Разработчик: Oscar Celestini
Описание
You are Ryan, a barbarian warrior and you've got to keep back to the realm the Black Jewel, stolen by Darkor.
Features:
-Play using keyboard or joypad;
- CRT effect perfect for a retrogame feeling available;
- Five different zones (forest, ruins, castle...) More than 50 screens to complete in old style pixel art;
- 5 dangerous bosses;
- Intro and ending pixel art illustrations;
- Best score;
- Original Ost, 5 tracks by Gianluca Pappalardo
Поддерживаемые языки: english
Системные требования
Windows
- OS *: Windows 7
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4440 (or equivalent)
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: nVidia 320M or higher, or Radeon 7000 or higher, or Intel HD 3000 or higher
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 15 MB available space
Отзывы пользователей
Absolutely amazing game. Never gets boring. Challenging, but not difficult to the point that it's frustrating. All round perfect game!
....Perhaps it is me who don't gets it, but the game, although having a wonderful and enchanting graphical fidelity to the era, lacks everything else.
I mean, yes, it's supposed to be a faithful recreation of the C64 style...but c'mon, it is too barebones for me to be considered actual ''good''.
Unless you are really nostalgic, give it a pass.
I quite enjoy retro gaming and when I saw this game have a C64 style definitely caught my attention. This game is really really chill and has a medium difficulty to beat, Although the game does feel a bit clunky and weird. This is a fun little cheap game.
A fun retro platformer with nice pixel graphics and music.
But, it's very difficult with it's RNG and pixel perfect jumps.
You can input a heath cheat and enjoy the game that way.
No time for a review so I give this game a rank C.
Okay game - not bad but you can skip it or try on sale.
See my profile for more details about my reviews.
Additional notes: if you are in need of a fix for retro gaming like Storm Warrior, this is literally its clone... with all the annoying things that come with it. Me, I have more fond memories for Shadow of the Beast, and in any case it gets quickly tiring. Still, okay.
Retro C64 style platformer. Single button attack, up to jump. Nothing overly complex, but nice c64 style graphics. Would be recommended except for one glaring issue.
Not sure if it is emulation or not; which would be fine if not for a reminder of one of the worst things about the C64; the long load times. Worse yet, when you die, the game essentially resets and the load starts over again. You will actually spend more time waiting for the game to load than actually playing it.
Yet another game from the developer that gets the aesthetic side of retro games right, but doesn't understand how to make gameplay interesting and fun. Music is nice, graphics are on-point in emulating C64 look, partly because they are almost a carbon copy of an actual C64 game, Storm Warrior. But somehow the game feels less responsive and dynamic than its 8bit counterpart.
See, there are two general types of building challenge in those old games: either you make it reflex or memory based. In the first case, you present the player with unpredictable and quick obstacles but provide him with mobility, swiftness and ample resources to overcome them. In the second case you make it slow and methodical - your character is less responsive, health is hard to come by, but the enemies have constant attack patterns you can memorize. In this game, we got the worst mix of those two: your character is slow, extremely cumbersome to control, can't even duck, but the enemy attack patterns are random and health items are very limited. A perfect recipe for frustrating gameplay. The only way to play it is with regenerating health cheat enabled, and then the whole thing is over in 15 minutes.
If you're in the market for some retro fun, try Odallus instead, it's orders of magnitude better.
Looks, sounds and feels like a game right out of the 80s. Classic 8-bit simplicity and unfairness here. It doesn't even pretend it wants to let you win. It nails the period aesthetics and it's actually rather fun. Even the loading and title screen has the right look. If you want to experience some classic gaming feeling then this would be ideal. Not expensive and very cheap on sale and a nice way to pass some time.
There's a not so super secret cheat mode that makes the game easier if you are broken and in tears from the brutal difficulty in the default game.
i really love retro gaming and when i saw this game have a C64 style defently catch my attention i never grow with it but i always admire C64 for it interesting game library this game defently does a great job giving that vibe is pretty short you can beat it in 20 or 30 minutes if you have the skill but really good and have some good replay value
Basically a clone (plagiarization?) of the C64 game Storm Warrior if you made it unbelievably slow/"methodical"/memorizey but also retained annoying random elements that can't be memorized or perfected. Without any kind of modern "quality of life" stuff there's absolutely no reason to play this over any existing C64 sword and sorcery game. Baffling
I try and be as open minded as possible when it comes to games but was this game made to be a joke? I have to take a stand and say that this is literally the worst c64 style platforming game I have ever played and that is truly saying something because I have played a ton of very bad ones.
