Revamping classic games is a big trend these days, and every old Atari or Commodore 64 hit will inevitably get a HD, XL, or Ultimate edition. Now it is time for Boulder Dash to have a go with a new generation of gamers as a downloadable arcade game for Xbox Live Arcade.
The game originally came out in 1984 featuring an adventurous spelunker who had to make his way through a hazardous mine while avoiding boulders and defeating enemies, all while a timer ticks down. It has a long series of sequels, spinoffs and revamps on various older consoles. The new version is developed by Catnip Games who created the bullet hell schmup Bullet Crave. They're working with First Star Software who have owned the rights to the franchise for close to thirty years.
The game has been updated with 720p graphics, 150 levels, new enemies, a teleporter and a "Telescopic Arm". If you were perfectly happy with the original and don't need any telescoping arms, you can still play a "Retro" mode that will closely resemble the original version of the the game. There will also be a Zen mode, Puzzle, and Score Attack modes as well.
It will become available on July 13th for 800 Microsoft points. A PC port is also announced for later this summer, but no word on a Playstation 3 version. You can see it in action in the video below. More can be seen on the official website at: www.boulder-dash-xl.com