Emerald mine
| Emerald mine | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Kingsoft |
| Designer |
Klaus Heinz Volker Wertich |
| First title | Emerald Mine (1987) |
| Last title | Emerald Mines CD (1994) |
| Platform (s) | Commodore 64 , Commodore Amiga |
| Genre (s) | Maze game |
Emerald Mine is a series of computer games for the Amiga and C64 home computers .
Emerald mine
In Emerald Mine, the player must collect a minimum number of gems in a maze and then reach the gate that is open. Precious stones, stones and drops are subjected to vertical gravity. There are also elements that direct the player's movement, such as various types of walls and several types of enemies, including those who are chasing players. Other elements worth mentioning are the dynamite, which the player can detonate at any point, and the doors, for which he must collect the appropriate key beforehand. It is thus an extended Boulder Dash - clone . Solving a level unlocks the next level, and there is a separate highscore list for each level. In two-player mode, both players play in the same maze section, and every 4 levels there is a two-player level that is specially designed for player cooperation. The game consists of 80 single player levels, 60 of which are also used in two-player mode, and 20 levels especially for two-player mode.
reception
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"If you like well-programmed, tricky games, then Emerald Mine is for you."
“Anyone who liked the Boulder Dash gameplay will also succumb to the charm of Emerald Mine, especially since some new ideas have been added here.
Emerald Mine not only has significantly more levels than Boulder Dash, but also ensures a faster sense of achievement. "
“[The games listed here] have above-average graphics and excellent sound.
Although "Emerald Mine" is amazingly inexpensive, it offers a lot of fun thanks to the many levels and the funny sounds. It is particularly interesting to approach the game with two joysticks and players, who can both try difficult tasks on the screen at the same time. "
"I'm addicted. My children love Emerald Mine. Even my jaded friends are hooked. If you want a game you will not quickly tire of, dig in. "
"What counts is the fun of the game [...]
Nobody offers such good controls and such imaginatively designed levels [...]"
Emerald Mine 2
In 1988 Kingsoft released Emerald Mine 2 with 100 new levels. A level editor was included, which subsequently triggered the creation of several thousand levels by players.
reception
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“Because the new levels of Emerald Mine II are just as well thought out and tricky as in the first part.
If the 100 treasure chambers are not enough for you, you can create new ones with the editor, which, by the way, is very easy to use. "
Emerald Mine 3 Professional
In 1990 Kingsoft published a selection of the levels created by players.
reception
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“[The third part] is cobbled together too carelessly for me. No question about it, the game principle and game elements are still finely thought out, but the layer of dust on top should have been removed. "
“Nothing has changed in terms of graphics and sound, [...] all technical details such as animation and scrolling are now quite outdated. Still, stubborn Emerald Mine fans are served quite well, and newcomers don't really care about the "history". "
Emerald Mines CD
In 1994 Almathera published a collection of 14,160 levels (177 of 80 each) on CD, most of which had been created by fans. Since there was hardly any non-volatile storage space available on the Amiga CD32 in the basic configuration and the game progress could not be saved, the game mode was changed so that every eighth level of a collection could be selected.
reception
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"This Boulder-Dash-Clone does not come up with spectacular graphics, but the addicting gameplay and over 10,000 levels should guarantee months of fun."
“[The game elements] are so rich and varied that variety is really very important here. [...] So we are dealing here with a CD for fans [...] "
Others
Emerald Mine became known on the Amiga because it was the first versatile labyrinth collecting game there, and because of its excellent presentation at the time. The Emerald Mine Club was founded in Holland (which no longer exists), which also made extensions to Emerald Mine. Furthermore, the freeware game Rocks'n'Diamonds integrates the Emerald Mine levels into its game collection and also provides an extra engine for the most correct emulation possible.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Emerald Mine test report in ASM issue 11/1987, p. 17, here ISSN 0933-1867
- ↑ a b Emerald Mine test report in Happy Computer special issue 21, 1987, p. 88, here ISSN 0931-5829
- ↑ a b Classic: Emerald Mine in the Amiga Joker Edition 1/1992, p. 87, Joker Verlag, Haar, here
- ↑ Emerald Mine short introduction in Amiga (magazine) issue 1/1988, pp. 26, 28 here ISSN 0933-8713
- ↑ Emerald Mine Review in the Amiga World issue Sept. 1988, p. 74 here ISSN 0883-2390
- ↑ a b Emerald Mine II test report in Power Play issue 6/1988, p. 42, here ISSN 0937-9754
- ↑ a b Emerald Mine 3 Professional test report in Power Play edition 9/1990, p. 41, here ISSN 0937-9754
- ↑ a b Emerald Mine 3 Professional in Amiga Joker Edition 10/1990, p. 62, Joker Verlag, Haar, here
- ↑ a b Emerald Mines short test in Amiga Games issue 11/1994, p. 40, download here ISSN 0946-6339
- ↑ a b Emerald Mines in Amiga Joker Edition 2/1995, p. 77, Joker Verlag, Haar, here
Web links
- Emerald Mine at MobyGames (English)
- Emerald Mines Collection.
- Emerald Mine games on the Hall of Light for the Amiga.