Gem'X (Amiga) - A Playguide and Review - by LemonAmiga.com
41Gem'X is a puzzle game, put together by Kaiko in 1991. The theme is simple - match the puzzle from the other side of the screen, by clicking on Gems. Sounds easy, but is it? Lets find out. Click the description to read more.
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Production Notes:
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Captured: 7th March 2018
Narrated: 19th Oct 2020
Edited: 24th Sept 2018, and 7-9 Feb 2021
Kaiko was founded in the Autumn of 1990, as a software development studio based in Germany, by Peter Thierolf (programming), Frank Matzke (graphics), and Chris Hülsbeck (audio). The studio was originally named as A.U.D.I.O.S (Art Under Design, Imaginations Of Sound) and Kaiko was created simply as a publishing label for the studio. They released some games with the A.U.D.I.O.S name, before switching to Kaiko full time. Their first game was Gem'X - which had a polished console quality inspired by the work of Factor 5; as Chris Hülsbeck also worked with that company. The game was a big success, and soon they were planning their next game together, Apidya. The name of the developers, Kaiko, was chosen deliberately in order to sound Japanese. The Japanese influence goes even further, with the passwords referring to Japanese pop culture such as the FM Towns computer (totally unknown in Europe at that time), names from manga animations, and Taito's arcade games.
Gem'X (surely not pronounced Gempks) was well known on the Amiga scene, although it was also (ported from/to?) the Atari ST, and also to the C64. I had a copied version of this at one point back in the day, along with Logical and Ocean's Puzznic and Plotting. I didnt play them, but they were there in the collection.
Fast forwards to 2018, when I recorded some of those puzzle games for reviews. This is the only one where I didnt get bored and stop the recording half way through, so it was bound to come up at some point. There are so many mega hits, that it ended up being postponed until this series. I know its not very popular according to the votes, but its certainly one to remember.
Danscore:
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Gem'X is one of those games where your Dad used to come along and beat the game, but its not something kids will rush home from school to play. Sure it has the Amiga charm, but it also feels like a pretty basic game. There is replay value in the many puzzles on offer, and you can always skip the ones you cant stand. The puzzle element for me came down to a 'Spot The Difference' competition - which I used to love as a kid - so maybe I have more time for this than most. The gameplay is not very addictive but it is a neat buzz when a puzzle is finally solved. The formula for each screen doesnt change, and Im sure players who can memorise formulas will get far. As for presentation, they didnt go far enough, when the likes of Hollywood Poker Pro had James Bond-style digitised silhouette dancing girls in the intro. They could have at least had more than just a girls head on most of the screens. The cutscene images are also very tame, from what I've seen, and this isnt a huge incentive to see the rest. If the screens could be collected like cards, at least you could mark some kind of progress. As it is I can only give this a 6 out of 10. There is nothing wrong here but puzzle games are an acquired taste.