Super Crate Box

Last updated

Super Crate Box
Super Crate Box Logo.png
Developer(s) Vlambeer
Publisher(s) Vlambeer
Designer(s)
Artist(s)
  • Roy Nathan de Groot
  • Paul Veer
Composer(s) Eirik Suhrke
Engine
Platform(s)
Release
  • Microsoft Windows
  • 22 October 2010 [1]
  • Mac OS X
  • 26 November 2010
  • iOS
  • 5 January 2012 [2]
  • PS Vita
  • 3 October 2012 [3]
  • Ouya
  • 25 June 2013 [4] [5]
  • Linux
  • 25 August 2016
  • Nintendo Switch
  • 1 October 2019 [6]
Genre(s) Shoot 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Super Crate Box is a shoot 'em up and indie game by Vlambeer. It was first released for Microsoft Windows on 22 October 2010, and was followed with ports to Mac OS X on 26 November 2010, to iOS on 4 January 2012, and to PlayStation Vita on 3 October 2012. A Commodore 64 demake of the game was developed by Paul Koller, with music by Mikkel Hastrup, and published by RGCD as Super Bread Box on 22 October 2013.

Contents

Gameplay

General gameplay in Super Crate Box. The red enemies have fallen into the pit previously, and are angry and run faster. Super Crate Box, Construction Yard.png
General gameplay in Super Crate Box. The red enemies have fallen into the pit previously, and are angry and run faster.

Super Crate Box's core gameplay revolves around a 2D map. [7] Enemies continually spawn from the top of the map, and come in three varieties: small, large and flying. [8] A crate is always available in a random location on the map, and picking up a crate gives one of 14 weapons, selected at random. At all times, there is a fire pit at the bottom of the map. [7] If an enemy reaches the bottom of the map and falls into the pit, it will respawn at the top of the map with the same health but moving considerably faster. [8] Contact with an enemy results in immediate death. [7]

The goal of the game is to survive as long as possible by using the different weapons obtained from crates to kill enemies. [9] The number of crates that the player picks up before dying constitutes the score. By attaining certain numbers of crates in the game the player can unlock new weapons, game modes and cosmetic character skins.

There is a leaderboard available on the official website that tracks high scores for the various modes. The game supports joypad controls.

Development

Commodore 64 version

In 2012, Super Crate Box was ported to the Commodore 64 home computer by Paul Koller. This conversion became available as a cartridge on 3 October 2013 under the title Super Bread Box. The version features three new and exclusive Commodore 64-themed levels, in addition to the original three, as well as online high score tables, but lacks the SFMT and Ambush modes due to limitations of the hardware. [10]

Reception

The PlayStation Vita and iOS versions received "generally favourable reviews", while the Switch version received "mixed" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [11] [12] [13] Mike Mason of Push Square said of the Vita version, "it's a twitch platformer-cum-shooter that preys on compulsion", and added, "If you dare to open the box on a lazy day, don't expect to close it again for an hour." [21] Edge said of the iOS version, "The challenge is fierce; as your tally climbs above its previous best, the accompanying exclamation mark is a virtual eyebrow raised in surprise at your achievement." [15] Brad Nicholson of TouchArcade said of the same iOS version, "The hooks are in its constituent parts, which seamlessly blend into a cacophony of arcade action surrounding this pure purpose of play." [22]

Related Research Articles

<i>Order Up!</i> 2008 video game

Order Up! is a cooking simulation-styled mini-game compilation developed by SuperVillain Studios and published by Zoo Games and Funbox Media. It was released on July 22, 2008 in North America, October 23 in Australia, and October 24 in Europe for the Wii. An enhanced port titled Order Up!! was released for the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo 3DS on December 9, 2011 in Europe and June 21, 2012 in North America. The game was released on iOS and Android as Order Up!! To Go.

<i>Tecmo Bowl Throwback</i> 2010 video game

Tecmo Bowl Throwback is a video game released by Koei Tecmo for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. The PlayStation 3 version was released via the PlayStation Network store on June 1, 2010, followed by the iOS version on May 26, 2011. The game is an update of the 1993 version of Tecmo Super Bowl. Due to Electronic Arts obtaining the exclusive NFL and NFLPA licenses in 2004 for the Madden NFL series, the game used generic team and player names.

