Super Bread Box, Commodore 64 Review by Retrograde

bread2Wait…. what? I get to review again? The new game from RGCD?… Awesome.

Super Bread Box is a conversion of the 2010 indie game Super Crate Box made
for our beloved c64 system. The c64 version was originally made as a cut down
version for the 2012 RGCD 16k competition, which it won. It has now been fleshed
out to a complete release with an array of the features of its PC counterpart, including 3 exclusive levels and playable characters to the c64 version.

BOX

As with Bomberland and previous RGCD games, Super Bread Box comes with all the goodies you expect from a RGCD physical release. Firstly a deluxe version with the game on cartridge, character and logo stickers, 2 code sheets and a a2 + a3 poster. You can also get 2 versions of the downloadable option, one as a download only for £1.99 and for £5.00 you get the game and the a2 + a3 posters.

THE GAME

breadThe premise of the game is simple, get crates, crates and more crates till you can crate no more. Simple in theory, but in practice this takes a lot of skilled manoeuvring and a mastery of the weapons at your disposal.  Oh, and all those lovely beasties just itching to get in your way.

bread4When you start a level you begin with only a pistol to defend yourself from the incoming hordes. After collecting your first crate, it will then arm you with a different weapon. These vary on how they handle and what skills are needed to master them. Your starting arsenal of weapons consists of : the Pistol, Double Pistol, Shotgun, Machine gun and a Bazooka (which is especially satisfying! what can I say, I like big explosions). More weapons are unlocked as you collect more crates which then adds even more variety to the carnage you can inflict.
bread5So with these changing weapons is where the gameplay gets really interesting. In playing the game, I quickly found which weapons I was most comfortable with and which ones were causing me problems. (personally it is the shotgun for me, the limited range with all those nasties coming at you is a nightmare) As an example, when I got the Machine gun or the bazooka, I could merrily mow down the mobs coming at me and get to the next crate. But at the time knowing it could switch me to a weapon that I don’t like. This seriously keeps you on your toes and when you get a weapon you don’t like, its a mad rush to grab that next crate to get something better.
bread6If this tom foolery wasn’t enough, there is another hazard you have to consider. At the bottom of the screen is a fiery pit and all the monsters are on a collision course with it. If you let any of the monsters get to this point and fall in the fire, this will cause them to respawn at the top of the screen. Not only that but they will be running down at twice the speed making them very hard to dodge. And if you let a bunch of these little blighters do that … yeah, world of hurt.
bread8So that’s pretty much all there is too it, seemly simple mechanics but a lot to think about and adapt too.

VS the PC VERSION

As I was playing this game I decided to grab the original game ‘Super Crate Box’ off steam as it is now free to play to see how it compares to the c64 version. And this experience has shown me how impressive the c64 version is. It plays just as good on the c64 as it does on the original. Not only that but the gfx and the music is just as good if not better on the Commodore in my eyes. (but that is my c64 bias probably showing through, I have to be honest) To achieve these feats it seems some coding voodoo was used to be able to have all this going on. The readme notes that having all the animations from the characters in memory at the same time was impossible, so they have the game constantly accessing the cart to swap in the data as needed. Damn Clever. This also would explain why this game hasn’t been released on tape or disk.

But the gameplay, graphics and sound aren’t the only goodies brought over from the pc version, neatly leading us too …

FEATURES

This game packs an impressive bunch of extra features. Again the passcode system pops up from Bomberland and this time packs a bit more punch. Not only are your crate high scores saved, there is an extensive list of statistics that are stored in these codes as well, e.g., name, total kills, deaths and total crates collected to name a few. Not only does it have this code system available to you, if you don’t fancy having to write the codes down the game comes with a disk save option. So this means your stats can be saved to a floppy without having to jot down the codes. And there’s more (if you can believe that) The games website includes a feature where can submit your game codes. On this site you can get the total amount of crates collected by players, plus you have access to online leaderboards. Enter your code and if you are good enough to be in the top 15 you can sign up for an email to tell you when you have been beaten so you can go back to assert your dominance.

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So there we have it, a fantastic conversion of the pc game. Plays just as good, looks just as good and sounds just as good. What more is there to say? At £1.99 for the downloadable version, this is a steal. But have to say personally, im giving the poster bundle the eye :)

As a final thought, this game makes me ask a question, if they can do it that well here, what other games could be given the same treatment? what a delicious thought :) I’ll leave you to ponder that one. Peace out.

Download the SID: Super_Bread_Box.sid
Buy the full version: RGCD

Review by Retrograde, AkumaDesigns

Enjoy Life, be kind to others.

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