GDC08: Hands on with Crystal Quest mobile

For all the talks on vision and business, strategy and sales, we did actually get to see games at last week's Game Developers Conference. Crystal Quest was amongst a handful of titles being shown by lauded publisher Hands-On Mobile that we tested out. Our impressions? A bit of action and some puzzle gameplay thrown in for good measure promise a sojourn worth considering when it launches later this year.

Crystal Quest mirrors the core gameplay of Geometry Wars. Using the directional pad or keys on your handset, you glide through walled-off levels set to a space backdrop while shooting out shapely enemies. Progress requires more effort than just shooting down baddies, though, since you need to collect crystals to unlock a portal to the next stage. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-60 stages are to be included, although the exact total isn't yet set in stone.

Since the overriding goal of each stage is to collect the crystals needed to open up the portal to the next level, it's possible to play without combat in mind. Your ship automatically fires in the direction which you're moving, so you don't have to think too hard on battle strategy.

Of course, blasting away enemies promises plenty of fun and in later stages you'll need to pay attention to them to avoid being killed yourself. Foes range from squid-like creatures to indistinguishable blobs speeding across the screen. Enemies constantly stream from electrified portals on the edges and should you ever find yourself hopelessly surrounded, a quick tap on the 'OK' key releases a smart bomb that wipes the screen.

Your high scores can be uploaded to worldwide leaderboards tracking performance on each stage. Even more promising is the inclusion of achievements, Xbox Live style, that are tallied alongside your scores. The 'crystal novice' achievement, for instance, unlocks the moment you accumulate 10,000 points. One of the funnier achievements – 'smart ass' – becomes available once you've used more than 40 smart bombs.

While the fundamental gameplay is incredibly basic, the inclusion of achievements and leaderboards shouldn't be underestimated and could easily bring out our competitive side. We look forward to finding out if that's the case come review time. A European release for Crystal Quest has been slated for mid-summer, with a US launch expected sometime in September.