#after the events of the game they manage to track down the classic hazard who ends up being a begrudging parental figure of sorts to them

[vacueye]

Updated Hazard's refs + tried my hand at a silly comic edit of them!

The Hazard is a defense class who uses chemical weapons! They rely on prolonged exposure to their chemicals to increase damage and hinder enemy movement -- the longer they're exposed, the more damage they take from exposure and the slower they get :)

The RED, BLU, and Classic Hazards are each their own character, but all three of them are huge sticklers for safety -- they can often be found checking and double-checking (and triple-checking) their gear to make sure everything's working properly. Because of this, they also clean often, eventually ending up as a sort of unofficial janitor for the teams if the base gets too dirty/hazardous for their liking.

[operationrainfall]

Title Super Crush KO Developer Vertex Pop Publisher Vertex Pop Release Date January 16th, 2020 Genre Brawler, Platformer Platform PC, Nintendo Switch Age Rating E for Everyone 10+ – Fantasy Violence Official Website

It might seem odd that Super Crush KO is the first game by Vertex Pop that I’ve reviewed for oprainfall. After all, I like retro, I like colorful and I like silly. These are all words I would use to describe other games by Vertex Pop, including We Are Doomed and Graceful Explosion Machine. After demoing Super Crush KO at a couple events, I knew I found the gameplay compelling. The question is, was this the next great indie experience? Or did Super Crush KO leave me hoping for more?

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I’m gonna go a bit out of sequence and say this – I absolutely adore the art style of Super Crush KO. It’s vibrant, popping with color and catches the eye. Normally such a bright palette of pinks, blues and greens would be jarring, but they mesh really well. When you factor in that color is well used to tell the story through dynamic comic book panels, it’s even better. That artistry also translates to the game itself, and you’ll rarely be bored by what you’re seeing on screen. Though it’s true some enemy models are pretty similar, there was enough diversity to keep me happy. Honestly, if I were just judging Super Crush KO on artistry, it would likely get a perfect score. However, I also have to gauge it based on other factors.

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Let’s start with the plot. I use that word generously, since there’s not much story to speak of in Super Crush KO. One day you wake up and some random alien girl, Ann, kidnaps your cat. You angrily put on your sneakers and jacket, and race after her. All that’s between you and saving Chubbz is Ann’s horde of robot minions. I’m not sure if she built the minions or inherited them, nor am I 100% sure how or why your cat was chosen. It’s also totally unclear why the main character of Karen is able to fight robots with seeming superhuman strength and skills gifted to her by eating random junk food. I hate to dwell on all this, but it stands out because the vague nature of the plot kept it from being a better game. I’m not saying every game has to make perfect sense nor take itself seriously, but I do feel what’s here would have been so much more enjoyable if it wasn’t just trying to be cute all the time.

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That said, the main draw of Super Crush KO is the combat. It’s a brawler with platformer elements. Each of the game’s 16 stages (plus 4 boss fights and one tutorial area) has you move from section to section beating the living hell out of Ann’s poor robots. You’re gated in areas until you beat them all, and besides that, you’ll find traps such as buzz saws that move on tracks, spikes, lasers and more to screw with you. You have a wide variety of attacks at your disposal, and most of them require energy. Once you run out, you can’t do anything other than standard punches and kicks. Thankfully, each time you destroy a foe, they’ll spill energy gems for you that refill your meter, letting you keep on the pressure. You’ll have aerial corkscrews, ground pounds, uppercuts and more to wreck them with, as well as a handy gun that has unlimited ammo, but which overheats quickly. Most important of all is your dodge, which lets you avoid projectiles and breeze past charging foes. Conceptually, it all works perfectly, and most of the time I found the combat quite fun. The tricky part comes when you factor in the game’s primary replay value, the Rank system.

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To get a perfect score on any stage, you’ll basically need to get through it all without getting hit once. That might not sound so bad, but things get fast and furious, and enemies constantly teleport onto the screen, often surprising you. It’s also frustrating that your main attack combo draws you closer to foes, sometimes resulting in taking accidental damage. I also found that the aforementioned traps were a huge hassle when things got heated, and I often would get hit by a poorly placed laser or moving buzz saw. Generally speaking, I got a rank of A or S on most stages, but getting that along with perfect combos in each section was very difficult. And what’s worse, all you get for a perfect score is bragging rights. I’m a big proponent of performance unlocking content, and wish there were bonus stages or bosses that could be attained by doing exceptionally. Or hell, even an alternate ending or customization options. Without those, the game is quite short, as I managed to beat it in about 2 and a half hours.

