Pineapple Smash Crew is all about mindless fun, and on that note is does deliver this. But apart from the mindless explosions and constant running around, there isn't much to check out in this game, which is a bit heartening as more game modes would have kept the action going.
Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Don't even bother reading a long review, just get this game now. Everything about it is perfect. Great game, great price, made by a single man, what's not to love?
This game is very, VERY good. It is one of the best top-down shooters I have ever played. The game's core mechanics involves grenades. When you level up via collecting experience cubes found in boxes, you get to choose between two random grenades. Each time you play through and each time you level up, your choices for grenades will be different. The mechanic for grenades involves throwing it, then detonating it afterwards. Some grenades require you to aim them, others might give you an advantage instead of harming the enemy, etc. Although beating the game takes only a couple of hours, the fact that all levels are randomly generated adds to the replayability. Each time you beat a level, you get to pick from a set of 3-5 other levels. You can pick only the easiest levels to breeze through or only the hardest for a challenge. If one of your mercenaries dies, you get a new, lower level merc at the end. The game punishes you by losing not by completely ending the game, but by making it harder to progress. On the level where that merc died, you will lose one grenade slot as well as the firepower he provided. Furthermore, your new merc will start at level 0, making him weak and therefore more likely to die. It is also worth mentioning that not only is this game made by a single person (alias: RickMakeGame) but it is also his debut game in the indie setting. The soundtrack is also amazing. All in all, since it's only 9.99$ on Steam, I highly recommend this game.
Pineapple Smash Crew is an enjoyable action game that is more than a little reminiscent of the Amiga days. Sadly, it stumbles by not offering enough diversity in its mission structure. And that's a shame, as the game is otherwise a refreshing, accessible and most of all fun experience, but one that lacks longevity.
While Rich Make Game doesn't move the formula into much new territory, they (read: he) reminds us that the simple and good retro concepts haven't tired with age.
Levels quickly went from me being charming, engaging experiences to something I raced through as fast as I could. An hour into Pineapple Smash Crew I found I just wanted it to be over. And it's not even long.
Pineapple Smash Crew's weapons are by far its strongest point, an arsenal well engineered enough to support a much more intense game. Here they're wasted on a shooter that starts slowly and never speeds up, with solid foundations but nothing on top.
OVERALL = 9 :
The dynamics in the game work, the game is pleasing to play, and the gun play and weapons work together surprisingly well to create an engaging and rewarding top down shooter from the 16 bit era which is fast and frantic(As another reviewer rightfully describes it as). The Music is also excellent.
For what this game is, it is really good!
A couple of let downs are in the game design, but these are not really an issue as the main game has plenty to bring to the table to make an engaging and pleasant (and not too time consuming(compare 'turn based strategy' as the opposite as a 'time consuming experience')) experience.
Graphics = 7 :
For an indie game, this does look very pleasing. It looks like a Snes version of the 16bit era game "Phantasy Star 2" as a top down shooter rather than a RPG... Though there could be a little more variation, perhaps my criticism stems from game design rather than Anything else( i.e Most of the game is in a ship of some type); it's pretty decent though for what it is.
Sound = 7 :
Sounds are ok and do the job, nothing more. However, it doesn't sound unfinished either, its decent.
Music = 10 :
Cyphus is a legend for a reason , I could crack this on my mp3 player with other electronica and perhaps metal I listen to...
Game-play = 10 :
This is a simple but very effective and addictive game(When you have gotten into it). I would say 8 but it feels nice and a pleasure to play for starters : i.e. 8, however, you cannot ignore how well the simpler mechanics come together to make this a great experience (i.e. the maps, the timing system, the mobs(and there are quite a lot of them) and the weapon types(simple as they are, they work well together).
Its also worth mentioning that the Game difficulty appears to offer a challenge in the later hours of play. Simple changes in various dynamics have created a decent challenge that keeps the game engaging and does not allow you to play the same game you played on easy. Good Game-play is why I play games!
I will add that my opinion stems from wanting to play the game that Pineapple Smash Crew has presented to me: the idea of running through massive levels and trying to keep my team alive before the radiation leak starts, to me works well with the flow of the game: the weapons and fighting, as well as the navigation; and this is why I enjoyed it.
Game design = 6 :
This works, go into ship then leave, go into then ship leave. However, a lot more could have been done and it seems like the developer left out some content and I can understand that to some people that some levels seem 'Samey'. I personally think that I cant say the game suffers too much...
However, If it set out to do more than it did for an indie development then this would be a real Gem that beats AAA releases. But Ambitiousness could have has left the dev feeling bewildered and it disallowed them to complete their plan.
Retrospective of this though, the dev chose wisely to make a game that had a few solid and well done elements, rather than making a larger game with many mediocre elements (which it is not).whcih I will add is very much like many industry games are like today.
An overall great game that will keep you interested for a good while. The controls are really tight and the visuals have a retro look that doesn't seem like the kind that's simply an excuse for poor quality. The gameplay mechanics work well and the variety in grenades is quite good. Not to mention that they are fun as hell to use! Some of my only gripes with this game are ones that are pretty big. For one the variety of missions is really poor and the environments can feel very samey after the first two or three hours into it. And while the mission objectives are mixed up with random boss encounters, there's almost no variety in boss design as I've dumped at least four hours into this game and have only found that they only have very slight differences I.E: recolours and more guns strapped onto them. But for the price of 10$ on steam, I'd say that this is a very complete and fun package and I'd recommend buying it for fans of top down shooter and roguelike fans alike.
Pineapple Smash Crew is a squad-based top-down shooter, with a strong retro style (models, fonts and music). The pace is frantic, the controls are witty and the game fluid. So much for the positive points.
Unfortunately, the randomized levels cannot beat that feeling of repetitiveness and fatigue. If you like to play the same thing over and over again to reach a transe-like state of flow, Pineapple Smash Crew might be a good candidate.
Since I prefer a certain amount of novelty and surprise, this one is not for me in spite of its qualities (a great piece of code and a genuine love for retro).
This game is terrible. I give it a 2 instead of 0 because it is a complete game without any bugs and it has a professional apperance. Everything else about this game is boring as hell: the shooting, the enemies, the rooms, the objectives. I have played at least 10 indie games on steam, this one was pretty terrible considering the cost. If you have any reservations about buy this game just pass on it cuz the odds are pretty high that you will be let down.
SummaryDeveloped by lone designer Rich Edwards with music created by legendary chiptune artist Syphus, Pineapple Smash Crew is a fast paced tactical blast-em-up! PSC features tight squad formation shooting, aliens, robots, zombies and grenades- loads and loads of grenades! Level up and choose wisely from an assortment of devastating grenade-lau...