Played as part of Atari 50.
Very good looking for the time, and it's a novel take on the oversaturated genre of Pac-Man clones that arcades saw in the 80s. Unfortunately, though, the movement even with a mouse feels a bit too clunky (and I only can imagine it's worse on a trackball), and the complete void of difficulty in the first few levels and absence of continue options make this not really enticing for more than a couple games.
Very good looking for the time, and it's a novel take on the oversaturated genre of Pac-Man clones that arcades saw in the 80s. Unfortunately, though, the movement even with a mouse feels a bit too clunky (and I only can imagine it's worse on a trackball), and the complete void of difficulty in the first few levels and absence of continue options make this not really enticing for more than a couple games.
This game is great man, probably my favorite classic arcade cabinet.
Crystal Castles is structurally very similar to Pacman, the key difference being its trippy, isometric levels, and trackball in place of joystick. Said levels are not only brilliant aesthetically, they also keep the game fresh, and an absolute blast to play. Where Pacman always maintains a steady pace, a skilled Crystal Castles player can zoom through levels at a breakneck pace, the only speed cap being how fast one can spin the trackball. As such, this game has a really high skill ceiling, and as much as I suck at it, I personally find chasing that ceiling a lot more satisfying than in many other arcade games. I always come back to this one when hitting up the Galloping Ghost.
(Also, this game's cabinet art is gorgeous, iirc the reason I picked it up in the first place.)
Crystal Castles is structurally very similar to Pacman, the key difference being its trippy, isometric levels, and trackball in place of joystick. Said levels are not only brilliant aesthetically, they also keep the game fresh, and an absolute blast to play. Where Pacman always maintains a steady pace, a skilled Crystal Castles player can zoom through levels at a breakneck pace, the only speed cap being how fast one can spin the trackball. As such, this game has a really high skill ceiling, and as much as I suck at it, I personally find chasing that ceiling a lot more satisfying than in many other arcade games. I always come back to this one when hitting up the Galloping Ghost.
(Also, this game's cabinet art is gorgeous, iirc the reason I picked it up in the first place.)
Points for being a unique take on the maze game. The isometric view and varied level designs keep it fresh throughout. The sound design is ok, and I'm not a huge fan of any of the sprite designs. Bentley the Bear especially looks like the guy in the bear suit from The Shining so that doesn't do the game any favors.
Probably one of the more unique, and my personal favorite, Pac-Man clones. You run around collecting gems, similar to how Pac-Man collects dots, but now in an entirely 3D environment, allowing you to take elevators and find hidden gems inside buildings. I don't know how the game compares on console to the arcade cabinet, but I'm not a huge fan of how fast the trackball throws you around, especially when a good chunk of the game needs you to be specific with your movement (like when needing to use the elevators) or backtrack to pick up the one gem you may have missed. The trackball makes it practically impossible to not just zoom to the other side of the screen. I feel the bees are too quick to come attack the player, too, quickly catching notice that the game sends them after you when they feel you've spent too long on a level. That might just be me complaining though because the bees always kick my ass lmao.
Overall, Crystal Castles is a game I enjoy, and I always get excited to play it when I see it at an arcade.
3/5
Overall, Crystal Castles is a game I enjoy, and I always get excited to play it when I see it at an arcade.
3/5