by Srdjan Pavlica
◆ Following up on Marcel Sásik’s Crystian And The Lost Crystals comes Adrian And A Friend In Need. Yep, Adrian saw Crystian struggling to track down those lost crystals, took pity on him, and decided to lend a hand. However, the reason behind this new title is that many players complained about Crystian’s strange, grid-aligned movement, making this release actually a rework of the original game meant to iron out bugs and fix those mechanics. Either way, what we have here is an old-school platformer that is definitely worth sinking a few hours into.
The game features a total of 6 levels, or rather worlds, packed with traps and a wide variety of enemies <roughly 100 on each map>. Birds, spikes, thorns, little dinosaurs reminiscent of the offline Chrome browser dino, falling rocks, and piranhas leaping out of the water, they all want your head, or let’s just say that pretty much everything is actively trying to kill you. Luckily, taking a hit only chips away at your health bar rather than causing instant death, unless, of course, you take a dip in the lava. If Adrian gets hit while climbing, he gets knocked off the rope or ladder for a second. Compared to Crystian, Adrian is highly athletic, more agile, and able to jump exactly when he needs to.
The levels are huge, with no set path, allowing you to move freely across the map. As you play, you collect coins <100 coins grant an extra life>, power-ups, and magic cubes that open gates and unlock new areas. Patience and planning are crucial here, and since there’s no timer, you can take your time to learn enemy patterns and plan your next move.
The graphics are absolutely fantastic. Honestly, this is easily one of the best-looking titles I’ve ever seen on the C64. The game is crafted with such refined taste, and it’s a treat just watching it in action. Considering how many objects are on the screen and how much stuff is constantly moving around, the game runs pretty smoothly, and the gameplay is solid too. As long as you don’t rush through it, Adrian is relatively easy to play. After a while, you learn where all the traps are, so getting through the levels isn’t a huge deal anymore. Plus, pressing F1 lets you select the difficulty <Easy/Hard>, while the R key restarts the level.
◆ The music is nice and catchy, classic C64 chiptune, but it’s still a real shame there’s only one track looping the whole time. On the other hand, the sounds of waterfalls, birds chirping, various creatures and nature itself create one of the most impressive soundscapes on C64.
◆ By pressing the M key you can toggle between ambient effects and music. At the end of the day, Adrian And A Friend In Need is an incredible technical achievement and a triumph in every sense.
The game is PAL/NTSC compatible and currently available only as a digital download <.d64> for $3.99, but it definitely deserves a physical release.
One response to “Adrian And A Friend In Need | Commodore C64 <mini review>”
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