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Link: https://inarisoft.itch.io/micro-dash
Price: $1 (You already own it if you bought the Ukraine bundle)
Platforms: Linux, Windows, Mac
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I have a very fond memories of Boulder Dash and some clones of it that I played in my childhood, but newer games rarely managed to evoke the same sensation of discovery, challenge and satisfaction I felt when I played those games. A big reason for that in the Games I played is level design, which ultimately felt a bit tacky, weird comic 3D art styles and a failure to keep things exciting and fresh as levels often revolved around the same idea without keeping in mind the players desire to be entertained and surprised. In other cases these type of games also simply deviated too much from the base concept to still scratch exactly the same itch.
Cue Micro Dash.
I am just going to copy my impressions from the Ukraine Bundle thread, where I regularly posted impressions of random games from the bundle:
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This is absolutely fantastic, ridiculously underpriced and one of my favourite Indie Games I played in the last few years. Just calling it a Boulder Dash clone would not do it justice.
This is the inofficial spiritual successor to the original Boulder Dash games in my books and the best game I ever played in its subgenre. The first world alone would be an amazing Boulder Dash game with its varied challenges, very tight and balanced level design that are a joy to puzzle out over several hours. And then the developer added 5 more worlds of that quality. Some of these levels have no clear explanation of how you even finish the level,making it necessary to explore its mechanics carefully, which I absolutely adore. They are also a blast to optimize for finishing and maximizing your score. That score will also be important to unlock further levels down the line, giving you a perfect incentive to perfect every inch of the self-dug labyrinths.
The game also doesnt mess around with modernizing the level of challenge as the levels in the first world are already genuinely hard, but never unfair. They ask you to keep an open mind, be aware of what your surroundings, experiment with the tools at your disposal and is genuinely a perfect continuation of what Boulder Dash started. New mechanics, new items, hidden secrets, TONS of content and replayability for any level. It is a tiny bit unfortunate how relentless the game is in gating its content if you just want to experience the later levels as the game asks you to really get down with the previous levels, which make keep you stuck for a while occasionally. It also doesnt explain its controls well enough (laying Bombs is right alt + direction), but other than that, this is an amazing, amazing game and faithful sequel to one of the most iconic games ever made. I honestly do not believe you could make a better Boulder Dash sequel while staying true to the roots of the series. 4,5/5
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What is Boulder Dash/Micro Dash?
For those who dont know what Boulder Dash is: You try to dig around gathering gems while avoiding being crushed by falling objects. Sounds simple, but in reality makes for some very tense mix of puzzle and action gameplay where you plan out your routes and then pull them off in time. It is actually fascinating to me how so few games managed to find this careful balance of intriguing puzzles (which is kind of a big world sokoban in a way, how you need to be aware of stones positioning/falling) and dexterity gameplay to manage to put your plan into action.
Again, as a quick warning, the game does get challenging, but never in an unfair or cheap way. It might challenge you to think of different approaches, try new strategies or simply observe and see what the elements around you do, but its never impossible. It does have a very retro feel to it in that regard.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tips (Read #1 & #2)
#1 The game doesnt explain this, but laying bombs is done with the right alt key being pressed and then choosing a direction for the bomb.
#2 Similarly, you might eventually need to grab diamonds without moving. You do that with Spacebar + direction.
#3 You might want to figure out how to finish a level first before optimizing for gems/points. Sometimes you'll find an obstacle in the level thats harder than the rest and it helps do those first before spending time optimizing.
#4 You cant always take safe paths, you will need to create paths where rocks/objects/enemies are following right behind you.
#5 You need points and Opals to unlock later levels. It is worth replaying levels a bit for that reason. (Check the item gif above what Opals are)
#6 Not every level has Opals, just keep playing.
#7 The game allows you to slow things down a bit, when you drop gems/blocks into the path of an enemy so they cant reach you.
#8 Different enemies have different movement patterns, be observant.
I am absolutely aware this thread about an obscure Itch game based on a 1984 game is doomed to fail, but the game is too good not to get some attention <3
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