By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: October 10, 2012
Those of you who regularly turn to this section of the paper know that I have a tendency to shed light on cheap games with old-school influences. That’s because a game that doesn’t take a lot out of your wallet—one that’s playable in bite-sized chunks between homework and classes—is the perfect gaming fix for a busy university student. That’s why news that Super Crate Box is available to even more people this month is great news.
Like the original 1983 classic Mario Bros., Vlambeer’s Super Crate Box is a 2D platformer in which the entire level is visible on the screen at once. In fact, Super Crate Box pays homage to much of Mario Bros. game design, whereby enemies come from the top of the screen and travel down several platforms to the bottom of the screen, whereby, if not killed, they immediately respawn at the top of the screen again.
However, unlike a Mario game, Super Crate Box is packed to the brim with deadly firepower. In order to score points and advance through the game, you must collect boxes that appear one at a time in the level. Each box contains a new type of weapon, from pistols to flamethrowers. The kicker is that since the player can only have one type of gun at a time, players must quickly adjust their strategies as they move from one box to the next. While a revolver will easily get you where you want to go, a disc shooter will feel more like a cruel joke. To make matters worse, if you allow any of the various enemies to make it to the bottom of the level, they’ll respawn as a red-and-furious quickly-moving version of themselves. To put it simply, it’s terrifying.
Yet the game feels light-hearted and fun. The allure of only needing to collect 10 boxes to reach the next level is too good to pass up. Plus, the creative and amusing weapons you unlock just by repeatedly retrying levels keeps your numerous failed attempts from feeling wasted.
PC users can download the game for free from the game’s website or from Steam. The game is also available in iTunes for iPhone and iPad for two bucks. While the game benefits from physical controls, the gameplay is perfect for mobile gaming. That’s why news that the game would be available to more than just Mac users on the go got the gaming world exciting this week, with the release of the Android version of the game – available on the newly-released PlayStation Mobile service for $3.49.
The service, which launched on October 3, allows PlayStation Certified phones (as well as the PlayStation Vita) to access a host of new, cheap games. Super Crate Box was amongst 20 new games released this month. Other intriguing titles included: Beats Slider, Samurai Beatdown and Twist Pilot.
Give Super Crate Box a try for free on your computer and see what you think. If you enjoy it, it might be worth looking into a mobile version of the game for a slightly-higher price tag. It’s a challenging game, but it will keep you coming back for more.
