Games Database
Game Boy Color
Platform
| Viewed: | 2D Side-on, Scrolling | Genre: | Platform |
| Arcade origin: | No | ||
| Developer: | David A Palmer | Soft. Co.: | id Software |
| Publishers: | Activision
(GB/US) |
Released: | 15 Jun 2001
(GB) 2001 (US) |
| Ratings: | 3+ |
Summary
Classic platform games, mostly from the eighties and early nineties, have often been regarded as some of the best games to be developed on a console. And although most present day platformers have made the transition from 2D to 3D, the GameBoy hardware is still ideally suited to such old school games. Taking advantage of this, Activision has released Commander Keen for Game Boy Color, a re-release of a 1993 classic from iD Software.
Taking on the role of Billy Blaze, an 8-year-old schoolkid turned superhero, you must once again eliminate the threat of aliens from outer space and save the world from imminent destruction. Your journey will see you travelling through numerous alien infested planets with your Megarocket, as you strive to reach your goal.
In the simplest of terms, Commander Keen is a pure platforming game that incorporates a progression system similar to that in Nintendo classic, Super Mario World. After beginning your adventure, you will travel across each world’s maps and enter the game’s stages as you come across them. But in typical retro style, the game is difficult and unforgiving, forcing the player to adopt a trial and error method of gameplay to reach the end of a level. Your character’s abilities are also typical; Billy Blaze can run, jump, climb and use his laser gun to his heart’s content.
Commander Keen is by no means an original title, but as the saying goes, “treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen”, and this game does exactly that, because beyond the cute, cartoony cover, you’ll find one of the biggest challenges on the GBC.
Taking on the role of Billy Blaze, an 8-year-old schoolkid turned superhero, you must once again eliminate the threat of aliens from outer space and save the world from imminent destruction. Your journey will see you travelling through numerous alien infested planets with your Megarocket, as you strive to reach your goal.
In the simplest of terms, Commander Keen is a pure platforming game that incorporates a progression system similar to that in Nintendo classic, Super Mario World. After beginning your adventure, you will travel across each world’s maps and enter the game’s stages as you come across them. But in typical retro style, the game is difficult and unforgiving, forcing the player to adopt a trial and error method of gameplay to reach the end of a level. Your character’s abilities are also typical; Billy Blaze can run, jump, climb and use his laser gun to his heart’s content.
Commander Keen is by no means an original title, but as the saying goes, “treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen”, and this game does exactly that, because beyond the cute, cartoony cover, you’ll find one of the biggest challenges on the GBC.