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Crapman

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ST Graveyard has written 62 additional reviews

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Written by ST Graveyard

March 5, 2005

Comments

Well, we all know the story by now, I guess. Pacman was conceived by Toru Iwatani while he was eating a pizza. When he looked at his plate, after he had eaten a slice of his pizza, he came up with the idea of creating the main circular and yellow character we all know and love today. That was in 1979. Once the game was released for the American public in 1981 by Midway, it all became a major hype. Pacman was everywhere.

The ST had its own share of Pacman clones. Some good, some so bad they weren't worth their disk space. Luckily for us, Crapman belongs to the first group of clones, even if the title of the game might suggest else.

This version was created by a talented Dutch demo crew called Synergy, and to me, remains the ultimate Pacman experience on any system to this day.


Graphics

The graphics look absolutely top notch. The game opens with a beautiful intro screen and from than on, it stays a feast to the eyes. From the nicely drawn menu screens to the actual mazes, from the cutscenes to the highscore table! Everything is very detailed and colorfull, and I still can't believe this wasn't a commercial release to begin with. Some of the mazes actually take more than one screen, and everything scrolls silky smooth accross the screen. The creators have paid attention to the smallest of details. For example, the score is placed within the actual game screen. When your hero move underneath the points, the digits get transparent, so you still see where you are going. Superbly executed!


Sound


This game is a very good example of what can be done with the YM soundchip. This thing produces great tunes, as long as you know what you are doing. Joris Maarten de Man is one of my favorite composers, just for this game. Each maze comes with its own tune, and they all sound super cool. It doesn't get any better than this!


Gameplay

You are Crapman, and you are looking for love! And to find your loved one, you'll be travelling all over Europe. There really isn't much story to the game, ofcourse, but what did you expect. Its is not important here. We all know the rules by now. The game features about 50 different mazes for you to complete. Another nice touch are the powerups which appear from time to time. There are extra lives, extra speed ... Things like that. Grab the fruits for extra bonus points. There are ofcourse the powerpills which will scare the heck out of the ghosts.

Crapman features a very cool 2 player mode. You and a friend can play simultaniously to complete a maze. This will make for some great co-op play. Fun guaranteed.

Another option which is definitely worth a mention are the language options. Choose a type of language and everything from the menu's, to the game guide to the actual in game comments are translated into the chosen language! Top notch work!


Conclusion

There seems to be more than 1 team called Synergy, but beware, the one you are looking for is the team which consist of some great Dutch coders. Crapman stays my personal favorite Pacman clone. It is always fun to play a quick game of Wacka Wacka. And if you are a fan of the genre, you can't afford to miss this one! Be sure about that!!





Score
  • Graphics: 9
  • Sound: 9
  • Gameplay: 9
  • Overall: 9

Review Comments

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ST Graveyard
It has been over 13 years since I discovered Crapman and wrote this review (seems almost surreal). I played it again today and just couldn't stop. My daughter was watching. This thing is just pure perfection, the graphics, the gameplay and those tunes ... oh those tunes. Thank you Synergy!
August 19, 2018

Zone Warrior

February 12, 2023 by AtariCrypt

Once again, pesky aliens are giving us Earthlings lots of grief. We previously fought them off but they managed to pinch a time machine so are using that to alter history and wreak havoc by taking crucial hostages from each period in an attempt to halt their influence. From the invention of the wheel in prehistoric times to England's King Arthur uniting Britain! And where would any of us be today without Japan and its technical wizardry? Yep, we cannot allow this - the fight is on!

Son Shu Shi

March 21, 2021 by ST Graveyard

What an accomplishment this game is. Created with such a small team, the result is really amazing. The game oozes creative passion. While the gameplay is really well balanced, it is a tough cookie, very hard from time to time with its moments of sheer frustration. As of level 3, timing becomes key. You will need to practice and learn the levels to complete this game, there are so many bad guys on screen it sometimes gets a bit hard to take.

Blood Money

April 4, 2020 by Morcar

Graphically, it's also nice on the eyes with well-defined graphics and animation. You really get the feeling that the developers put some thought and love into the game. Remember what I said about the large levels? Well these are wonderful and are very different to each other, they also scroll fairly smooth in all four directions.

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