iPhone Game Reviews. Posted on: June 23, 2009
Digital Chocolate has struck gold with its newest iPhone game, California Gold Rush. Something of a Dig-Dug and Boulder Dash mash-up, California Gold Rush is a wonderfully fresh play that had me hooked from my first trip into the glittering mines.
California Gold Rush stars Mandy, a neophyte miner with a gift for picking her way to the good stuff. She can sense when gold is nearby, marked with little exclamation points as you dig through the dirt. By just tapping a square in the mine, Mandy bores right through it. It takes her multiple swings to clear away rocky patches of earth. Each swing of the pickax drains a little bit of stamina, though, which acts as the timer for this game. When her stamina runs out, the stage ends. You need to pocket enough gold by that time to reach at least the first star in a money meter along the top of the screen.
Moving through the mines also uses stamina, but at a much slower rate. Mandy cannot carry all of the gold she finds in a single haul, so you must rise to the surface often to drop your winnings off at the general store. Here, you can buy dynamite packs that drill through both horizontal and vertical lines in the mines. (Some patches can only be cleared away by dynamite.) Using dynamite is a great way to save stamina, as is upgrading your pack to hold more gold in the mines or buying maps that randomly reveal squares.
This is both a puzzle and strategy game. The puzzle is figuring out where the hidden gold is in the mines by burrowing around or looking for clues, often handed over by locating trapped miners in the earth. The strategy is maintaining your stamina so you do not run out before getting your fill of gold. Filling that gilded meter at the top of the screen takes both hard work and luck. Burrowing into the unknown can sometimes reveal incredible gold deposits -- or it can lead you right into an impenetrable rock wall. Plus, digging deep often puts you in danger of cave-ins that will sap you of stamina. Fortunately, dust falling from the ceiling tips you off to a cave-in. (To prop up a cave in danger of collapsing, use supports either bought from the general store or gifted to you at the beginning of a stage.)
California Gold Rush maintains its own stamina by offering different scenarios as you move across the landscape. In some situations, you must find trapped miners as well as gold. You may find yourself pre-trapped by a cave-in and have to fight your way to the surface. Lava and ice also come into play as you push deep below the crust. Every few stages, California Gold Rush throws something new at you. There are also five hidden gold artifacts spread around the stages. If you manage to find all of them, you unlock an extra gold-filled area.
Not all is perfect, though. The tap controls are accurate when going from one square to the next. However, you can set long paths for Mandy by swiping your finger or tapping her ultimate destination. At times, I wasn't happy with Mandy's choices when I just set a final destination. Her paths lead to unexpected mining that cost stamina I did not intend to expend. Or she would run smack into a bat, which cost stamina and gold. Why wouldn't Mandy stop before crashing into a bat?
When Digital Chocolate ports over one of its mobile games for the iPhone, it typically does it the right way. California Gold Rush features a sparkling visual upgrade, from the new widescreen view to the increased color count. The music also gets a nice bump, with an awesome Old West theme complete with "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"-style whistling and some good, crunchy mining sound effects.
Closing Comments
California Gold Rush is a great game that will satisfy both puzzle fans and strategy fiends. While luck does play a part in your quest for riches, brains takes you even farther. Think before digging. Look at your surroundings. Pay attention to hints. Buy maps and dynamite. And always watch your stamina. I also appreciate how the game smartly rolls out new challenges so you are never overwhelmed, but never bored of playing the same kinds of stages over and over again. Couple all of this with great production values, and California Gold Rush becomes a game that I recommend in a heartbeat.
Presentation
Excellent menus and game options, plus lots of gold rush history lessons sprinkled in the game.
Graphics
Smart, crisp, clean... and colorful. Great explosion effects.
Sound
Excellent theme. It repeats a lot, but it's still quite good. Good sound effects.
Gameplay
Mostly solid controls and clever maps. Power-ups are fun to test out and use.
Lasting Appeal
Tons of stages keep you busy for hours. Great value for your money.
Price: $2.99
Screen shots:
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