Not going to take forever writing this review because this game is only getting two dollars worth. The most important function of the game which is the controls are absolute trash and very very very very very very laggy. There is no way to duck, dodge, or parry so you are forced to take whatever damage is coming your way and again seeing the controls are soooo bad trying to just move out of the way is impossible.
As for the platforming OMG what the actual (drop f-bomb here) there is no platforming because seeing the controls are beyond laggy you trying to execute any form of a timed jump is impossible.
The game has cool music and I love the pixel art but other than that... DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME BUYING THIS GAME AND DO NOT WASTE EVEN A PENNY TO PURCHASE IT!
It would also not shock me to find out that the only good reviews on here are probably from the game devs themselves and their friends forced into buying this hot lava burning trash fire of a game!
There you have it... my two dollar review! That is all... your welcome :)
Nice graphic, great music, gorgeous CRT effect.
Control is simple based on that era.
RGN(Random Generated Number) is fine to me though it still looks odd
especially some tree even shoot bullet backward..
Main problem is there is no damage-effect, even no blink..
So it is hard to determine if get damaged.
Anyway in such low price, it is worthy to buy it
if you really like the nostalgic feeling.
Black Jewel is a very faithful homage to video games from the C64 era. A bit too faithful for my liking, unfortunately. Also, please disregard the 9 minutes play time, I ran the game through the game folder so Steam wasn't tracking it for most of my attempts.
The graphics and music are wonderful. The gameplay is decent, but it has one gaping wound of a problem -- RNG.
Living up to the spirit of games of its recreated era, Black Jewel has inexplicable RNG in places it has no business being in, immediately evident starting from the third screen of the first level. From randomly angled projectiles (from the trees) to the randomly fired projectiles (from the first boss), a game is that is all about memorization and precise action is completely shat on by a dice roll. No no no no.
EDIT: I gave the game a second chance and forced myself to at least get further than I did the first attempt to see if the game would improve. Nope. Level 3 introduces the worst RNG-laden obstacle yet. A mushroom thing that spams the everliving hell out of those projectiles with no pattern. Died to the boss of the level and I was done.
The game just barely escapes a recommendation due to the RNG problem. Everything else in the game seemed very well crafted, as far as I got at least. If for some reason you still insist on playing the game, it'll help a lot to know F2 resets the game.
And so it came to pass that Ryan (?!) the barbarian must rid his world of an ancient sprite evil roaming the lands with unnatural movement and cliched attack patterns...
Black Jewel is a 2D C64 inspired flick screen slash and dodge 'em up that wonderfully encapsulates the imaginative graphics style and even better, the unique SID chip and yet also reminds everyone that nostalgia isn't what it used to be, highlighting limitations of some of the 8-bit computer games from the eighties. Here, some of the challenges are stuck from being either drastically unfair or nigh on impossible due to our hero's limited movement. Both attack and defence methods are strictly basic and you'll constantly try to duck or wield your mighty sword in midair but cannot. Then you'll want to scream after dying and yet want just "one more go" anyway.
Black Jewel could have improved upon its inspiration but criticism of such factors is to have missed the point. Programmer Oscar Celestini's sole mission has been to recreate the look and feel of an actual C64 game and good golly, he has succeeded. There's no question, had this been released on the actual machine during the time of its commercial heyday, it would have been met with above average reviews by the press of the day and he may have even pocketed a penny or two. I look forward to seeing Oscar's future releases (I know he's working on a beat 'em up looking at his YouTube).
Besides, this cost me 41p in a sale. Marginally more fun than many £30 games. Better than Rastan anyway (C64 version only admittedly).
The game is like a time machine, it reminds me my childhood in the 80's.
Its great that developers still create cool retro games. I love the design of the character and the game-over screen is really cool. Nice game, great price...
ps: music and the beginning c64 screen are so nostalgic ! :)
Not much room for making mistakes when you're playing as Ryan the barbarian in his journey against the evil skull knight Darkor. One incorrect jump or taking that hit you could have avoided will make the difference between life and death. You'll end up learning every nook and cranny of every screen. You'll memorize the perfect distance and timing to make across that spike or fire ball pattern. Every enemy will be like an old friend, eventually.
