Does the Atari 2600 have the ability to complex three-dimensional structures? No, but it can create fairly detailed playfields that at least look three dimensional. Is the 2600 able to display a screen full of colorful, highly detailed players and enemies? Maybe not as much as an arcade game, but with the right programming tricks the console can track a decently sized cast of characters, each one with its own personality and color. Does the Atari have the capacity for richly detailed music and realistic sound effects? No, but the system can play a good tune and produce a variety of effects when taught how to do so.
Atari 2600 Crystal Castles is the perfect example of what the system can and cannot do. The game also proves the console is capable of far more than its designers originally envisioned, back in the days of Pong and Tank. Gone are the original castles, replaced by simplified, open floor plans. Not gone is pretty much everything else. All the enemies, all the music and sounds, and all of the charm is here. Those with a little more knowledge of the inner workings of the 2600 will be able to tell how the game's changes and compromises line up with the system's abilities, yet they will also come to appreciate just how effectively a seemingly under-powered console, seven years old at the time of this release, manages to serve up a great game of Crystal Castles. The only things truly missing are the warp zones and the ending. What's here is superb.
Grade: A+.