Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, App Store
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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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
OmniGeno said 3:53PM on 11-14-2008
Man, I used to love that game. I wonder how good the control is on this version. Using the mouse back in the day was extremely precise.
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zach said 4:05PM on 11-14-2008
they got rid of the end-of-level sound? and still want $5? dealbreaker.
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Simon Arch said 5:18PM on 12-16-2008
Apparently there was so much demand for it they fixed it. Now that's what I call attention to your customers! :)
crstfr said 4:18PM on 11-14-2008
$5? sorry folks, you missed the mark on this one. $1.99 is the sweet-spot for a game like this. I will wait for the inevitable reduction in price to come.
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Alan Carr said 7:01PM on 1-26-2009
On sale now for $0.99 and well worth it - I snagged it!
InSaNeBoY said 4:29PM on 11-14-2008
Still have the floppies tucked away (crystal quest and crystal crazy). This post makes me want to break out the ole plus and have a round!
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required said 4:41PM on 11-14-2008
$5? The flash player in the PSP web browser runs better content and for free.
http://www.psponme.com/list_psp.asp
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Fritz Laurel said 7:04PM on 11-14-2008
What's a PSP?
F said 5:15PM on 11-14-2008
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.
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Michael Rose said 7:32PM on 11-14-2008
You, sir, are 100% right. I would pay $5 for Pararena for iPhone.
Alan Carr said 6:46PM on 1-26-2009
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!
required said 5:28PM on 11-14-2008
The best accelerometer based game is WarioWare Twisted:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wario_Ware_Twisted
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required said 5:34PM on 11-14-2008
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
Fritz Laurel said 7:03PM on 11-14-2008
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.
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Jonathan Wise said 7:04PM on 11-14-2008
Graying? Thanks a lot, I'm only 28 and I played Crystal Quest on my Mac Plus!
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captain underpants and the bringdown gang said 11:40PM on 11-14-2008
I loved that game... never saw it in color till they remade it...terribly
Johnzim said 11:00AM on 11-15-2008
Crystal Quest! What a legend!!
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Simon Arch said 2:47PM on 11-15-2008
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? :)
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john said 12:49AM on 11-16-2008
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?
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Sam said 1:31PM on 11-18-2008
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.
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