Retro Game of the Day! Cameltry

Retro Game of the Day! Cameltry

Cameltry by Taito, original arcade release in 1989 and ported to the SNES 3 years later (released domestically as "On the Ball").

These are the game ideas that I love, where a very familiar concept is turned on its head (nearly literally, in this case) and a whole new game is conceived. Cameltry recalls the old-fashioned "wooden labyrinth" game where you must manipulate a ball by controlling its environment, to pass through a maze and reach the exit.

Taking full advantage of the "Mode 7" graphical capabilities of the Super Nintendo (particularly, the system's ability to mathematically rotate game elements) the player guides the "hero" ball by rotating the entire background using the L and R shoulder buttons. It's a very novel control setup, and it works wonderfully.

The original arcade supposedly used a rotary spinner similar to the setup from Arkanoid, something I've not personally seen although it sounds like a great deal of fun to play that way!

As for the game itself, you must steer your ball to the goal area before time runs out; special obstacles bar your way, and certain impediments will even knock extra seconds off the clock. It is a very simple idea but nicely and colorfully executed. Sadly, the game is skewed rather easy and doesn't present much in the way of a lasting experience, but for what it is this is a nice game for puzzle fans and those looking for something different than the usual SNES fare.

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