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| Name: Joust Year: 1988 Publisher: HAL America Inc. Developer: Williams Electronics Inc. Genre: Arcade Hours Played: One Hour Beaten: N/A |
In Joust, you play a knight riding atop an ostrich (or in two-player mode, a stork) battling even knights riding vultures above a volcano. In true arcade fashion, all the action takes place on one screen, and you get around by rapidly tapping the jump button to flap your wings. The mechanic is similar to the swimming controls in some video games, but there's also a momentum element; if your ostrich touches the ground, he'll brake into a run, and you end up running into platforms and careening all over the place. The goal is to take out the enemy knights, which is done by touching them when you're higher then you are; if you collide dead on, you'll bounce off each other, and if they're higher then you, you'll lose a life. The frantic pace of the game is part of the appeal; ideally it should be easy to always hover at the top of the screen so you're unbeatable, but the slippery nature of the controls and constant clutter of the screen ensure that you're always bumping around and trying to reposition yourself.
The first two levels serve as basic training; there's safety platforms over the lava to make thing a little easier. After level two, the platforms disappear, and fiery hands will appear to yank you into the lava if you get too close. Defeated knights drop eggs, and if you don't destroy them in time, they hatch into more powerful knights. As the levels progress, platforms disappear; while this is meant to make the game harder, it actually gives you less obstacles to bump into, making things a little easier.
Joust game demands you pay constant attention to your surroundings, and it's pretty challenging and fun, if not a bit repetitive. It's a solid arcade game, but as a complete package it's pretty lacking. If you're a fan of Joust, I highly recommend Nintendo's own Balloon Fight, which improves upon the formula in several ways, and even adds a second game mode that's reminiscent of Flappy Bird.
Graphics & Animation: 2 (Average)
There's not a lot going on, but what's here is pretty good. The characters boast an impressive amount of colors per sprite (six, as opposed to three as in most NES games) and the volcano floor is well detailed.
Music & Sounds: 1 (Bad)
It's not that the music is terrible; their just isn't any music, aside from a little tune on the start screen. No music when you die, no music at game over. The sound effects when you flap your wings are satisfying, but not anything you consciously notice when you play.
Controls & Level Design: 2 (Average)
Joust is the sort of game where the tricky controls are intended to be part of the challenge, and Joust straddles this line perfectly. Despite careening all over the place, it still always feels like your fault when you die... well, at least in the case of the controls themselves. There's no invulnerability when you respawn, so if you appear in the wrong place you can lose a life before you have a chance to do anything. Also, the pterodactyl is extremely random and can spawn right where you're hanging out, again costing you a life before you have a chance to react.
Story & Presentation: 2 (Average)
There's some nice presentation here: the title screen gives an appropriately medieval feel, and the "welcome to Joust" screen adds a little epicness to the proceedings. When the lava pit becomes accessible, the platforms above it actually catch fire and burn, which is a very nice touch. Like the rest of the game, it's well executed; there's just not much of it.
Length & Replayabilitiy: 1 (Awful)
This is definitely one of those "play it over and over again for a high score" kind of games... unless you're a humongous fan of Joust, this just doesn't justify a fifty dollar price tag.
Total: 8 (Average)
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