Commander Keen: Keen Dreams

Commander Keen: Keen Dreams

DOS Cover art
Developer(s) id Software
Publisher(s) Softdisk
Super Fighter Team
Flat Rock Software
Designer(s) Tom Hall
Composer(s) Robert Prince
Platform(s) DOS
Android
Release date(s) 1991 (DOS)
2013 (Android)
Genre(s) Side-scrolling platform
Mode(s) Single-player
Distribution Floppy disk
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Keen Dreams is a 1991 video game by id Software which was originally released for PCs running MS-DOS by Softdisk Publishing, with all rights owned by Flat Rock Software since 2005. The game was ported to Android in 2013. The game is part of the Commander Keen series. After having been "greenlit" by the Steam Greenlight community, the game is expected to be released as a 2015 version instead of the 1991 version in early 2015.[1]

Plot

After refusing to eat his vegetables, Billy is sent to bed by his parents. He falls asleep, only to awaken in a strange vegetable kingdom led by the evil potato king Boobus Tuber, who has imprisoned other sleeping children there. In the dream world, Keen does not have his trademark raygun and pogo stick, but has to defend himself with "Flower Power" seeds that temporarily turn enemies into flowers.

Gameplay

Keen Dreams In-Game Screenshot

In this game Keen does not have his pogo stick, so he cannot jump as high anymore. He can, however, duck, and drop down from the semi-solid platforms if the player presses the jump key while ducking. An addition to the platforms are firemen's poles, which the player can use to climb to higher platforms, and even jump up on them if he times the jumps right. This and further episodes use a slanted 3D look for the levels.

Instead of the ray gun, Keen is armed with "Flower Power", small pellets he can collect and throw left, right, straight up, or, when falling, straight down. The pellets are used up if they hit an enemy, but if Keen does not hit anything, he can retrieve and re-use the pellet if he is quick enough. Enemies that are hit are not killed, but turned into a big, stunned flower for a limited time. All enemies are based on fruit or vegetables whereas the collectible score items are sweets.

Keen Dreams introduces three difficulty levels. Another improvement is that the player can now save anywhere and at any time.

Port

On June 10, 2013, Super Fighter Team released a version for Android enabled devices, which is available on Google Play.[2]

Sources

In September 2014, as part of a crowd funding effort, the source was made available for the original DOS version.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Keen Dreams on Steam Greenlight". September 16, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  2. ↑ Super Fighter Team
  3. ↑ Keendreams - Source code repository

External links