1992 · Color Dreams · Puzzle · Rocks-and-diamond

Crystal Mines

Great treasure still lies deep in the abandoned Crystal Mines. But over the years, underground demons have made them deadly. Guide your robot through the mines, destroying demons and gathering great wealth. Or fail, and become history.

Released: 1992
Platforms: Atari Lynx NES
Genres: Puzzle Rocks-and-diamond
Developers: Color Dreams
Publishers: Atari
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action
Country: United States

About

Crystal Mines II is a puzzle video game developed by Color Dreams and published by Atari Corporation in 1992 for the Atari Lynx handheld console. The game is a sequel to Crystal Mines for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Both releases are similar to Boulder Dash, a genre which has since become known as "rocks and diamonds" games.

›Story

In Crystal Mines II, you operate a robot going through the abandoned crystal mines, picking up crystals and avoiding the underground demons that inhabit the mine. Mine levels are completed when a crystal quota is reached, however the quota is usually not the entire level so bonus points can be obtained by finding additional crystals. Like Boulder Dash, gravity is a factor and affects any boulders, crystals, etc. so they can be used as weapons against demons.

There are also deceptive elements, such as "Dormant" demons that look like boulders, that add to the challenge. Finally, the robot has weapons that can be used to eliminate certain obstacles.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player guides a robot down a series of mines to collect crystals of different colors (and worth different point values). Along the way, the robot encounters wooden blocks, which can be blown up or sawed through, boulders of different types, dirt, which can be shot away with the robot's blaster, and a variety of monsters. The robot can also discover shields, radioactivity protection, deposits of copper, silver and gold, and caches of TNT. The metal deposits become bonuses to the player's score, while the other items can be used to complete various levels of the game.