Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine

Moby ID: 220

Critic Reviews add missing review

Average score: 72% (based on 2 ratings)

Player Reviews

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 52 ratings with 6 reviews)

Best of the series.

The Good
Hey, how come I didn't write a review yet?

Never mind... anyway, Keen 5 is by far the best of the series. With the same engine as 4 (audiovisually superior to the first trilogy and with better controls) but with better graphics and gameplay, this is the most memorable of the series. Cleverly designed levels, hundreds of secret areas and the best plot (?) of all, Keen 5 is one of the best platform games ever made.

The Bad
It's basically the same as the others, but far better.

The Bottom Line
A really good platform game and a must-have for any lover of this genre.

DOS · by Tomer Gabel (4539) · 1999

The best of the 7 (or actually 6.5) Commander Keen Games

The Good
With smooth animations and quick game play, this is the real deal. No long loading time, no sloppy movies, and easy to understand. (It had some pretty cool sound effects, too)

The Bad
The biggest problem with this game and the whole series is unoriginalality. After the first game a the following were the same.

The Bottom Line
This is a cool game, small and fun. No delays, you just play continually. You know who the bad guys are and you know how to kill 'em quick. The Shikadi's mother ship awaits in orbit to invade earth. You alone, Billy Blaze, must become Commander Keen and save the earth from impending doom!

DOS · by Plix (197) · 1999

Commander Keen at his best.

The Good
You got part 4 free, but you had to pay for this. And let me tell you, it was well worth it. Tricky puzzles, giant robots, great storyline - total platform action. The engine for this second series was far superior to that used on episodes 1 to 3, and quite enjoyable to play. The graphics are smooth-scrolling VGA - pretty rare at the time, and the game has a slickness that belies its age.

The Bad
Hey... it's Commander Keen, it's perfect. If I did have a gripe it would be that the bundled wrist-watch pong game is a little too easy...

The Bottom Line
Maybe, I'm just getting old, but this game is pretty much king of PC platform games in my book.

DOS · by Steve Hall (329) · 2000

Probably the best platform game out there

The Good
The creators of Keen got everything right.

  • The monsters are great.
  • The balance is perfect: on easy, the game is easy, and on hard, the game is hard.
  • The music is beatiful.
  • The sound effects are genious.
  • The balance of the levels could not be done any better.
  • The graphics are a miracle, especially because of the limited resources.
  • The engine is very good: the way Keen jumps, shoots, hangs, pogo-jumps, with all very little keys...!
  • The levels really could hardly be done better.
  • The secrets, the points, the story, the interface, the keys, the everything: everything is great.


**The Bad**
The level map has little fantasy: Keen 4 and 6 have done this better.

**The Bottom Line**
No serious gamer can miss this game. It is probably the best of the Commander Keen series.

DOS · by Gerrit Holl (188) · 2003

Help Keen destroy the machine that will destroy the galaxy.

The Good
The story is pretty good: In Keen 4 "Secret of the Oracle" kid genius Billy Blaze a.k.a Commander Keen has learned that an alien race called the Shikadi want to destroy the galaxy from their space station, the Omegamatic. In there they keep the Quantum Explosion Dynamo (QED), a machine meant to destroy the galaxy. Now you must help Keen find the four machines protecting the main elevator shaft leading to the QED and destroy them as well as the QED itself. The graphics are brilliant and in cartoon style again. You really feel like being on a giant space station. In the challenging levels you'll find many new hazards such as small robot guards, computing robots, the giant and very dangerous Robo Red and eventually the Shikadi themselves. The levels have good level design that really test your skill making this series one of the most popular PC alternatives for Mario. There are cool new sounds and music via your sound card that make it complete. The controls are still the same as in Keen 4 and are simple and similar to many games similar to Keen. Control to Jump and Alt for the Pogo stick or you van choose a setting for using these buttons together to shoot (you'll hate that though). The Space Bar is used to shoot normally. Everything plays very smooth and just the same as part 4 since it's from the same release, which means a very good gameplay.

The Bad
It's not as diverse as Keen 4 which was set on a diverse planet with forests, deserts and so on which made it my favorite Keen. This one is the same space station style all the way making it a little bit less interesting. The game, as with most Commander Keen games, is a bit too challenging for beginners. Even in easy mode it will prove to be hard.

The Bottom Line
A brilliant conclusion to the "Goodbye Galaxy" series. Keen 5 is not as diverse as Keen 4 but it's still a worthy sequel to that game. Try it now if you haven't already done so!

DOS · by Rensch (203) · 2005

The biggest Keen yet, and one that promised us a new one that didn't eventuate

The Good
The Armageddon Machine is the second game in Keen’s “Goodbye, Galaxy” series, and it is much bigger than the last episode, which had the protagonist rescuing Council Members of Gnosticus IV. Keen learns that the Shikadi are building an Armageddon Machine and plan to use it to blow up the galaxy. Having known their whereabouts, he hops on board their Omegamatic finding the machines that would help the alien race achieve their task.

TAM shares the same game mechanics as Keen 4; I already discussed these in great detail here. The world map bears a striking resemblance to the one in Keen 2, with signs above doors written in the Standard Galactic Alphabet. The only difference are the elevators in the middle of each corridor, which you use to go to other corridors. If you turn the “No Clipping” cheat on, you will be able to go out for a spacewalk or explore Korath III below the Omegamatic. The cinematic where the galaxy blows up (seen when you run out of lives) is a nice touch.

The entrance and exit melodies are quite different to the last episode, with the exit melodies having that metallic feel to them. In each level, the graphics are much more detailed, and there are some smooth animations. Of these, I enjoyed watching Keen surfing on moving platforms. When I came across the machines, I liked how they look, and it makes me think they are futuristic. The final machine that Keen comes across takes a little bit of effort to destroy.

The game’s soundtrack is excellent. There are a couple of tunes that are not repeated in the game, and the same piece is used for the defense tunnels and machine levels. I enjoyed listening to the music in the secret stage at Korath III. It has a Scottish theme, with harmless creatures walking around wearing quilts, and background music that is made with bagpipes.

Gameplay is the same, with Keen jumping, both normally and with his pogo stick, and shooting enemies with his raygun. Keen can climb up and down poles, and climb onto ledges if he happens to just miss the platform, even if he jumps or use his pogo stick. Locked doors are scattered throughout the levels, and they must be unlocked with gems. Another addition to the game requires Keen to obtain a keycard that opens the exit door made out of steel. I like the sound of this door opening very much.

The enemies are much tougher, with the Shikadi family requiring more than just one shot to dispose of and trying to destroy Keen while he is on poles. There are the dogs that jump and bark electric currents at you, then you will meet the adult who has the ability to teleport and he is rendered invincible to your shots. Also, I love playing games with Robo Red. I would shoot him on purpose and see if I could get away from death.

The Bad
Without using the warp cheat, there is no way that you play stages that you have previously completed, so you cannot be amazed at how gorgeous the stage is a second time.

The fifth episode promised a much bigger Keen game that was to be released Christmas 1992, but this did not happen, and the last revision of Keen 5 didn’t remove this reference.



The Bottom Line
The Armageddon Machine follows on where Secret of the Oracle left off. The game features more music and excellent graphics. The controls and gameplay is the same as any other Keen game. Although you are limited to only walking around the Omegamatic, this would not stop you from cheating to get a little bit of enjoyment out of it. Unlike the last episode, you have to pay to get this, but it is worth the money with the additions and stuff.

DOS · by Katakis | ă‚«ă‚żă‚­ă‚ą (43092) · 2022

Contributors to this Entry

Critic reviews added by Alsy, Scaryfun, Patrick Bregger.