Blast Chamber: Кубические Лабиринты и Многопользовательские Сражения

1996 video game

Blast Chamber is a 1996 action puzzle video game developed by Attention to Detail and published by Activision for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It was the first non sports four player game for the PlayStation and Saturn. A demo was released in 1997 for MS DOS, but the full version was never published.

In the single player game, the player navigates through 40 different cube shaped puzzles, known as chambers. Obstacles range from platforms, to spike pits, to giant fans. In addition, some "kickers" (switches in the form of green arrows) are placed on some walls to mislead the player. Each wall has a green platform that will rotate the chamber 90 degrees when the player pushes it. Once the crystal is dropped off in the reactor, the player moves on to the next level. After each level, the player is awarded 100 points for each second remaining on their timer. For every 10,000 points, the player gains an extra life. If the player makes it through all 40 chambers without using any cheat codes, there is an animation at the end. If even one cheat code is used, the player is prompted the message: "You made it! You're alive! You cheated. You're outta here." Single player mode is always 'Red Player'.

This mode has up to four computer controlled or human players face off against each other in one of 20 different chambers.

Blast Chamber received mixed reviews. Shawn Smith and Dan Hsu of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) were most positive, calling it "the most original game of the year" and "almost a perfect multiplayer game, like a Bomberman for the next generation." EGM later named it a runner up for Best Original Concept of the Year (behind Tecmo's Deception). A reviewer for Next Generation found the game flawed but worth getting for those who own a multitap and enough friends to play with. Paul Glancey wrote in Sega Saturn Magazine that the concept is good but the visuals make the game too confusing and frustrating to be enjoyable. GamePros Scary Larry noted some flaws but found them acceptable, and summarized the game as "fast and fun as you frantically try to outwit and outrun your foes." Critics typically praised the level designs, the graphics, and the intensity of the three or four player sessions. Common criticisms were that the sounds are unexciting the character models are too small to see properly, and the single player stages are over too quickly due to the low difficulty.