Dynamite Jack

 
Developer: Hassey Enterprises
Steam Release: May 2012
Hours Played: 5.9
Similar To: Marvellous Miss Take / Rats - Time Is Running Out / Robbery Bob: Man of Steal 
Rating: 5/5 Parsnips




GAMEPLAY
Dynamite Jack is a very well designed, top-down sneak 'em up that has the player assuming the role of the eponymous hero as he sneaks around caves avoiding the torchlight of guards and blowing things up. It is not an overly heavy challenge but does involve large doses of planning, strategy and logic. On starting the game you look down at your hero whose goal is to find the exit to the dark cave he finds himself in. This involves: using the torch which illuminates a short cone of light; avoiding the torchlight of the guards who move in a set path; finding and then detonating bombs to kill said guards; using bombs to destroy walls or various energy fields; locating the whereabouts of different coloured keys, acquiring them and then getting out.


BALANCE & PACE
To give yourself a fuller picture you may also call upon the assistance of a map which reveals all explored areas. The real fun comes in figuring out the best way to achieve your goals and skilfully avoiding the guards by exploiting their weaknesses. This often means wiping them out with those bombs so you can freely carry out your plan to the end without hindrances. Victory is all the more rewarding as you are treated to a glorious feel-good tune on completion. Should you wish to explore the same map twice, all 28 missions come packaged with three fairly difficult secondary objectives which include things like not dying, not killing any guards or not using a torch etc. These are all check-listed at the creatively done, stats-heavy, level select screen.  


PRESENTATION & DESIGN
The game has low specs and you look at the plan-view of the cave with characters and objects rendered simply but clearly. As a sneak 'em up set in a cave the game is quiet and sound-effects are few but what there is, is very effective - from the click of the torch to the clunk of bomb placement to the grunts of the guards and the tinkle of items as you pick them up. And, of course, there's that glorious feel-good jingle on successful completion! You'll want to use an Xbox 360 controller inside the caves but mouse and keyboard while perusing outside menus. Your main starting screen has a slick, beige, grey and orange colour scheme with a smooth electronic tune running in the background. This main hub serves as a route to many paths and is silky smooth while the level-select screen is a tad counter-intuitive but packed with stats and info. 


PROGRESS SYSTEM
The game comes loaded with 28 levels that are divided between about 8-10 areas in the level-select screen. You only progress if you successfully get to the exit of the previous level. Your level-select screen shows everything you need to know but does take some getting used to. And good luck to anybody who tries to navigate through it with a controller! The screen is divided into two parts. There is a map of your progress on the right with circles denoting caves. Ticks indicate successful completion. You cannot scroll to reveal more until you have completed the previous area but why this is withheld from you is anyone's guess. The left panel shows info and stats on the three secondary objectives of the selected cave along with the best time completed.

CONCLUSION
This quiet little game is a hidden gem. The gameplay is quite unique as it involves thoughtful planning rather than in-yer-face gung-ho shooting. The menu design right down to the accompanying music makes the atmosphere cool, while the echoey sounds in the main part of the game brings the eerie mystery of exploring a cave to life. There are leaderboards for speed-runs for every cave, an option to watch a replay of your level and a wide selection of well-designed maps from the community which are stored and put together in a very sleek and user-friendly way. The game is a geek's paradise - and I mean that in the nicest possible way!