Modern

The Rick Dangerous fan community remains active more than three decades after the game’s release. rickdangerous.co.uk serves as the central hub, with forums, fan-made levels, and ongoing discussion about both original games and the Z-Team projects.

The game’s trap-based design has proven influential on a number of independent games in the “difficult precision platformer” genre. While no games have claimed Rick Dangerous as a direct inspiration in their marketing, the design DNA is visible across a number of games that share its philosophy of punishing but fair trap-memorisation gameplay.

Dave Pridmore’s SID music continues to be remixed and appreciated in the SID community. Remix64 features several community remixes of the Rick Dangerous soundtrack, and the original SID files remain among the most frequently downloaded from HVSC.

Rick Dangerous’ design philosophy - punishing trap-based platforming, level memorisation, and darkly comedic tone - influenced a number of subsequent games, though few have directly cited it. The genre of the “difficult precision platformer” broadly owes something to the traditions Core Design helped establish in 1989.

Chuck Rock’s prehistoric cartoon platformer aesthetic was part of a broader early-1990s wave of character-driven platformers that included Joe & Mac, Chuck Rock’s contemporary and competitor. The sub-genre largely declined with the shift to 3D platforming in the mid-1990s.

The Tomb Raider franchise, while no longer developed by Core Design, continues as an active series under Crystal Dynamics (now part of Embracer Group) and the Amazon series. The character and world Toby Gard created at Core Design remains one of the enduring legacies of 1990s game design.