Antcruz: Down Under!

Antcruz: Down Under!, also known as Antcruz Underground internationally, is a 1990 side-scrolling platformer video game developed by AC Entertainment and published by Nintendo exclusively for the Nintendo Game Boy. It is the first title in the Antcruz series to be released exclusively on a console and the first to be released on a handheld console. Gameplay is similar to the first two games. However, the game has different worlds with each having their own unique style of level design, a feature which made its series debut in this game. The game has 5 different worlds, each having 4 levels, resulting in a total of 20 levels. All worlds have an underground setting. The levels are also much longer and more exploratory, making the game much more similar to a traditional platformer game, though the level design is still similar to the arcade games. Two characters, Natalie and Sieren, made their debuts in this game and have since become recurring characters in the series. The game was released in North America on February 20, 1990. The European and Australian versions were released on May 6, 1990 and the Japanese version was released on August 31, 1990. The game received positive reviews.

Story
Sarah, Natalie and Dash all decide to go to the beach for a day. However, their plans are quickly ruined, as they soon fall into the trap of Sieren, the heartless and cruel queen of an underground humanoid empire. Later that night, Antcruz comes home and realizes that Sarah isn't home. However, he notices the note that she had left on the kitchen counter, stating that she had gone out to the beach with her friends. He waits all night for her to come home, but there is still no sign of her. With his pet alien, Nia, following him without his notice, he runs on his way to the beach to check on Sarah, but he only falls into the trap himself. He then decides to try to find his way out but also rescue his friends in the process.

After Antcruz rescues all of his friends and defeats Sieren in the fifth world, Sieren launches Antcruz back into the surface and all the way up in the sky using her telekinesis and then uses the Sorcerer’s Key again to make herself grow in size. Antcruz, high in the air, transforms into his ultimate form, safely falls back to the ground, and then battles Sieren for the last time, defeating her in the end. After Antcruz turns back to normal, his friends come back up to the surface and thank Antcruz before parting ways with each other for a while.

Gameplay
The game continues off of the original 2D, side-scrolling platformer formula that was prominent in the first two games; However, rather than the objective being to defeat every enemy in the stage, the objective is to simply reach the end of the stage. Because of this, the level design is much longer and focuses more on exploration in order to keep at the same level of difficulty. Despite this major difference, however, the gameplay is still largely focused on Antcruz and his friends’ abilities, which removes power each time it is used, and the player still must frequently collect fuel-based items in order to regenerate this power; If all power is used up, the player’s ability cannot be used. Because of the change in objective, fuel is not as mandatory as it was in the previous games, but it’s still encouraged to defeat enemies in order to gain points. It’s also heavily encouraged to collect as much fuel as possible in stages that precede bosses. Rubies are also still scattered prominently throughout each stage, which is another (yet less effective) way to receive points. All items are hidden inside of Heart Boxes. If the player touches an enemy or projectile, they will be hurt for 10 seconds. If an enemy or projectile is touched again while already hurt, they will lose a life. Each playable character from Antcruz 2 (Antcruz, Sarah, and Dash) return in the game, as well as a new playable character, Natalie, who makes her series debut in the game. All of the returning characters regain their original mechanics; Antcruz can throw beams in 4 directions and double jump, Sarah can fire bullets in 8 directions and twirl in mid-air, and Dash dashes and spins into enemies rather than using projectiles, also having an extra high jump, while Natalie is able to throw bombs in 2 directions and fall to the ground slower after jumping. To compensate for her lack of directional range, her projectiles are much more powerful than Antcruz and Sarah’s, and she is able to aim wider depending on how long the player has held the A button. Additionally, if the player gains 20 fuel points as Antcruz, they will be able to execute his “ultimate form,” which allows him to run faster, jump infinitely and use stronger attacks; However, unlike in Antcruz 2, the player is required to play as Antcruz with this formed unlocked at one point in order to progress further into the game, specifically the game’s final stage preceding the final boss with Sieren. The game is split into five different underground worlds, each consisting of four stages and a boss. While each world has the same underground setting, they are set apart by distinct visual elements and unique level design focuses. Depending on how many points the player has earned by the time they’ve reached the end of each stage, Nia will make an appearance and gift the player with either a specific amount of gems, a power-up, or an extra life.

Reception
The game received critical acclaim from critics and was regarded as a standout title in the Game Boy’s library at the time. Upon release, the game was notable for how much it had pushed the system to its limits despite only releasing a year after it had launched. Praise went to the gameplay, characters, graphics, level design, unique world and music. However, some criticized the game due to its lack of new enemies and items. Praise also went to the new approach to the traditional Antcruz gameplay formula. The game was also a commercial success, becoming the fastest-selling Antcruz game at the time of its release. ScrewDefense reviewed the game positively among its release, noting that the game was “surprisingly immersive” for an early Game Boy title, and that the game “put Antcruz in a more traditional platform setting, but still kept everything that made the original games so charming.” IJN also reviewed the game positively, complimenting its fun gameplay and presentation, but criticizing the game’s length, noting that an average completion would only last for about two hours.