You'll begin to wonder about all those monsters and creatures, too. Some of them have captivating designs and interesting powers. Sure, you're jumping back and forward like crazy trying to avoid their attacks from killing you but all the while you're growing fond of them. Even Darkor, holding your decapitated head by the hundreth time in the game over screen will be a soothing image.
Patience will be needed. There are no saves or continues so you'll be back to the beginning every time you die. That makes your progress really count and it's really rewarding to get to the next stage, even to the next screen. The background is minimal but it's telling us the story. We're going on a journey, inside the woods, to the ruins, across a dense forest to caves and beyond. It makes the game work and you really feel the progress. The music is quite good too so while you'll be frustrated at times, it's all going to be worth it in the end.
A decent homage to commodore 64 and specifically 1988´s Storm Warrior. You got only one life and there are no checkpoints, so you´re gonna spend most your time memorizing enemy movement and attack patterns, allthough most of them you can just leap over except bosses. Game is mainly for ancient retrofarts and crazy catladies like me to enjoy for nostalgia´s sake
I like it. It's pretty good! I Love Commodore 64 games, as it was the first computer I owned, back in the days. And this is just absolute amazing - to see the old screen once again, and play a game that is similar to Barbarian 2. The game is great, with great visuals and excellent music. However, the degree of difficulty is pretty high, as the enemies can be quite fast in comparison to the hero. And there's not many healing potions. You also have barely time evading enemy attacks when you're fighting. I wish there would be an update to fix this. I do recommend this game though. Anyone who loves retro stuff will enjoy this Jewel! :D
This game is real gem (or I would say jewel). As the other reviewer says "This is a blast from the past, brought to you in the present."
This game made me remember the old challenging games back in the day on C64 or on the Amiga.
Unlike todays games, where we have unlimited replay from last checkpoint or abundant ammo or regenerating health, this game gives you the challenge you used to back int the day but you forgot.
Anyway, my pro's and con's:
PROs:
* No bullsh*t, straightforward - to the point type game.
* Good music, enjoyable & challenging gameplay.
* Easy to learn, not too hard to master
* Cheap as
* GIves you the feeling that you play the game actual C64.
* Pixelart (8bit)
CONS:
* No windowed mode.
* No remapping keys (do we really need it? would be nice though)
* No DPAD - only analog thumbstick control on my X360 controller
Definitely recomended - what do you waiting for? Buy it!
My complete playthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ1E0h94RzE
So glad I found this game. I never owned a C64, but this does remind me of old aracde games where you had to learn a little bit at a time, memorize boss attack patterns, and progress very slowly. My only gripe is the lack of a jump button on the controller. You jump by pressing UP, and if you're turning, you have to be careful not to press up even slightly, or else you will inadvertantly jump.
The music is awesome, and the enemy designs are cool. I love the portraits of the enemies that appear near your health meter when you're fighting them. The main character's animations are really well done. For 2 dollars, I definitely recommend this game.
Great tribute to the C64 and his games. Simple, immediate, but not easy, and with great personality.
Graphics, sound, command response, feelings: ALL in this Black Jewel perfectly reproduces a game of the 8-bit computers age. The ctr filter is cool.
A little jewel (black jewel, of course), a real declaration of love to a unforgettible machine like the Commodore 64.
This is a blast from the past, brought to you in the present.
I am thoroughly enjoying this game, and definitely find it worth the investment of a paultry 2 dollars.
If I had a few things to recommend, it is that the spikes seem to have a "pixel perfect jump required" to pass undamaged sort of thing. I also prefer a bit of control customization, which this game has none. Its not complicating or anything, but from a controller perspective, using an analogue stick with the UP position being the jump is virtually catastrophic with regards to the accuracy needed. I would much rather be able to go left and right, and jump with a button as opposed to the UP position on an analogue stick. Hell I would rather bind movement to the D-pad.
That being said, the keyboard is perfect as it always is for these sorts of games, the keys are placed where you would feel them natural, but even then, having an ability to customize key bindings would be useful to folks.
From a nit picking perspective, the farther you get in the game, the more damage comes your way in progressively less fair encounters, with little to no health rejuvinating rewards.
On a positive, the game is short, quick, and engaging to play. Which pretty much sets you in a "get good" state of mind as you progress. The game is challenging, and well worth the price of admission.
Thank you Devs. This was a pleasant surprise this month.
Дополнительная информация
| Разработчик | Oscar Celestini |
| Платформы | Windows |
| Ограничение возраста | Нет |
| Дата релиза | 23.01.2025 |
| Отзывы пользователей | 74% положительных (47) |