<i>Call of Duty: Black Ops – Zombies</i> 2011 video game

Call of Duty: Black Ops – Zombies is a spin-off game of the Call of Duty series' Zombies mode and the sequel to Call of Duty: World at War – Zombies. Developed by Ideaworks Game Studio and published by Activision for the iOS and Android platforms, it was launched in select countries on December 1, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vlambeer</span> Former Dutch video game developer

Vlambeer was a Dutch independent video game developer based in Utrecht. Founded in 2010, the studio was composed of Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman, and closed down on its tenth anniversary after the two recognized they were moving in different directions. The studio was known for the games Super Crate Box (2010), Serious Sam: The Random Encounter (2011), Ridiculous Fishing (2013), Luftrausers (2014), and Nuclear Throne (2015), as well as for their stand against video game cloning.

<i>Organ Trail</i> 2010 video game

Organ Trail is a "retro zombie survival game" that parodies the educational game series The Oregon Trail. It was initially released as a free Adobe Flash-based browser game, and later as a Facebook app. This version was developed by Ben Perez, Michael Block, and Ryan Wiemeyer. The game uses the Unity game engine.

<i>Canabalt</i> 2009 video game

Canabalt is a one-button endless runner designed by Adam Saltsman for the Experimental Gameplay Project in 2009. The 2D side-scrolling video game was originally written for Adobe Flash, then ported to iOS, Android, PlayStation Portable, and Ouya. An authorized version for the Commodore 64 was released on cartridge. Canabalt has been credited with popularizing the endless runner subgenre.

<i>Wizorb</i> 2011 video game

Wizorb is a video game created and published by Tribute Games. It was released on the Xbox 360 Xbox Live Marketplace on September 29, 2011. The gameplay is a cross between a Breakout clone and a role-playing video game. Wizorb was ported to Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It was released for Windows through Steam on March 14, 2012, with added achievements and cloud storage. Upon release, Wizorb saw favorable reviews from critics, with VentureBeat's Jacob Siegal listing it as one of the top 10 independent video games of 2011.

<i>Dokuro</i> (video game) 2012 video game

Dokuro is a video game developed by Game Arts and published by GungHo Online Entertainment originally for the PlayStation Vita with later ports to iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch. The player controls Dokuro, who must save a princess after the Dark Lord wants to marry her.

Dropchord is a motion controlled music-based puzzle video game for Windows and OS X using the Leap Motion controller. It was developed and published by Double Fine Productions. The game was one of the first games released on Leap Motion's Airspace app store, when it went live on July 22, 2013. It was also released for Ouya on July 31, 2013, and on Android and iOS on August 1, 2013.

<i>TowerFall</i> 2013 action video game

TowerFall is an action indie video game created by Maddy Thorson through her company Maddy Makes Games. In the game, players control up to four archers in a multiplayer platform fighter. It was released on the Ouya microconsole in June 2013 and was later ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, OS X, and Windows as TowerFall Ascension and to the Nintendo Switch under its original title of TowerFall.

<i>Space Hulk</i> (2013 video game) 2013 video game

Space Hulk is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Danish studio Full Control. It is based on the tabletop game of the same name by Games Workshop. It features the Blood Angels Chapter of the Space Marines battling grotesque aliens known as Genestealers. A follow-up game, Space Hulk: Ascension, was released in 2014.

<i>Luftrausers</i> 2014 video game

Luftrausers is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Netherlands-based indie developer studio Vlambeer and published by Devolver Digital for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It was released in March 2014 and ported to Android by General Arcade on May 28, 2015. A demake of the game, titled LuftrauserZ, was developed by Paul Koller for Commodore 64, Commodore 128 and Commodore 64 Games System, and released by RGCD and Vlambeer on December 8, 2017.

<i>Civilization Revolution 2</i> 2014 video game

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution 2 is a 4X turn-based strategy video game for portable platforms, developed in 2014 by Firaxis Games with Sid Meier as designer. It is a spin-off of the Civilization series and a sequel to Civilization Revolution.

<i>Pixn Love Rush</i> 2010 video game

Pix'n Love Rush is a platform game released for iOS, PlayStation Portable, and Ouya in 2010-2013. An updated version called Pix'n Love Rush DX was released only for iOS on December 16, 2010.

<i>Breach & Clear</i> 2013 video game

Breach & Clear is a turn-based strategy action role-playing video game developed by Mighty Rabbit Studios and published by Gun Media. The player is in control of four special forces units who must enter an area and kill all enemies in it. The player plans the actions of all characters in advance and the turns are resolved simultaneously. It was released for iOS on July 17, 2013 and for Android on September 5, 2013. The game was ported to Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux, and was released through Steam on March 21, 2014. A PlayStation Vita version was released the following year. On November 15, the iOS version of the game joined the gaming subscription service GameClub. The physical version for Vita is notable as being the rarest released Vita game in North America, with a print run of 1,500 as a mail-in order title.

