Boulder Dash has been revived many times over the past 18 years on various platforms despite the franchise’s moderate amount of popularity.  The core gameplay dynamics are inarguably solid and entertaining, which perhaps justifies the remakes.  After all, it has never been about personality or visual appeal with Boulder Dash – which is to say, until now.  What this game does is take the entertaining old-school dig-and-drop formula and blends in a host of new-school elements that should appeal to, well, everyone. 

Expect 60+ levels of head-scratching strategic action spread out through six unique worlds, complete with cartoon comic book-style cut-scenes lodged between every ten stages.  You wouldn’t initially know it by looking at the game but Vision Works has kept Boulder Dash EX in development for upwards of a year.  After playing through a couple dozen stages you’ll realize that that time was not squandered, the levels are intricately designed with exacting precision and the newly added power-ups are flawlessly integrated into the classic Boulder Dash formula.  You’ll have to play through the harder stages multiple times before the solution becomes obvious, and even then it will be challenging to maneuver your character, a blue-haired cat named Alex, through the many obstacles that stand in your way.  But the game is never so difficult that you’ll get frustrated; the answer to completing each level is always in arm’s reach. 

If you are unfamiliar with the basic dynamics of Boulder Dash it breaks down like this; each stage is filled with tons of dirt but interspersed between layers of dirt are boulders, tunneling through dirt that a boulder is resting on will result in the boulder falling downwards until something else is supporting its weight.  If it’s an enemy that is caught between the rock and a hard place than the baddie will go bye-bye.  If a boulder falls on you, than it’s back to the drawing board.  Tunneling through dirt sounds like a dangerous job but you’ll need to do plenty of it if you are to gather the requisite gems which will open up the portal to the next stage. 

That’s the “basic” formula, but there are things other than falling boulders to watch out for in EX.  Namely; enemies, all sorts of enemies, some zig, others zag, but regardless of their movement pattern be warned, they will injure Alex if he comes in contact with them.  In fact, almost every stage introduces a new baddie that you’ll need to watch out for.  And that’s not all, the game also pimps a anime-styled story which revolves around your kidnapped best-buddy, Sonya.  The plot is pretty save-the-princess-ish but considering the fact that Kemco even went to the trouble of devising a plot it is an appreciated addition.  Also, unlike the original game, you’ll have a health-meter which allows you to take multiple hits before keeling over in disgraceful defeat.  Mushrooms are strategically placed throughout some stages that, once collected, will replenish a portion of your health. 

Another new addition to the age-old formula is the inclusion of power-up items.  You can collect up to five items at a time in your inventory and they are used by pressing the B button.  Most stages that have items will require that you use them in a specific order to complete the level, so scrolling through the items with the L and R shoulder buttons will be necessary.  These power-ups allow you to do such things as use a grappling hook to retrieve faraway gems, rotate the screen forcing boulders to fall in another direction, and bombs that will destroy a four-tile portion of the screen. 

Aside from the single-player story mode you’ll also be able to play a nifty battle mode where up to four-players can compete simultaneously, the goal is to collect the most gems before the time is up.  Bombs and screen-rotation power-ups will also be available in this mode.  If you or an opponent are squished than all the collected gems will be lost.  An added benefit to this style of play is that you do not need to play against human opponents; Kemco included computer-controlled challengers in case all your friends are on vacation.  Battle mode is great fun and is a perfect compliment to the main story mode.  It should also be noted that only one game-pak is required for four-player link-cable action.

Graphically the game is attractive but not at all impressive.  The 2D sprites are colorful and sharp but overall very straightforward and simple.  The cut-scenes are pretty cool though and at times animated.  As you progress through the game you will acquire cool enemy-cards, pokemon-style, each with a large detailed illustration of the respective enemy, the sheer amount of collectable cards is notable and they all look great.  Sound-wise, well, you know the old saying, if you don’t have anything nice to say yadda yadda.  Music is composed of fast-paced simple melodies that sound more suited alongside the title screen of a golfing videogame.  And sound effects are affectively cartoon-y, cutting into your accuracy of concentration.  Good thing the GBA has a volume knob.

Also, as an added-bonus, Kemco saw fit to include the entire original PC game.  The classic game lives on in fine form on the GBA, its enough to make an old-school gamer weep.  Well, maybe not weep, but definitely enough to pull a double-take.  Kemco really did a great job of including extras in Boulder Dash EX that prolong the game’s lifespan.  The only real shortcoming of this title is the limited visuals and uninspired audio, everything else about it rocks. 

Gameplay: 7.1
Boulder Dash EX is all about gameplay, it offers precise control that leaves little room for error, when you die you can only blame yourself.  Managing the various power-ups in real-time can be a little daunting but it really wouldn’t have worked any other way.

Graphics: 6.8
Graphics are bright and vivid but fail to impress.  The cut-scenes, which use digitized artwork, are the most visually striking aspect of the games presentation.  A fresh coat of paint on those SNES-esque 2D characters and environment really would have spruced up the game but Boulder Dash EX doesn’t need to be gorgeous, it just needs to be fun.

Sound: 4.7
Again, I wasn’t expecting intricate orchestrations or audible dialogue sequences when I went into this game, I was expecting run-of-the-mill music and mediocre sound effects, and that is exactly what I got.

Difficulty: Hard
The first 30 stages or so will be a breeze but once you start getting into the latter half of the game you’ll be consistently challenged with new and innovative level designs that really make you think in order to progress.

Concept: 7.9
The Boulder Dash formula has been around as long as most gamers have been alive, that is nothing new.  But the new additions to the game really make it feel like a completely new experience.

Multiplayer: 2-4 players via link-cable 8.9

The multiplayer action in Boulder Dash EX is rivaled only by that of the recent Bomberman GBA games, it is fast, frantic, and exhilarating and only requires one game-pak.  The added bonus of including bots is also an excellent addition which is rarely, if ever, seen in GBA games today.

Overall: 7.8
Overall, I’d say if you can get past the games somewhat rough exterior and uninspired aural accompaniment than you’ll be in store for a thoroughly enjoyable game that will be played for years to come.  The story is a little weak and the latter levels can be incredibly thorny but there is no denying that Boulder Dash EX is well worth its price tag.