Boulder Dash II (A8)

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Boulder Dash
Boulder Dash II - Rockford's Revenge - A8 - Databyte - Disk.jpg
Platform: Atari 8-bit
Year: 1986
Developer: Peter Liepa

Boulder Dash II is Peter Liepa's second and last completely designed game in its genre.

Liepa likens Boulder Dash II to a new episode in a sitcom or comic strip, where existing characters are put into new situations. Indeed, with the gameplay established in his original Boulder Dash (A8), Liepa must have had more liberty to make caves more humorous, or at least lifelike, portraying rain, merry-go-round, storming, and playing tag in a polonaise.

Actual new elements are slime (through which boulders and jewels pass slowly) and walls that grow horizontally (through air, not earth, now known as dirt).

Screenshots

Boulder Dash II - A8 - Title.png

Urgh. Downgraded colors from Boulder Dash II (C64)?

Boulder Dash II - A8 - Main Menu.png

Squeezed main menu.

Boulder Dash II - A8 - Cave A.png

Remember how to play?

Boulder Dash II - A8 - Cave B.png

Well played, amoeba.

Boulder Dash II - A8 - Cave C Level 3.png

New problem in level 3.

Boulder Dash II - A8 - Cave M.png

Looks like a garden.

Music

The game designer composed 256 new notes. After 2 loops with no selection, only the title picture goes to the attract mode, whereas the main menu now goes back to the picture.

There are no new sound effects. The growing wall, upon growing a tile, reuses the boulder noise. The slime is mute.

On the contrary, two sound effects are less reused: The amoeba, upon growing a tile, does not echo Rockford's step anymore. Uniquely to Boulder Dash II (A8), the time bonus mutes abruptly, without the extra "bell".

Recording

The only song was recorded from the main menu:

  1. in Altirra 3.90 with NTSC.
  2. in Altirra 3.90 with PAL.
# Title Composer Length Listen Download
101 Theme Peter Liepa 0:44
Download
# Title Composer Length Listen Download
201 Theme Peter Liepa 0:51
Download

Credits

(Source: Liepa in interviews. Game lacks audio credits.)

Game Rip

Format

Download

SAP.png

Download

(Info)


Audio Devices

This game uses the computer's built-in POKEY chip. On PAL, all audio is 17% slower.

Releases

Judging from wordings on found reviews and covers, Boulder Dash II (A8) was released in North America as part of Super BoulderDash only.

  USA.svg   USA
Super BoulderDash.jpg
Title: Super BoulderDash
Platform: Atari 8-bit
Released: 1986-0?-??
Publisher: Electronic Arts
  UK.svg   UK
Boulder Dash II - Rockford's Revenge - A8 - Databyte - Disk.jpg
Title: Boulder Dash II - Rockford's Revenge
Platform: Atari 8-bit
Released: 1986-0?-??
Publisher: Databyte
  Unknown.svg   Unknown
Boulder Dash II - Rockford's Revenge - A8 - Prism Leisure.jpg
Title: Boulder Dash II - Rockford's Revenge
Platform: Atari 8-bit
Released: 19??-??-??
Publisher: Prism Leisure Corporation P.L.C.

Links


Boulder Dash
Boulder Dash Platform - A8.png • Platform - C64.png • Platform - ZXS.png • Platform - A2.png • Platform - CV.png • Platform - PCB.png • Platform - CPC.png • Platform - MSX.png • Platform - BBC.png • Platform - ELEC.png • Platform - NES.png
Boulder Dash II Platform - C64.png • Platform - ZXS.png • Platform - MSX.png • Platform - A2.png • Platform - A8.png • Platform - PCB.png
Rockford Platform - DOS.png • Platform - C64.png • Platform - A8.png • Platform - AMI.png • Platform - AST.png • Platform - ZXS.png • Platform - CPC.png
Notable Songs Theme
Notable Personnel Peter Liepa
Notable Companies First Star Software