. Confusingly, the 16-bit versions of the original The Last Ninja game were also released in 1990 as Ninja Remix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tynesoft</span> Former software developer and publisher

Tynesoft Computer Software was a software developer and publisher in the 1980s and early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atarisoft</span> Brand name by Atari, Inc.

Atarisoft was a brand name used by Atari, Inc. in 1983 and 1984 to publish video games for non-Atari home computers and consoles. Each platform had a specific color for its game packages: video games sold for the Commodore 64 were in green boxes, games for the TI-99/4A in yellow, the IBM PC in blue, and so on.

Mirrorsoft was a British video game publisher founded by Jim Mackonochie as a division of Mirror Group Newspapers. The company was active between 1983 and 1991, and shut down completely in early 1992.

magnussoft

magnussoft Deutschland GmbH is a German computer game developer and publisher. The company is seated in Kesselsdorf, close to the Saxon capital of Dresden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eutechnyx</span> Video game development studio

Eutechnyx Limited is a British video game developer based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Since 1997, the company has focused on racing games. They are known for their largely panned video game Ride to Hell: Retribution, work with the NASCAR The Game franchise, and as a developer on various other racing titles and games.

<i>Personal Computer Games</i> Defunct British magazine

Personal Computer Games was a multi-format UK computer games magazine of the early/mid-1980s published by VNU.

<i>Gridrunner</i> 1982 video game

Gridrunner is a fixed shooter video game written by Jeff Minter and published by Llamasoft for the VIC-20 in 1982. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit family, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore PET and Dragon 32. Many remakes and sequels have followed, including versions for the Atari ST, Amiga, Pocket PC, Microsoft Windows, and iOS.

<i>Boulder Dash II</i> 1985 video game

Boulder Dash II is a 2D maze-puzzle video game designed by Peter Liepa and released in 1985 by First Star Software. It is the first sequel to the original Boulder Dash.

<i>Boulder Dash Construction Kit</i> 1986 video game

Boulder Dash Construction Kit is the fourth game in the Boulder Dash series. It published for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit family in 1986 by Epyx. Ports were released for the Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and MS-DOS. The Spectrum version was rereleased as Boulder Dash IV: The Game. Boulder Dash Construction Kit includes new levels and a level editor.

<i>Survivors</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Survivors is a game published by Atlantis Software in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum. It was ported to the MSX, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, Commodore 16, Acorn Electron, and BBC Micro and the Amstrad CPC (1988). It is a puzzle game based on the "rocks and diamonds" mechanics of Boulder Dash.

References

  1. ↑ "Boulder Dash". First Star Software.
  2. 1 2 "Year-End Index" (PDF). Computer Entertainer . Vol. 3, no. 10. January 1985. p. 156.
  3. 1 2 3 "1985 Software Buyer's Guide". Computer Games. Vol. 3, no. 5. United States: Carnegie Publications. February 1985. pp. 11–8, 51–8.
  4. 1 2 Weber, Arno (November 2005). "Interview: Peter Liepa". Boulder-dash.nl. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Boulder Dash". The International Arcade Museum. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  6. ↑ Liepa, 7:05.
  7. ↑ Liepa, 7:48.
  8. ↑ Liepa, 5:09.
  9. ↑ Liepa, 10:28.
  10. ↑ Liepa, 5:15.
  11. ↑ Liepa, 12:37.
  12. ↑ Liepa, 14:00.
  13. 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.
  14. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Complete Games Guide" (PDF). Computer and Video Games . No. Complete Guide to Consoles. 16 October 1989. pp. 46–77.
  17. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Boulderdash". Ysrnry.co.uk. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Zzap!64 100th Issue Pull-Out Special Page 5". Zzap!64 . Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  21. ↑ Shapiro, Neil (Oct–Nov 1985). "Of Jewels and Ghouls and Butterflies and Strategies of War". II Computing. pp. 24–26. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  22. ↑ Rignall, Julian; Richard Leadbetter (June 1991). "Boulderdash review". Mean Machines (9). Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  23. ↑ "Boulderdash - Nintendo Entertainment System - Mean Machines review". www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2007-10-27.
  24. ↑ Campbell, Stuart (January 1992). "The YS Top 100 Speccy Games Of All Time (Ever) - Number 24 to 2". Your Sinclair. No. 73. Future Publishing. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  25. ↑ "Top Ton!". Commodore Force. Autumn 1993. p. 33. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  26. ↑ "Boulder Dash Review". 23 June 2009.
  27. ↑ "C't-Auswahl: Die 30 besten Spiele für den Commodore 64". 4 August 2017.
  28. ↑ "Video game industry set to out-glitz Hollywood". Edmonton Journal . August 25, 1994. p. 56. Retrieved August 24, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "Oh! FM-7 Museum". Retropc.net. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  30. ↑ Boulder Dash Construction Kit manual page 6
  31. ↑ "Super Boulder Dash Manual" (PDF). Electronic Arts. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Rockford". World of Spectrum. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  33. ↑ "Boulder Dash XL Announced". Bluesnews. November 9, 2010.
  34. ↑ "Boulder Dash - The Collection for Android Announced". Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  35. ↑ "First Star Software's Boulder Dash Is Heading To The Atari 2600 | RetroCollect". www.retrocollect.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-14.
  36. ↑ Hilliard, Kyle (January 21, 2014). "Original Boulder Dash Creators Team-Up For Mobile Remake". Game Informer . GameStop . Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Boulder Dash Officially Released for Intellivision 30 Years Later | RetroCollect". Archived from the original on 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  38. ↑ "Boulder Dash Deluxe Launches First on Atari VCS | BBG-Entertainment". 10 February 2021.
  39. ↑ "Boulder Dash Deluxe launches September 9 for Xbox One, Switch, and PC". 12 August 2021.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.