Crystal Quest
Posted February 8, 2006
Released back in 1987, the original Crystal Quest was the first game to introduce Macintosh users to the world of color graphics. Nineteen years later in a twist of irony, Stainless Games has come into the Microsoft camp to release a much slicker, polished version of Crystal Quest for the Xbox 360. Distributed over the Xbox Live Marketplace, the game costs 400 Marketplace points and will take up 24 MB on your Xbox 360 storage device.
At the opening of the arcade title, a snazzy Stainless Games logo flashes up and the game loads almost immediately. A repeating, techno-style bass beat kicks in and the main menu pops up. The menu is easily navigated and the color scheme matches the rest of the game. A quick jump into the help menu will present a worthwhile overview of the game and cover the basics on how to survive in the crystal-filled arena.
Gameplay:
At first glance, Crystal Quest closely resembles the addictive arcade hit, Geometry Wars. While survival is of the utmost priority just like Geometry Wars, this game adds the element of time rewards and crystal collection into the mix to set it apart. Over each round, you have to race around the mine filled board, collect all the crystals, and escape from the arena before getting blasted by an enemy. As you progress through the levels, different types of enemies will be introduced and their numbers will increase exponentially. The game continues indefinitely with random level configurations until your number of lives is expended.
Controlling your pearl shaped character on the screen is very simple with the left thumbstick. As you glide around, you have a couple offensive weapons at your disposal as well. The right trigger will fire the gun in the same direction of travel. Otherwise, the left thumbstick will fire the gun in any direction, which can be much more useful. If you get completely outnumbered, the left trigger will release a bomb that destroys every moving character on the screen. The number of bombs at your disposal is listed at the top of the screen and extra bombs are strewn about on each level. On a side note, the speed of character movement can be adjusted in the option menu to your comfort level.
Collecting the crystals and the number bonuses placed randomly around the board will increase your point total and eventually the number of extra lives available to you. Dependent on the difficulty level, a life will cost a set number of points. For instance, a life is awarded every 100,000 points on the standard level of difficulty. Besides the crystals and number bonuses on each board, a giant, roaming crystal will spawn occasionally. It has a time based point life so the sooner it's reached, the more points you will receive. Additionally, the giant crystal is very fragile. Shooting wildly is not recommended.
Racking up a high point total will mean avoiding the twelve different types of enemies, appropriately named Nasties. While varying in design, actions range from roaming, shooting, blocking, laying decoys, charging, and stalking, all of which need to be avoided in the arena. My personal favorite is the Shrapwarden, a spinning shuriken star that will explode into massive, directional gun fire when shot. These are some of the most challenging enemies to avoid successfully and can be the bane of your Crystal Quest existence. When a new enemy is introduced on a level, the wave will only contain that particular nasty until the level is finished. The following levels will mix and match random enemies with the new enemy. This pattern repeats throughout the first sixty levels until all the nasties have been introduced. Also, the enemies spawn from two possible warp gates on opposite sides of the arena.
In addition to the single player game, Stainless has included the original game to play as well. Obviously, the game shows its age, but the novelty is charming. Surprisingly, the standard difficulty of the classic game is actually much higher than the new version. Cranking up the difficulty on the new game to level 10 is really the best comparison between the two versions. Beyond the two renditions of Crystal Quest, an online leaderboard for high scores is included as well as a section for downloadable content. Supposedly, Stainless will be selling content packages at a later date to customize the game. While jockeying for a higher spot on the leaderboard, you will probably start unlocking the twelve achievements for 200 Gamerscore points. The achievements are challenging but not overly tough to acquire. Taking the time to unlock all the points will certainly add a few hours to the playtime of the title, which helps since it's only a single player affair.
Graphics:
The designer in charge of color choices must have been on vacation when Crystal Quest started to take shape. I realize the 1987 Macintosh version was designed to bring color into computer gaming, but that doesn't give the developer a license to mix every color of the rainbow into an ugly overdose of tinted intensity. It's a far cry from the simple beauty of Geometry Wars. In addition, there is an overall fuzzy appearance to the game textures in high definition, which isn't up to par with some of the sharper looking arcade titles. On a positive note, the framerate is smooth as butter and the movement animation of every little object in the arena perfectly match the physics of the game.
Audio:
The music in Crystal Quest never deviates from the pounding bass-line rhythm in the first menu. Amazingly, the repeating midi doesn't get old due to the large number of sound effects heard during a round. Each action in the game, such as snagging a crystal or blowing away an enemy, has a particular auditory effect. Many times, this can come in handy when listening for a specific type of enemy. Using these sound bytes will refocus attention to the opposite side of the board and increase the chance of survival. Also, if either the music or the sound effects begin to annoy you, Stainless included volume control for both items in the options menu.
Conclusion:
Sadly, the demo for Crystal Quest only includes the first nine levels of the game, which can be blown through literally in a matter of minutes. Failing to include a few of the exciting advanced levels will ultimately decrease the number of buyers if they solely base their purchase decision on the demo. Perhaps this reaction will be abated by the low cost of the game.
