Cratermaze (Doraemon Meikyuu Daisakusen)

~ CRATERMAZE ~

(JPN: DORAEMON MEIKYUU DAISAKUSEN)

Hudson Soft / NEC (US)

HuCard

1990 (JPN: 1989)

Because I'd been a fan of handheld gaming in the days prior to the release of the NES, and because Super Mario Land was pretty neat, I made the mistake of purchasing a Gameboy when I was a kid. Of course, pickings were slim when it came time to acquire some games for the system--so slim that one title I actually considered was Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World. Digging holes for some goofy enemies to fall into didn't sound like much fun, but I found Asmik World's main character--a crudely drawn, funny-looking, pink dinosaur thing--oddly amusing. Thankfully, manliness and common sense eventually prevailed, and I bought Nemesis instead. I had a chance to try Boomer's game a short time later and realized I'd chosen wisely.

The reason I've told you this decidedly uninteresting story is that when Cratermaze came out, it seemed an awful lot like Asmik World to me, except with a Bomberman clone for a main character instead of an endearing dinosaur thing. This time, I wasn't interested. I saw it as a typical NEC stateside release, a largely unnecessary title that didn't seem to do anything at all to show what the system was really capable of. At a time when the Turbo was seeing so few releases and when the system seemed to be fighting for credibility (after the whole "it's not 16-bit" revelation and all), NEC delivered this unimpressive, piddly little "puzzler." To me, that seemed like a poor decision on their part, and I ignored the game's existence for years and years.

Look, this isn't going to be some Cinderella story about how Cratermaze blew me away once I finally bought it, but it isn't a terrible game. In fact, as far as these "waddle around and bury things alive" games go, I reckon it's probably pretty good. It has very nice music, presents opening and closing "cinematics," features a few different level themes, lets you obtain freeze guns and yo-yos and other helpful weapons and items, tosses in things like teleporters and bouncy springs to make the action a bit trickier and more enjoyable (leaping over walls is a lot of fun for some reason), and even throws in a couple bosses.

All of that being said, there's still only so much that can be done with a concept that would seem to be more suitable for a Gameboy title. Cratermaze is surprisingly fast-paced; but at a length of sixty boards, it feels very long and repetitive, and it's extremely easy, especially when played on its default difficulty setting. Frankly, it seems like it was meant to be played in its Expert mode, as that's the way to see all the enemy types and face foes who are actually aggressive. Once you've adjusted the difficulty, the game still won't feel very challenging, but it will certainly be a little more fun, and at least it won't seem like something designed for babies. However, Expert mode has to be unlocked via a complete playthrough, and not everyone will feel enticed to give the game another go after finishing one sixty-stage quest.

While this is common knowledge at this point, I feel obligated to mention that the PC Engine version of the game, Doraemon Meikyuu Daisakusen, features Doraemon as its main character (of course) rather than the Bomberman wannabe. This means that you can expect differences in the opening, closing, and "reunion" scenes, along with different in-game icons, not to mention a different final boss. The music was also changed up, and Cratermaze's soundtrack is actually superior, though DMD's is okay.

I prefer the US release because of its music, but the game in either form ends up being fairly enjoyable and a bit of a pleasant surprise. Of course, I must note that as far as these overhead "action-puzzle" things go, Bomberman '93 is a higher-quality title, with tougher gameplay, more bosses, and even better music. Actually, Batman makes for a better comparison as far as pacing and action style go, and it, too, is superior to Crater (and, of course, has better music, as Batman's tunes are incredible). But hey, if you'd like something kind of along the Batman lines, this is a cheap, enjoyable option.