Play Commander Keen Online

Summary

In Commander Keen for the Game Boy Color you step into the shoes of 8‑year‑old Billy Blaze, who dons his brother’s football helmet and transforms into the intergalactic hero Commander Keen. Armed with a Megarocket, you blast off to distant worlds to recover lost plasma crystals and keep humanity safe.

The game plays as a classic side‑scrolling platformer: you run, jump, and use a pogo stick to bounce higher than normal. Keen’s Neural Ray Blaster fires a single, ammo‑free shot that merely stuns foes, forcing you to finish them off with a well‑timed pogo‑jump. Three difficulty levels adjust enemy counts, and hidden key‑card gems unlock secret areas.

Levels are linked by an overhead map hub; each world contains moving platforms, teleporters, and hazards like spikes and fire. Upon completing a stage you receive a password that records lives, points, and progress, letting you pick up where you left off. Collecting enough points or special items grants extra lives.

Released in 2001 by Activision and developed by David A. Palmer Productions under id Software’s eye, the title earned mixed reviews. Critics praised its nostalgic feel for longtime fans but noted the graphics and old‑school design felt dated on a modern handheld, making it a better fit for series veterans or younger players discovering Keen for the first time.

Storyline

In the prologue of Commander Keen on Game Boy Color, eight‑year‑old Billy Blaze is about to eat cereal and watch TV when the screen shows only static. A sub‑space anomaly has appeared in Earth’s core, disrupting life worldwide, so Billy dons his helmet as Commander Keen and blasts off to investigate. He discovers that the Shikadi from *Goodbye, Galaxy*, the Bloogs from *Aliens Ate My Babysitter*, a new foe called the Droidicus, and his arch‑rival Mortimer McMire have teamed up to build the Omegamatic Warp Drive, powered by three plasma crystals. Keen travels to the three linked planets—Droidicus Prime, Shikadi, and Fribbulus Xax—retrieves the crystals, and destroys the Warp Drive. McMire confronts him, taunts that he won’t be so lucky next time, then teleports away; Keen replies he’ll still make it home for dinner. The game congratulates the player but warns that McMire remains at large, ready to call on Keen again.