Anyway, shelling out 400 points for Crystal Quest is definitely a good idea. The skill based, quick decision gameplay is challenging, but never frustrating. The graphics are not up to par with many other Xbox Live arcade titles and there is no multiplayer to speak of, but that isn't enough to dissuade a purchase. I recommend this title to anyone looking for the same type of fast paced action found in games such as Geometry Wars and Smash TV.
At the opening of the arcade title, a snazzy Stainless Games logo flashes up and the game loads almost immediately. A repeating, techno-style bass beat kicks in and the main menu pops up. The menu is easily navigated and the color scheme matches the rest of the game. A quick jump into the help menu will present a worthwhile overview of the game and cover the basics on how to survive in the crystal-filled arena.
Gameplay:
At first glance, Crystal Quest closely resembles the addictive arcade hit, Geometry Wars. While survival is of the utmost priority just like Geometry Wars, this game adds the element of time rewards and crystal collection into the mix to set it apart. Over each round, you have to race around the mine filled board, collect all the crystals, and escape from the arena before getting blasted by an enemy. As you progress through the levels, different types of enemies will be introduced and their numbers will increase exponentially. The game continues indefinitely with random level configurations until your number of lives is expended.
Controlling your pearl shaped character on the screen is very simple with the left thumbstick. As you glide around, you have a couple offensive weapons at your disposal as well. The right trigger will fire the gun in the same direction of travel. Otherwise, the left thumbstick will fire the gun in any direction, which can be much more useful. If you get completely outnumbered, the left trigger will release a bomb that destroys every moving character on the screen. The number of bombs at your disposal is listed at the top of the screen and extra bombs are strewn about on each level. On a side note, the speed of character movement can be adjusted in the option menu to your comfort level.
Collecting the crystals and the number bonuses placed randomly around the board will increase your point total and eventually the number of extra lives available to you. Dependent on the difficulty level, a life will cost a set number of points. For instance, a life is awarded every 100,000 points on the standard level of difficulty. Besides the crystals and number bonuses on each board, a giant, roaming crystal will spawn occasionally. It has a time based point life so the sooner it's reached, the more points you will receive. Additionally, the giant crystal is very fragile. Shooting wildly is not recommended.
Racking up a high point total will mean avoiding the twelve different types of enemies, appropriately named Nasties. While varying in design, actions range from roaming, shooting, blocking, laying decoys, charging, and stalking, all of which need to be avoided in the arena. My personal favorite is the Shrapwarden, a spinning shuriken star that will explode into massive, directional gun fire when shot. These are some of the most challenging enemies to avoid successfully and can be the bane of your Crystal Quest existence. When a new enemy is introduced on a level, the wave will only contain that particular nasty until the level is finished. The following levels will mix and match random enemies with the new enemy. This pattern repeats throughout the first sixty levels until all the nasties have been introduced. Also, the enemies spawn from two possible warp gates on opposite sides of the arena.
In addition to the single player game, Stainless has included the original game to play as well. Obviously, the game shows its age, but the novelty is charming. Surprisingly, the standard difficulty of the classic game is actually much higher than the new version. Cranking up the difficulty on the new game to level 10 is really the best comparison between the two versions. Beyond the two renditions of Crystal Quest, an online leaderboard for high scores is included as well as a section for downloadable content. Supposedly, Stainless will be selling content packages at a later date to customize the game. While jockeying for a higher spot on the leaderboard, you will probably start unlocking the twelve achievements for 200 Gamerscore points. The achievements are challenging but not overly tough to acquire. Taking the time to unlock all the points will certainly add a few hours to the playtime of the title, which helps since it's only a single player affair.
Graphics:
The designer in charge of color choices must have been on vacation when Crystal Quest started to take shape. I realize the 1987 Macintosh version was designed to bring color into computer gaming, but that doesn't give the developer a license to mix every color of the rainbow into an ugly overdose of tinted intensity. It's a far cry from the simple beauty of Geometry Wars. In addition, there is an overall fuzzy appearance to the game textures in high definition, which isn't up to par with some of the sharper looking arcade titles. On a positive note, the framerate is smooth as butter and the movement animation of every little object in the arena perfectly match the physics of the game.
Audio:
The music in Crystal Quest never deviates from the pounding bass-line rhythm in the first menu. Amazingly, the repeating midi doesn't get old due to the large number of sound effects heard during a round. Each action in the game, such as snagging a crystal or blowing away an enemy, has a particular auditory effect. Many times, this can come in handy when listening for a specific type of enemy. Using these sound bytes will refocus attention to the opposite side of the board and increase the chance of survival. Also, if either the music or the sound effects begin to annoy you, Stainless included volume control for both items in the options menu.
Conclusion:
Sadly, the demo for Crystal Quest only includes the first nine levels of the game, which can be blown through literally in a matter of minutes. Failing to include a few of the exciting advanced levels will ultimately decrease the number of buyers if they solely base their purchase decision on the demo. Perhaps this reaction will be abated by the low cost of the game.
Anyway, shelling out 400 points for Crystal Quest is definitely a good idea. The skill based, quick decision gameplay is challenging, but never frustrating. The graphics are not up to par with many other Xbox Live arcade titles and there is no multiplayer to speak of, but that isn't enough to dissuade a purchase. I recommend this title to anyone looking for the same type of fast paced action found in games such as Geometry Wars and Smash TV.