Here's a fun Q-Bert clone for the Atari 2600. It may not be as complex as the game it's based on, but it can still be a lot of fun and a bit of a challenge.
EPILEPSY WARNING FOR THOSE WHO ARE PHOTO-SENSITIVE, BY THE WAY.
Boing! is a simple Q-Bert clone for the Atari 2600. You are a bubble, and you need to avoid the Pin, which drops down a column before appearing elsewhere on the playfield, and the Bubble Eater, the green monster that hops around and chases after you. All the while, there are 36 panels that you need to jump on and turn on, and when you turn all of them on, you'll head to the next wave. There are five waves in a level, and there are six levels in all.
The controls are simple: you just use the joystick to move up, down, left and right. You cannot jump off the edge of the playfield like in Q-Bert. Thankfully, you don't have to hold the joystick in any weird way like in Q-Bert 3 for Super Nintendo; when you go up or down, you go one panel up or down.
You start with five lives. When you get eaten by a Bubble Monster or popped by a Pin, you lose a life. You can get an extra life every 10,000 points, which isn't easy. Thankfully, tricking the Bubble Monster into being popped by the Pin - which causes the Monster to be out of your hair temporarily - gives you points. Be careful if you do this; as the Monster will always come back without warning. Landing on panels and turning them on also scores points, as does clearing waves and levels.
There are six levels with five waves each, and each has their own corresponding set of colors. The levels are as follows (according to Atari Age):
Level 1: If the bubble jumps on any step is off, the step turns on. Landing on a step more than once has no effect.
Level 2: Jumping on a step turns it on. However, you must turn on all the steps of the indicated row before going to the next row. The indicated row is clearly marked by the white edges. You start with the bottom row and turn on all 6 steps across. Once the bottom row is complete, you must then turn on the 6 steps of the next row up. This continues all the way up to the top row.
Level 3: Jumping on a step turns it on. However, you must turn on the steps of all three even rows before you can turn on the steps of the three odd rows. The rows to turn on are clearly indicated with white lines.
Level 4: Jumping on a step always reverses its current condition. For example: land on a turned off step, it turns on. Land on a turned on step, it turns off.
Level 5: Jumping on a step always reverses its current condition. However, like level 2, you must turn on the six steps of the indicated row before going up to the next row.
Level 6: Jumping on a step always reverses its current condition. However, like level 3, you must turn on the steps of all the 3 even rows, indicated with white, before you can turn on the steps of the 3 odd rows.
You can start the game on the first three game levels, but you'll have to play your way to Levels 4, 5 and 6. Those last three levels are the same as the first three, but you can turn panels "on" and "off" by landing on them more than once, which will change your strategy in getting through the waves considerably. When you beat Level 6, you'll go back to Level 1.
As you go from wave to wave, the Bubble Monster gets faster and more aggressive. If one touches the other, it counts as a death; if both you and either the Pin or the Bubble Monster leap into each other, it doesn't. Also, if you land on an enemy and turn the last panel on at the same time, you go on to the next wave and it doesn't count as a death.
Be careful on the top row. It is possible for the Pin to pop up where you're standing and immediately kill you. Also, be careful when holding the joystick in any direction. It is possible to run into an enemy, lose a life, and then accidentally run into the enemy again just by going in the direction you were moving as soon as you re-spawn. This is what I call a "double death," and it can be easy to do. Tap the joystick to where you want to go make this less likely.
This is a very arcade-y. The graphics are good enough to make things easily identifiable. I wish I had mentioned this, but the flashing colors can be a bit annoying for some (especially those who are photo-sensitive), and I didn't really notice this until I looked at the videos for this game again. The sound is very arcade-y and simple, yet serviceable, and you can tell what is going on from what you hear. The control is great and didn't give me any trouble, but there is always the possibility of what I called a "double death" earlier. There's plenty of replay in this game, especially if you're trying to earn your way to Levels 4, 5 and 6. Some players may be turned off by the fact that the game has only two enemies, but those two enemies do a good job at keeping the game from being easy. All in all, this is a fun Q-Bert clone for the Atari 2600, and it's worth giving a shot.
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