Emerald Mine
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''Emerald Mine'' is a 1987
puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, Sequence, sequence solving, Spatial ability, spatial recognition, ...
developed and published for
Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...
and
Atari ST Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's Atari 8-bit computers, 8-bit computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available i ...
by
Kingsoft Kingsoft Corporation () is a Chinese software company based in Beijing. Kingsoft operates four subsidiaries: Seasun for video game development, Cheetah Mobile for mobile internet apps, Kingsoft Cloud for cloud storage platforms, and Kingsoft O ...
. The series follows mines filled with various gems, such as emeralds. It is a ''
Boulder Dash Boulder Dash may refer to: * ''Boulder Dash'' (video game), a 1984 video game * Boulder Dash (roller coaster), a wooden roller coaster See also * Balderdash (disambiguation) {{Disambig ...
'' clone in which the player completes levels by collecting sufficient gems before reaching the exit. ''Emerald Mine'' was Kingsoft's best-selling title with reviews generally favorable, and spawned several sequels. It was also Volker Wertich's, one of the game's designers, most successful game until ''
The Settlers ''The Settlers'' () is a City-building game, city-building and real-time strategy video game series created by Volker Wertich in 1993. The The Settlers (1993 video game), original game was released on the Amiga, with subsequent games released p ...
'' in 1993, of which he was also the creator.


Gameplay

''Emerald Mine'' is a
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, tile-based puzzle game. Similar to ''Boulder Dash'', it revolves around a character who attempts to collect enough emeralds and diamonds scattered across maze-like structures before reaching the exit, all within a time limit. The player character is immune to gravity, but objects such as stones and the aforementioned gems will fall to the ground, rolling to the side when the underground is loose and killing the character if one falls on him. Stones and other non-collectible objects can be pushed aside if the space next to them is empty. The player can move their character over squares of sand, digging away any in the way and creating an open space for the objects. Collectible objects and sand adjacent to the player's current position can also be removed without moving to those squares. Some of these mazes contain enemies, including those that travel along a wall on a certain side and one kind that eats diamonds in its way. They can be killed by falling objects, one of which will explode into a diamond and up to eight emeralds. The difference between the two genstones is that a diamond is worth three emeralds and can be crushed by a falling stone, destroying it. Additionally, in some levels are
amoeba An amoeba (; less commonly spelled ameba or amœba; : amoebas (less commonly, amebas) or amoebae (amebae) ), often called an amoeboid, is a type of Cell (biology), cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape, primarily by ...
e given one or a combination of properties, depending on the level: they expand across adjacent tiles of space or sand, or deadly drops fall from them. Amoebae pose a unique threat in that they can enclose the player if not managed. Other elements include colored keys to unlock doors, explosive bombs and collectible dynamite that can be used to destroy enemies and weak walls, and blue walls through which falling stones are converted into emeralds, emeralds into diamonds, and diamonds back into stones. A player scores points by collecting gemstones, crushing enemies with a boulder, cracking a nut to release an emerald, and as a bonus by having leftover time at the end of the level. ''Emerald Mine'' allows for two players to cooperate and complete their objectives, with some levels designed exclusively for that mode.


Development

''Emerald Mine'' was developed by Kingsoft, based in
Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...
. It was designed by Klaus Heinz and Volker Wertich. Wertich would later go on to become the creator of a more successful game, the debut installment of ''The Settlers'', in 1993. This game was released for Amiga and Atari ST in 1987 and ported to the
Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...
and the Commodore 16 and Plus/4 computers the next year.


