BOULDER DASH-XL Now Available on Xbox LIVE Arcade

Fans of the 1984 original can relive their youth with the release of Boulder Dash-XL, bringing this classic game into the HD era.

By Harriet Jones /

Fans of the 1984 original can relive their youth with the release of Boulder Dash-XL, bringing the classic game into the HD era. Boulder Dash, a game with its gameplay rooted in puzzle and dexerity based elements, is coming back to the gaming scene revamped as Boulder Dash-XL but at it's heart it is the same classic people love. In a race against time players must collect sparkling diamonds while besting hordes of enemies, avoiding numerous traps, and keeping an eye out for falling boulders Boulder Dash-XL boasts a host of features new to the series such as an updated HD look, a new scoring system, achievements and online ranking lists and leaderboards. In addition to all this the game features 5 different game modes, one of which goes back to it's roots with 'Retro Mode'. Retro Modes utilizes only the gameplay elements featured in the original and the behavior of enemies inhabiting the caves is exactly as it was back then. Also, level designs follow the same patterns and rules of the classic Boulder Dash to make fans feel right at home. The original graphics and characters have been brought to life in real-time 3D, resulting in a unique look. Music and sound effects have been created using 8bit-Samples to underline the heritage of this Retro Gaming Classic. Boulder Dash-XL is currently avaliable on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points with a PC version scheduled for release later this summer.