Platform Game Evolution: Too Hard to be Good?

Finally, I’ve come back to Addict of Fiction!

Firstly, an apology to the readers of AOF for being away so long, real life got in the way of writing and such I’ve not been around. I’m back now and there is much retro to discuss! Today’s article stems from a conversation I had the other day with another AOF’er regarding platform games. It appears that what is considered to be a good platform game is nothing like the platform games of old, even going back to the days of 16-bit consoles and beyond.

Let’s get this straight, a platform game should generally be hard to complete and utilise things that make it difficult to progress. This is the case because originally games weren’t meant to be ‘fire and forget‘, as in play them a few times, complete them and move on. Games were something of a challenge and had to be presented as such, in order to maintain longevity. As consumer culture has moved on though something has changed and a platform game’s place has changed. The games aren’t as hard, or as seemingly limited in terms of what can be done. Without them though, platform games wouldn’t have evolved and the gaming world would be a poorer place.

During the early days of computers, platform games appeared to be really basic, well they did compared to today’s eyes looking back, but at the time they were all we had. Take Dynamite Dan on the ZX Spectrum for example as shown below.

This picture is from the start screen of the game, you will note that the game has a black background, and many different colours on screen, dull it certainly is not. Unusually for more modern platform games there are 8 enemies already on screen, each of which will present you with instant death as opposed to one or two at a time that say some Shiny games have. To the bottom right of the screen you have Dynamite Dan’s lives. He starts with 10, it isn’t nearly enough. Touch an enemy you lose a life, and your ‘energy’ is effectively a timer rather than health, meaning that at some point all your lives will go should you hang around hastening the games end. Rather than a scrolling number of levels, the game has a number of screens, it is up to you to explore these screens. You are given no direction of where to go and the player controls where Dan goes next.

Dan is trying to get back some secret blueprints from a safe which were stolen by Doctor Blitzen, in order to save the day. To do this he needs to find 8 pieces of dynamite to ‘blow’ the safe and retrieve the plans. He needs to get past the castle defences first though and this could be the difficult bit. Dan isn’t speedy or nor that responsive, this is in keeping of games such as Jet Set Willy, Big Mac and so on, where speed wasn’t necessarily the order of the day, but precision and patience was. The slow lumbering movement of Dan isn’t designed to hold you up, but to allow you to embrace the weird and deadly world that is presented before you, and make sure you sink further into the games grasp.

The game requires you to be pixel perfect or you will lose a life. That means you have to have nerves of steel to progress. This doesn’t mean that the game is not fun though, and Dynamite Dan can quickly engross and absorb. The non linear nature of the game despite being a platform game leaves you the player, to explore and you can use platform game staples such as teleports, bouncy floors, lifts and stairs to aid Dan in finding the explosives. As seen below the game is large and has many different areas to visit. You aren’t shunted into them as per more modern platform games and exploration is definitely rewarded.

Is Dan worth a shot for today’s gamers? Yes, I think it is. Though it is hard, unfairly so at times, there is much to delight and frustrate in equal measure. The exploration element is seldom seen in later games with pre defined paths and straightforwardness being the way of the game, rather than allowing the player to conjure up a world to immerse themselves in. The tension that comes from having to be precise and make sure that you are sure when moving Dan as not to lose another life cheaply, adds to the experience. It’s also random, meaning each time you play the game it won’t be the same and makes it a rewarding experience to play more than one way.

It’s a game I came to a few years ago, and not something I played at the time. I’m glad I did because it helps to appreciate not every game out there is another Sonic or Mario, and that the gaming world is a better place for them.

Next up I will be looking at Impossible Mission.

Games: Dynamite Dan