Gunslugs is an action and 2D shooter video game. It was released by Dutch developer OrangePixel in 2013 for iOS, Android and Ouya, in 2014 for PlayStation Vita, in 2015 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux, in 2016 for Nintendo 3DS, and in 2020 for Nintendo Switch.

<i>Knights of Pen & Paper</i> 2012 role-playing video game

Knights of Pen & Paper is a role-playing video game developed by Behold Studios and published by Paradox Interactive and Seaven Studio. It was released on October 30, 2012, for iOS and Android, and on June 18, 2013, for Windows, OS X and Linux. A Nintendo Switch version, entitled Knights of Pen & Paper: +1 Deluxier Edition, was released on May 29, 2018, in North America and Europe and on November 21, 2019, in Japan. Similar versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released on May 29 and May 30, 2018, respectively.

<i>Super Lemonade Factory</i> 2012 video game

Super Lemonade Factory is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Initials Command.

<i>Gentlemen!</i> 2013 video game

Gentlemen! is a platform game developed and published by Lucky Frame for iOS, Ouya, Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux in 2013.

<i>A Space Shooter for 2 Bucks!</i> 2010 video game

A Space Shooter for 2 Bucks!, known as A Space Shooter for Free in some versions, is a shooter game developed and published by Frima Studio for PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 in 2010, for iOS and Android in 2011, for browser and PlayStation Vita in 2012, and for Ouya in 2013.

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Quintin (22 October 2010). "Living In A Box: Super Crate Box Released". Rock Paper Shotgun . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  2. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (5 January 2012). "Super Crate Box on iOS box is hatefully addictive, delightfully anachronistic". Ars Technica . Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  3. ↑ Brown, Mark (3 October 2012). "PlayStation Mobile launch game impressions – Super Crate Box, Rebel, Aqua Kitty". Pocket Gamer . Steel Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  4. ↑ Moon, Mariella (25 June 2013). "OUYA hits retailers for $100, promptly sells out at Amazon". Engadget . Yahoo.
  5. ↑ Mitchell, Richard (4 July 2013). "Ouya launch game highlights". Engadget. Yahoo.
  6. ↑ Dickens, Anthony (3 October 2019). "Nintendo Download: 3rd October (Europe)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 "Super Crate Box Review". reviews2go.com. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  8. 1 2 "How effing good is this game? A Super Crate Box review for the PS Vita". Polygon . 19 February 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  9. ↑ Huiskamp, Ramon (15 January 2020). "Super Crate Box: Elegant, frantic, and unapologetically small". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "Video: Porting Canabalt and Super Crate Box to the Commodore 64". Game Developer . Informa. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Super Crate Box for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Super Crate Box for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  13. 1 2 "Super Crate Box for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  14. ↑ Mastrapa, Gus; Wolinsky, David; Heisler, Steve; Agnello, Anthony John; Nelson, Samantha; Kaiser, Rowan; Williams, Christian; Teti, John (22 November 2010). "November 22, 2010". The A.V. Club . G/O Media. Archived from the original on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  15. 1 2 Edge staff (11 January 2012). "Super Crate Box review". Edge . Future plc. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  16. ↑ Donlan, Christian (5 January 2012). "Super Crate Box Review (iOS)". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  17. ↑ Squires, Jim (9 January 2012). "Super Crate Box Review (iOS)". Gamezebo . Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  18. ↑ Davis, Justin (24 January 2012). "Super Crate Box Review (iPhone)". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  19. ↑ Hayward, Andrew (23 January 2012). "Super Crate Box Review". MacLife . Future US. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  20. ↑ Hearn, Rob (5 January 2012). "Super Crate Box (iOS)". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media Ltd. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  21. 1 2 Mason, Mike (10 January 2013). "Super Crate Box Review (PS Mobile)". Push Square. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  22. 1 2 Nicholson, Brad (11 January 2012). "'Super Crate Box' Review – Please, Not the Disc Gun Again". TouchArcade . TouchArcade.com, LLC. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  23. ↑ Gaston, Martin (6 January 2012). "Super Crate Box Review (iOS)". VideoGamer.com. Resero Network. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  24. ↑ Nichols, Scott (23 October 2012). "Mobile review round-up: 'Sonic Jump', 'Super Crate Box', more". Digital Spy . Hearst Communications . Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  25. ↑ Hargreaves, Roger (16 January 2012). "Super Crate Box review – box clever". Metro . DMG Media . Retrieved 7 December 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.