Game Review: Finders Keepers (Commodore 16 and Plus/4, Mastertronic)

Finders Keepers, Commodore 16 and Plus/4, Mastertronic - 2C0059
  • 8/10
    Score - 8/10
8/10

Summary

Finders Keepers is a very admirable conversion for the Commodore 16 and Plus/4.  Whilst it has only one ending, to escape the castle, the attention to detail in packing as much content in, such as the traders, multiple platforms screens, even the castle maze really does stand out.  Granted, the sound is minimal due to this, but getting so much crammed in a small memory footprint really shows just how seriously Mastertronic took their games for their system.  An excellent conversion all round.

Sending
User Review
0/10 (0 votes)

After the success of Finders Keepers with the original Spectrum version and conversions such as the Commodore 64, the Commodore 16 and Plus/4 version appeared a fair while after.  It was clear that to cram as much of the game into 16K, there would need to be some compromises made.  The rear inlay instructions go along with the plot from the other versions, so Magic Knight needs to get a present for the King of Isbisima’s daughter’s birthday.  Only near the end, rather than detail the two choices present in the other versions, does it vary and state “However, you decide to collect as much treasure and cash as possible, and escape from the castle.”

Loading Touches

Finders Keepers on this format has a very nice touch during loading.  Half way through it shows a sample screen with Magic Knight, platforms, and the status display on the right-hand side, which shows the game is loading and it was converted by Adrian Sheppard.  That adds to the presentation and gives you an idea of how the screens themselves will look when playing the game.  You do have four lives and each of those has a strength meter which reduces when you collide into the ghouls around Spriteland, and in the castle maze.


King of the Castle

You start in the King’s Palace, and there is a little platform to position Magic Knight on which teleports to another part of the castle.  From there, you can start exploring.  There are several of the ghouls in each screen, all of which drain strength away are best to be avoided as much as possible.  Like in the other versions, a little white triangle denotes an object, and you can get, drop, or examine these with the G, D or E keys accordingly.  The diagonals are used to jump, and Magic Knight must jump clear of a platform to land on it, so needs a bit of practice here to work out what the best angle of take off is for each jump.  Sometimes a little too often you can miss and run into the ghouls and lose plenty of energy, so practice is very much needed – it is too easy sometimes to lose the four lives quickly.

Trading Places

To get some of the objects you need to escape the castle, Magic Knight needs to do some nifty trading. With whatever objects you have, you can press T next to a trader and either sell objects or buy.  Some of the traders have what you do need to escape the castle, so it is well worth discovering (as in the other versions) what objects are worth a fair amount of money and locating them for a good trade.  This is denoted easily by the cash and objects’ value you have to the right of the screen, with the lives left and strength too.  Simple and uncluttered, which really helps.  Trading is straightforward, selecting the keys to trade (or a key for nothing) for both buy and sell.

A-Maze-Ing

The castle’s slimey mazes are still present even in this version, which is very impressive.  Here the maze can slowly reduce Magic Knight’s strength too, so you will without doubt need to keep your wits about you, locate the relevant objects you may need (such as the magic flame for example) and use one of the gates to get out, or if available, a teleport to go elsewhere in the maze.  Negotiating this to get where you need to go, and quickly, does prove to be useful at least.  It also opens passages to other sections of the castle too, so it is also worth knowing which exit leads where.

The Big Puss Without Boots

To escape the castle, you need to get past the Big Puss Without Boots.  The saltpetre (which you cannot pick up) next to the Puss is a clue as to what could possibly combine with that.  Just where those items might be, and how to obtain them, is what makes the adventuring part interesting.  Inevitably there is some trial and error initially, and once you work out what you need and start to map the game, it does become easier.  In fact, retroscener, who comments here regularly and very constructively on these reviews, has done a complete long play solution of the game, which shows it does not take too long once mastered – but getting there of course is what the fun is about.  Well worth a watch once you have tried to finish it yourself to see what needs to be done and how it can be achieved.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Finders Keepers are well drawn and are very colourful, making good use of the colour palette.  The king and the Puss in Boots are nicely drawn as are the ghouls and the maze, and it is very much on a par with some of the other versions.  There are some square block collisions between two ghouls due to no sprites, but this does not detract too much from the game whatsoever. In order to cram the game in, the sound is where compromises are made, with one small little sound effect for losing strength, and a noise for losing a life, and that is it.  Nothing more.  Inevitably, something had to give.

Final Thoughts

Finders Keepers really is an excellent conversion of the Spectrum original.  Whilst some compromises were made, such as having one solution and indeed hardly any sound, the main goal here was to concentrate on getting all the platform, maze and trading elements into the game and allow Magic Knight to perform as well as possible within the memory allotted.  Adrian Sheppard has done wonders here to cram it all in, with the game playing at a good speed and with so much still intact.  It also showed that if care was taken and the playability was also considered, you could produce a solid game for owners of the machine.  It is a shame that none of the other Magic Knight games made it, as Spellbound on a Plus/4 (or C16 with RAM expansion) could have been just as big a hit here.

* * *

You know what we think but why not share your thoughts on this game! Let us know what you think of it in the comments below, or add your own score using the slider in the summary box at the top of the review!

Please follow and like us:

1 Comment

  1. This was one of the first tapes I ever bought for my C16 at 4/5 years old. Could never figure out how to actually play it. Was very confusing and couldn’t work it out for years.

2 Trackbacks / Pingbacks

  1. Commodore 16 Mastertronic Checklist - Mastertronic Collectors Archive
  2. Finders Keepers Heads To Nintendo Gameboy As Limited Physical Release! - Mastertronic Collectors Archive

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*