Game Boy Works explores yet another portable PC classic
The early days of Game Boy gaming were less about having a portable NES experience and more about dredging up ancient computer creations, as our latest video demonstrates.
I feel a little bit like I'm muscling in on Kim's turf with this week's Video Chronicles episode.
Game Boy Works hits yet another PC-to-Game Boy conversion, which has turned out to be the most common point of origin for Game Boy ports as we approach GBW episode 100. There were so many of them! And this one feels downright quintessential — not only does it reproduce an early 8-bit computer classic, it does so with a cute Japan-friendly facelift, and it completely skipped U.S. release.
Yes, Boulder Dash for Game Boy never made its way to the U.S., but Europe did end up seeing it. Makes sense, as the game has always been quite beloved over there. Still, when it came to Game Boy, Europe was very much a third priority for Nintendo, well behind Japan and the U.S., so it's pretty rare to see a release that appeared there and not in both other regions. Don't feel left out, American friends. You can always track down the NES version, which did come to North America.
In comparing this port to the PC original, I'm surprised by how faithfully Beam converted it. That does mean, however, there are no surprises in store here for Boulder Dash veterans... unless you find penguins and jellyfish startling, perhaps.
