No, those years of release aren’t a mistake; Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest really was a new game, produced in 2017 by Atari Age for the underrated, underappreciated Atari 7800 console. It’s now been re-released as a pack-in title with the new Atari 7800+ console, as well as being released separately, so you don’t have to buy a whole new console to play it on.

It’ll work on an original, 1980s Atari 7800, as well as the more recent Atari 2600+ and the new Atari 7800+ console too. If you have one or more of those consoles, is Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest worth picking up? Let’s take a look.

During the Atari 7800’s original, fairly short lifespan, it only got one scrolling platform title. To add insult to injury, the one it did get – Scrapyard Dog – was a bit of a travesty. Given that rival machines at the time, even less successful ones such as Sega’s excellent Master System, were littered with quality platformers, this was a real oversight on Atari’s part.

Never fear, however, because Bentley Bear, hero of Atari arcade classic Crystal Castles, is here to redress the balance a bit, albeit decades later.

Though I’ve seen it said that Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest is the 7800’s answer to Super Mario Bros, it has more in common with Sega’s first Wonder Boy game, certainly in terms of its general look and gameplay. Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest sees the titular, ursine hero trying to retrieve the five crystals of life from evil witch, Berthilda.

This involves getting through numerous platform stages, going from left to right, throwing crystals of varying strength to defeat enemies (all of which are drawn from the antagonists in Crystal Castles, such as trees, skeletons and so on), as well as taking on Berthilda in challenging boss battles.

It’s a fairly unforgiving game, with a steep level of challenge. The good thing is that the continues are unlimited; as long as your console remains on, you can continue from the last checkpoint of the last level you were on when you lose all of your lives.

Once you get the hang of the controls – which can be another big hurdle if you’re using a 7800 control pad, because the buttons are spaced too far apart to comfortably utilise the two button control scheme (unless you hold the controller in a very unnatural way) – there’s a great deal of fun to be had in Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest. It’s got a few weird difficulty spikes; you’ll breeze through some levels first time, and others will put up more of a fight out of nowhere, with boss battles being especially tough.

However, it has especially charming visuals and music for a 7800 title, and it plays well too, if not always feeling entirely fair in terms of its level design. The controls, once you’ve settled on a method that works for you, are nicely responsive as well. There’s a sort of staccato rhythm to its levels that feels unusual too, where you have to ensure you’re moving relatively quickly as your energy drops (this can be replenished by honey), but stopping enough to deal with the rather persistent enemies as you go as well. It takes a few goes before you get used to the collision detection and run button; the first few turns you take, you’re more likely to be defeated by rocks or campfires than moving enemies.

Despite having a few issues, Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest is a good game, and it does feel like an authentic, old school challenge despite being a modern release. It’s a great game to be bundled with the 7800+, for sure; it is a great showcase for the platform and the reliability of the new wireless controllers. If you have a 2600+, it’s well worth investing in this title, as it’s probably the best scrolling platform game for the 2600 and 7800 in general.

Though that might sound like faint praise, given how few of these types of game were already available for those Atari consoles, Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest is still a cartridge I’d recommend to owners of Atari consoles looking for a title of this nature.

Sure, it’s a bit annoying having no password option when stages are 8 levels long each, but it’s not as if this wasn’t a general, common issue on old school consoles regardless.

You can buy Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest from Amazon here, or it’s bundled with the Atari 7800+ and a wireless controller, making that package fantastic value for money, and almost certainly the best way to jump into the Atari+ ecosystem if you haven’t already done so.