Vintage games for the iPhone: Crystal Quest is back

Back when the Macintosh meant a machine with a built-in black & white screen, there were some extremely popular games -- but for the generation that remembers the introduction of the Mac II's color display, the unmistakable gameplay of Crystal Quest is sure to spark a deep sense of joy. Collecting those crystals and escaping through the hyperspace hatch caused your Mac to emit a sigh of... well, relief would be the polite way to put it (I'm trying to find a sample of the audio to link). Xbox 360 owners have had a Crystal Quest version for a couple years now, and Vista users also got a build to play with.

The wild crystal excitement has made its way back to the future, as an iPhone/touch version of Crystal Quest is available. While it lacks the level-finishing 'ahh!' of the original, the rest of the gameplay should be familiar to graying fans of Mac OS 6-vintage entertainment. Crystal Quest is $4.99 in the App Store.

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Source: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftwa…

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Gaming iPhone App Store

Back when the Macintosh meant a machine with a built-in black & white screen, there were some extremely popular games -- but for the...

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Hells yeah!

I having been searching for this for years! I loved that freakin' game on my Mac 512k! In fact it was the only reason I didn't pack it away into the basement into the 90's.

December 03 2008 at 1:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Zumobi

As I have mentioned before, I love finding new apps like this...if any of you gamers are also into facebook and twitter like me, take a minute and check out this new, free app they called Ziibii, which gives us iPhone users a way of staying in-touch and in-the-loop with friends, photos and basically the world. Check it out for free via the iTunes App Store :)

November 18 2008 at 5:39 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Sam

Back in the Mac SE days I figured out a way to keep the same Crystal Quest game going forever, driving the score up into the 10s of millions. It's really quite simple.

November 18 2008 at 1:31 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

john

Crystal Quest is an amazing game that should be cherished forever. I only remember playing it in black and white, and I think those were the glory days. Who needs color?

November 16 2008 at 12:44 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Simon Arch

OK, you've got the iPhone version done, now how about showing a little love to us long-time Mac users who played the game on our Mac Classics back in the day? Pretty please? :)

November 15 2008 at 2:47 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Johnzim

Crystal Quest! What a legend!!

November 15 2008 at 11:00 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jon Wise

Graying? Thanks a lot, I'm only 28 and I played Crystal Quest on my Mac Plus!

November 14 2008 at 7:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Jon Wise's comment

captain underpants and the bringdown gang

I loved that game... never saw it in color till they remade it...terribly

November 14 2008 at 11:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Fritz Laurel

I remember pulling the sounds out of several games back in the late 80s/early 90s and I ran across one called "Mary Dismembered and Screaming." The developer recorded his little daughter screaming her head off. Is that the sound you're looking for? I don't remember ever playing Crystal Quest through a level, so I don't know, but that one sound definitely caught my attention and is logged in my brain as one of the great game sounds of Mac gaming.

November 14 2008 at 7:03 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

required

The best accelerometer based game is WarioWare Twisted:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wario_Ware_Twisted

November 14 2008 at 5:27 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to required's comment

required

another good one is Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_Tilt_%27n%27_Tumble a great touch one being http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby:_Canvas_Curse

November 14 2008 at 5:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

III

I just realized that the game they REALLY should come out with for the iPhone/touch is:

Pararena

I am sure it would be a blast to play using the accelerometer-based controls.

November 14 2008 at 5:14 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to III's comment

Michael Rose

You, sir, are 100% right. I would pay $5 for Pararena for iPhone.

November 14 2008 at 7:32 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Alan Carr

PARE-AAH-REEENA!!!!

There was always something very enigmatically appealing about this image from the game: http://www.mwilber.com/retro/games/pararena_title.gif

I was seriously considering trying to contact John Calhoun to see what he would think about someone porting the game to the iPhone. That was just about my favorite game for a full year. So much so that I would go buy a classic mac just to play this game if I could find a place for it on my overcrowded desk!

January 26 2009 at 9:02 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply