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Free Game Of The Moment: Super Crate Box
You like free things, 8-bit aesthetics, and awesome games, right? Of course you do. That's why you should download this sweet free platformer right now.
Super Crate Box is as simple as it gets. You move, jump, and shoot your way to collecting crates that randomly appear throughout the single-screen level, avoiding and blowing up enemies along the way. The trick is that every crate you grab cycles you through the weapon list in addition to boosting your score.
You don't get points for killing bad guys, but they fall back to the top of the level and come after you again if they make it to the fire at the bottom – and sometimes that sends them into a double-speed red rage. Spend too long dodging and letting more and more bad guys spawn, and you'll soon find yourself overwhelmed. Concentrating exclusively on killing them off gets you nowhere, though, since you only score by picking up crates. Finding the right balance is essential.
Unlocking new weapons – which you do as you pick up crates, whether or not you're increasing your high score on the level – is great, but not always optimal. The disc gun, for instance, fires a powerful rebounding shot that is as dangerous to you as to the enemies. Mines can be awesome, but they're not so good at quickly clearing out the dudes about to kill you.
Super Crate Box is designed to be difficult, in the vein of Super Meat Boy or N+, but fantastically responsive controls and instantaneous reloads on death keep it from being punishing. Do yourself a favor and plug in a controller, though, as getting much past the tutorial using a keyboard is inviting madness.
Did I mention that it's free? Hook it up!
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