Hey all, I’m back with a real classic for this week’s Retro Game Friday. It’s Rick Dangerous.
For those that missed this one, Rick Dangerous was a 1989 side-view platform game from Core Design. It is a single-player action-platformer built around trap-heavy levels, precise jumps, and trial-and-error gameplay. It released on Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, SAM Coupe, and for PC using MS-DOS.
Plot: Rick is basically an Indiana Jones-style adventurer. The game is loosely inspired by the Indiana Jones films, and the premise is that he is exploring dangerous locations filled with traps, enemies, and treasure. It is much more about surviving each screen than about a deep story. The plot is okay but heavily influenced by the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Honestly, it’s not that amazing, but the gameplay helped make up for it.
Gameplay: This is a 2D platformer, and a particularly punishing one at that. Still, if played properly players could use the various traps in the levels to defeat enemies. Mostly though, it’s not that great compared to more modern games, but this was made back in 1989, so most things gamers are used to today weren’t a thing back then.
Art: The graphics have aged alright since it’s a pixel game, but it definitely has aged.
Music: The music fit Rick Dangerous, but this was before soundtracks in games were common.
Overall: A solid, if punishing, 2D platformer given when it was first made and released.
For those who like: Platformers, Action, and Adventure.
Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.
