MSXdev'14 #7 - Gorgeous Gemma in Escape from the space disposal planet

I love the Boulderdash type of games, and I think this is a more than great variant of the theme.
Like Leprechaun, it adds some puzzle elements, which makes the gameplay a lot more interesting, but Leprechaun didn't have enemies or items like keys.
Like Boulderdash, this one has (moving) enemies as well, but with far better (more smooth and logical) movement patterns.
So in my eyes, this is a BIG plus in favor of Gorgeous Gemma compared to both Boulderdash and Leprechaun, and that's why it beats those games on their own turf.
I deliberately left out any comparison with Blow-Up, because the focus on action is way more present there.
Apart from that, Gorgeous Gemma seems to have a good, well-balanced difficulty curve.

What I don't like so much is the crudeness of the controls and the detection of events. The player sort of has to get used to a certain way of going about things which doesn't feel 'natural' or intuitive at all. But once you do, the game is very playable.

About the graphics, they are good and clear, but the in-game animations, as well as the cuts between scenes are a bit lumpy. When you complete a stage, for instance. But maybe I must consider the ROM size limit in this as well. The intermission between levels I think is very, very cool looking. Great design and execution.

Title music is very nice. If you do the neo-classical stuff and execute it well, then well, you have won me over already.
But the sound effects are very noisy and loud, and sometimes even off-putting (not to say: ear-bleeding). Especially in said level intermissions.

I really, really like the in-game tutorial. It's clear, it's funny, and it's very useful.
That is a very good move, and shows a feeling for polish and belief in their own product.
I like the plot and setting as well, especially in this day and age.
High quality game if you ask me, and certainly with replay value.