Boulder Dash: 40th Anniversary

If you are a fan of Boulder Dash’s legacy, 40th Anniversary delivers what you would expect from a release like this. The new levels offer a more accessible take on the formula, while the original games remain largely intact for those who prefer the classic experience with add accessibility features. Visually, it is unlikely to impress, but it serves the gameplay well and preserves what makes Boulder Dash work in general. What matters most is that the game delivers on features and is overloaded with content, things that actually matter. - Played and reviewed on XBox Series X

Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary Edition is not everything that fans could have hoped for. What should have been a wonderful celebration of a classic series turns out to be a middling package marred by a lack of control options and default controls that don’t offer the best experience. Getting rid of the classic game progression system and failing to include a proper leaderboard system really limit the potential of what could be otherwise one of the most comprehensive collection of caves for a decent introduction to the franchise for newcomers. Thankfully, the classic Boulder Dash formula remains as addictive as ever and is executed competently here.

It's time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Boulder Dash!

For vintage gamers who have fond memories of this franchise, perhaps it will excite, but for everyone else it may be a stretch to enjoy

From excellent retro recreations to fun newer stages, there’s tons of tricky brainstorming puzzles to solve in this game, easily being the best set of Boulder Dash levels on Switch to date. It’s just a shame the performance is a little wonky still.

Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary is a solid remake of the classic. The new graphics look nice, but the game impresses above all through its numerous new levels. Also the integration of the first three parts of the franchise as well as the level editor are a plus point. Nevertheless, in my opinion the game design of Boulder Dash itself is dusty and the many repetitions mean that I quickly lost interest in the game.