When Commander Keen for the Game Boy Color arrived in my mailbox from id Software and Activision, I have to admit that I wasn't immediately impressed. While this may come as a surprise to the legions of veteran Keen fans, I was unaware of the history of the series (or even that such a history existed). Initially, the only thing I noticed was the retro science fiction box art that reminded me of Forbidden Planet and War of the Worlds. Luckily, the campy sci-fi throwbacks perked my interest enough to discover what a cool and addictive game Commander Keen could be...

Control:  
This is the one area where I have to take issue and complain -- sort of.

In general, the play control is perfectly fine. Commander Keen is highly mobile and his movement is very fluid (plus, he's able to rapidly change direction in mid-air). The control scheme itself is pretty basic: 'A' jumps, 'B' shoots, 'Down + A' activates Keen's pogo stick, etc.

The aforementioned issue I have is with the instruction booklet, not the control scheme itself. I had been playing the first level for a few minutes and realized that I had to jump to a ledge above me to proceed with the level. However, Keen could not jump high enough and therefore was not able to reach it on his own. Finally, I decided to check the instruction booklet to see if there was a special jump of which I was unaware. Sure enough, I read that Keen had a "pogo stick" for use in these situations. Unfortunately, the instructions neglected to mention how to activate the "pogo" or any of its uses. It took several very frustrating minutes to discover its secret.

Gameplay:  
Duke Nukem!

Commander Keen is extremely similar to the original Duke Nukem series from the early '90s. Well, similar in a G-rated kind of way, but similar just the same. Of course, the storylines are rather different...

One morning, young Billy Blaze woke up and followed his usual morning routine. Half awake, he grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat down to watch some TV -- but instead saw nothing but static. A sub-space anomaly had appeared in the center of the Earth's core, wreaking havoc on life as we know it. Morning cartoons had ceased to exist! Billy Blaze would not stand for this lack of cartoonage, and after checking his wrist-computer set out to find who's responsible. Unknown to him, his old enemies The Droidiccus, Shikadi, Bloogs of Fribbulus Xax, and even arch-rival Mortimer McMire had joined forces to destroy the universe. They had created the fabled Omegamatic Warp Drive which uses plasma crystals to destabilize sub-space. Donning his brother's football helmet, Billy Blaze jumped into his Bean-with-Bacon Megarocket and began his quest...

Sounds cheezy, right?

Honestly, it is, but that's part of the appeal of the experience. You'd be surprised just how much the storyline begins to make sense after a while.

The game begins with Keen inside the Omegamatic Warp Drive, which serves as the hub for the entire adventure. From this point, Keen can access any one of the three worlds: Droidiccus Prime, Fribbulus Xax, and Shikadi. Each world contains several levels, a final boss, and a plasma crystal to obtain. Once Keen obtains all three plasma crystals and brings them back to the Omegamatic Drive, the world is saved! The hub arrangement creates a nice bit of variety, since it allows Keen to complete his missions in any order he chooses.

During a level, Keen will encounter between 11 and 12 different enemies (a different set for every world that can only be stunned, not killed), a ton of objects to pick up for points (frivolous items, just like the old days), keys, etc. I wish I could go into further detail, but that really is about it -- just play until you reach the end, beat the boss, and start again at the hub.

As per this description, you might assume the gameplay gets repetitive. Surprisingly enough, it actually becomes quite addictive through the simplicity and wholesomeness of the experience. Sure, blood and gore are a blast, but every once in a while you need a trip back to the good ol' days. That's exactly what Commander Keen provides.

Sound:
The sound quality is what you'd expect from a Game Boy Color title. It almost sounds as though a higher-quality soundtrack was dumbed down to fit on the GBC.

As such, the background loops contain a good deal of static, and so after a while might begin to grate on your nerves. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell the same music is used for every world. This might be one of those games where you may want to skip using the headphones and turn on the stereo.

Multiplayer:
N/A

OVERALL:
The long and decorated history of the Commander Keen series prevents this title from living in obscurity. The game possesses an oddly wholesome quality, probably related to its connection with quirky '50's science fiction movies. The plotline is so bizarre as to be oddly addicting, and the gameplay itself can be difficult at times but fun nevertheless in its simplicity.

 

The Lowdown on  Commander Keen Aesthetics: Awesome Control: Very Good Gameplay: Very Good Multiplayer: Sound: Average Innovation: 4/6 Lasting Appeal: 4/6 Rating Explanation Overall: Very Good! "A Must-Buy"