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Commander Keen first appeared for the PC in 1990, at a time when competently executed, multi-directionally scrolling platform games were still something of a rarity on computers. In its first incarnation, Keen earned a respectable measure of popularity, spawning numerous sequels and doing much to establish the shareware/registration model as a viable form of game publishing. Unfortunately, CK's resurrection on the Game Boy Color suggests the original's popularity may have been largely due to its lack of decent competition. Despite noticeable graphical improvements and solid programming, this remake shows that time has not been kind to the good Commander's gameplay. There's really very little to say about the play mechanics involved in Commander Keen's mission to save the universe from the Vorticon menace; they're not particularly different from every other 2D hop-and-bop game you've ever played, distinguished primarily by an above-average level of difficulty and sprawling, free-scrolling level design. Most of the game consists of wandering around CK's large stages in search of the keycards needed to reach the exit.
Personally, I loathe key-hunting in 2D platformers, and the GBC's small screen, combined with the size of the game's regions, makes it even more aggravating than usual. Each level also provides numerous opportunities to die; a single touch from any of Keen's enemies is deadly, and there are plenty of precision jumping sequences to send him plummeting to his death. Disposing of enemies is also slightly tougher than in most similar games. Keen's blaster only stuns most creatures, and you'll need to jump on them with his pogo stick to put them down for good. It's an interesting mechanic, made viable by reasonably responsive controls, but it gets old quickly. The smooth, cartoony shading of Commander Keen's GBC remake is much easier on the eyes than the chunk-style EGA of 1990. The only sporadically improved animation is weak by today's standards, however, and the BGM and sound effects are nothing special either. Commander Keen on Game Boy Color doesn't do anything drastically wrong. Unlike the similarly blah Wolverine's Rage, it at least offers some variation in its enemies and environments. However, it doesn't do anything particularly impressive, either, and its flat competence does little to counteract the fact that we've seen this all before, done with far more panache. Unless you're dying for a hit of handheld retro-shareware nostalgia, it's safe to pass this one up
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