BoyanCE

.: By: Mike :: Device used: iPAQ H3650 :: July 27, 2000 :: Buy this game :.

If BoyanCE (also known as plain Boyan) was to be rated on its plot alone, then it might just be one of the worst games of all time. As Boyan, you are investigating a far-off mine with two friends when you are attacked by the "gruesome" (read: green and really rather friendly-looking) balloon-flying Xenophobes. Now it's up to you in your spaceship to save the day, and your friends into the bargain. Hardly ground-breaking in terms of originality.

As a Jimmy Software title, if there's one thing you expect to be good, it's the presentation. Fortunately, Boyan doesn't disappoint - with excellent, flicker-free graphics and excellent animation, the game is a pleasure to look at.

In terms of gameplay, Boyan is pretty much your standard shoot-em-up, the object of the game being to shoot the Xenophobes before they can reach either the top or bottom of the screen, depending on which direction they are coming from. If a Xenophobe makes it to the bottom, then it climbs onto one of several ledges behind your ship, ready to give it a decidedly unfriendly shove should you be in the wrong place at the wrong time. When ascending, if six Xenophobes make it to the top, then they push a rather large boulder onto your craft, resulting in an instant loss of a life.

To make matters harder, as they ascend or descend, not only can you shoot at them, but they can (and will) shoot back. I found that playing using the iPAQ's joypad in combination with one of the fire keys was a little frustrating at times due to the fact that simultaneous button presses could not be detected (i.e. you couldn't move and fire at the same time). This limitation of the iPAQ, however, can be avoided by using the stylus to control either your ship's movement (whereby you tap in the direction you wish to move) or firing (you tap in the general direction you want to fire). Personally, I preferred using the stylus to fire and the joypad to move, but one thing seems very clear: if you want to succeed in the game, you will definitely need to use the stylus - you will need to be able to fire and move at the same time.

As far as the key controls go, the joypad is used for ship movement should you wish (or you can use the stylus, as mentioned above), and you can either press left on the joypad, or the Calendar, Contacts or "Q" button to fire. The "arrow" key turns sound on/off, and the Recorder button quits the game, although you are asked to confirm this so that you can't exit by accident. The action button, in the centre of the joypad (meaning that it's all too easy to press by accident), does nothing at all, which is a good thing in my opinion.

My only real concerns are over the longevity of the game. The gameplay, despite its addictiveness, is fairly formulaic - despite all the glitz, it's still only a simple shoot-em-up. Also, it would have been nice to have some sort of password system or save game facility to save you from having to start every game from scratch. Having said that, the high score chart does add an extra element of incentive which keeps you coming back for more.

The version I was reviewing (1.04) did contain a few annoying issues that will hopefully be fixed fairly quickly. Once the "Game Over, Press any key to continue..." message appeared, pressing a key would reveal the High Score name entry box (assuming that a high score had been made), but the input panel (be it the virtual keyboard or the character recogniser) was not actually shown, and there appeared to be no way to enable it from within the game. Fortunately, there was a way to get around this. The solution I found was to switch to another application, enable the input panel and then switch back to Boyan.

If you're looking for a high-quality fast paced shoot-em-up, Boyan doesn't disappoint. It's beautifully presented and, despite the relatively simplistic nature of its gameplay, is an excellent title well worth purchasing.

.: Game category: Action & Arcade Games :: Reviews Index :: Buy this game :.