Reception

''Emerald Mine'' received generally favorable reviews, was Kingsoft's best-selling title, and was also Wertich's most successful game until ''The Settlers''. ''
Aktueller Software Markt ''Aktueller Software Markt'' (literally ''Current Software Market''), commonly known by its acronym, ''ASM'', was a German multi-platform Video game journalism, video game magazine that was published by Tronic-Verlag from 1986 until 1995. It was ...
'' cited the game's high difficulty; saying "If you liked well-programmed, tricky games, then Emerald Mine would be exactly the right thing for you. ''Happy Computer'' praised the music and digitised sound effects and found the puzzles to be addictive and very satisfying to solve. ''
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'' magazine described the game's multidirectional scrolling as "fluid" and wrote that the game's longevity was guaranteed by its variety. The game's multiplayer mode was well received. While directing minor criticism towards its graphics, ''
Commodore Computing International ''Commodore Computing International'' was a magazine for the Commodore range of computers, including the Commodore 64, Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company ...
'' considered ''Emerald Mine'' a good and inexpensive addition to the Amiga games library that had yet to expand to over a hundred full-price titles. ''
Amiga World ''Amiga World'' was a magazine dedicated to the Amiga computer platform. It was a prominent Amiga magazine, particularly in the United States, and was published by Massachusetts-based IDG Publishing from 1985 until April 1995. The first several i ...
'' remarked on the game's addictive nature, comparing it to arcade classics, and noted its ability to save up to eight player names, their score totals, and how many levels they mastered—a feature unusual at the time. In its retrospective review, '' Amiga Joker'' commented on the game's appeal, saying "It's the playing fun that counts", and that the design was well received: "Nobody offers such a good control and inventively designed levels". ''Happy Computer'' considered it to be the best budget game of the year, and ''Amiga World'' awarded the game the title of the Number One Amiga Game of All Time in 1988.


Sequels and legacy

Kingsoft developed and published ''Emerald Mine 2'', the game's sequel, in 1988 with 100 new levels. A level editor was included, which triggered the creation of thousands of levels by players.Emerald Mines short review in Amiga World issue dec. 1994, p. 57, ISSN 0883-239
here
/ref> In 1990, Kingsoft published a selection of levels created by players, called ''Emerald Mine 3: Professional''. It was panned by critics, citing the game being lazy, with ''
Power Play "Power play" is a sporting term used to describe a period of play where one team has a numerical advantage in players, usually due to a rule violation by the opposing team. Temporary numerical advantage in players during a team sport In several ...
'' magazine saying " he third parthas been cobbled too unlovingly. No question, the game mechanics and elements are still fine invented, but they should have removed the dust layer lying on it." ''Amiga Joker'' was also highly critical of the game's presentation commenting; "There's no change on graphics and sound €¦ all technical details like animation and scrolling appear substantially dated." In 1994, Almathera published a collection of 14,160 levels on
compact disk The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of holding of uncomp ...
for the
Amiga CD32 The Amiga CD32 (stylized as Amiga CD32) is a home video game console developed by Commodore as part of the Amiga line, as well as the final hardware to be developed by the company. Released in September 1993 in Europe, Australia, Canada, and B ...
, titled ''Emerald Mines''. It received a better critical reception than that of ''EM3'', with ''Amiga Games'' commenting that the gameplay was as good as ever, "This Boulder Dash clone doesn't come up with spectacular graphics, but the addicting game principle and over 10,000 levels should guarantee playing fun for months." ''Amiga Joker'' also commented on the gameplay; "The game elements are in such an abundance and variants that variety is presented truly in the whole lot. .. But since it is imbalancedit is more a CD for fans ..ref name="emcdajreview">
''Emerald Mine''s levels and assets formed part of the basis for '' Rocks'n'Diamonds'', another clone of ''Boulder Dash'' and a free and open-source game, along with '' Supaplex''.


References


External links

* {{MobyGames, id=/emerald-mine, name=''Emerald Mine''
Emerald Mines
collection.
Emerald Mine games
on the Hall of Light for the Amiga. 1987 video games Amiga games Atari ST games Commodore 16 and Plus/4 games Commodore 64 games Cooperative video games Maze games Multiplayer and single-player video games Puzzle video games Rocks-and-diamonds games Video game clones Video games developed in Germany