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Generally in games like this I love the boss fights, but sadly that’s not the case in Super Crush KO. Don’t get me wrong, they were fun enough and challenging, but they also were far too similar. Even the boss models are nearly identical, all humanoid robots who run around attacking, then summon more tiny robots when they take enough damage. I would have liked all the bosses more if they were all totally distinct looking and had totally unique attack patterns. As it is, it felt a lot like just taking on slightly more powerful versions of the same enemy over and over.

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While most of the controls work seamlessly for the Switch version, the gun was problematic. It couldn’t fire through platforms, and overheated way too quickly. More troublesome was that you have to re-aim the gun with the left joystick, but most of the movement is relegated to the directional buttons. I really wish you could shift the gun cursor around by tapping the shoulder buttons. More than once I would be firing, a foe would teleport behind me, and by the time I had reoriented the gun, I was taking damage. Another issue I had combat-wise was how easy it was to lose track of where foes are when they swarm you. Given that the only warning you get for a pending attack is a visual cue, this was an issue. I would have loved if there was a distinct audio cue each time an attack was pending, cause then even if I lost track of where the foe was, I could still react in time. And though I loved the Super Beam KO finisher, I do wish the meter filled much faster for it. Usually I’d be lucky if I could use it twice in a single stage.

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I really hate harping on what Super Crush KO doesn’t do well, because overall there’s a lot I enjoyed about the experience. Honestly, if this had been a Metroidvania that was much more spread out and had really intriguing boss fights, this would have been a tremendous experience. In many ways, it reminded me of Guacamelee 2!, just a stripped down version. As it is, it’s still fun, it just feels like a light experience that could have been so much more. For example, I liked the combat and I liked the platforming, I just didn’t like them together. If they had separate sections with stage hazards and combat, and they didn’t mix, the game would have flowed so much more fluidly. And while I did love the art in the game, the music and sound effects were a different matter entirely. At best they were muted, at worst they were forgettable bubble gum fare.

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In the end, Super Crush KO isn’t quite an indie classic, but it also has some shining points. Though the plot is almost non-existent, the characters are cute. The combat is amazing when it isn’t slowed down by some awkward design, and it can flow very well. And the art is tremendously engaging. While I do feel $14.99 is a bit pricey for a game I beat in a little over two hours, I still am glad I got to cover it. Vertex Pop has the bones of an amazing game here, and I’m hopeful their next title reaches its full potential. If you like cute and colorful games and don’t mind something short and sweet, then I’d check out Super Crush KO.

[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3.5″]

Review Copy Provided by Developer

REVIEW: Super Crush KO Title Super Crush KO

[kinggeorgesfieldsportsclub-blog]

February Field activity all lined up……………..

Friday 3rd February  2017

The last few days has seen ongoing improvements down at King George’s Field.

Gym Equipment The final two pieces of new equipment have now been installed with a “stepper” machine and a “chest press “ making up the final full range. The signage with instructions and information on how to use will be fitted next week marking the completion of this new facility.

Children’s Play Area After consultation with our contractors, a section of the safety floor has been replaced. The previous section was showing unexpected signs of water filtering up to the surface and holes had appeared in a certain area of the play area. Hopefully this warranty repair will ensure that the surface remains dry and free of trip hazards for the future as it is getting plenty of use even in winter months!.

Services to the Store & Toilet The final connection for water and power supply is scheduled to take place week commencing 26th February. There will be some unavoidable disruption in Church Lane and the track by Western Power and Severn Trent. Hopefully this will be minimal and will mean that we can then put plans in place for public use of the toilets and certain times. This is great news and we are extremely grateful for everyone’s patience in what has been a painful process.

Barford United at Home THIS Sunday The under 11 team play at home this week at 2pm and will be proudly wearing their new kit. Generous sponsorship by Barford Community Charity has enabled the club to secure additional commercial sponsorship for two seasons from a local company plus 6 donations from club patrons. The new kit will be unveiled prior to kick off as they prepare for their third home game of the season. Pop down and support the children who are receiving great support from parents, families and friends who offer cakes, hot drinks and refreshments to anyone wandering along and enjoy getting involved. The team atmosphere really is great to see and the children are so grateful that they can wear their Barford strip with pride.

Barford Sports Club News Last month the committee met and discussed lots of ongoing issues and exciting planned activities for the Field. A newsletter will be published and distributed to all households in March giving news of a whole range of topics which will be covered in later e news  updates :

• Barford Family Field Festival – Friday 9th June (Cheese, Wine and Classical Evening under the stars held in our event marquee at the Field – limited ticket availability) • Saturday 10th June  – Activity Day and Evening with sports competitions, games for all , real ale bar , live musical entertainment , pig roast and dancing to a fantastic popular band to celebrate the first year re opening of King George’s Field • Details of tennis, netball, bowls, cricket, football and dog agility sessions for all the community

SAVE THE DATES NOW AS THIS WIL BE AN ANNUAL EVENT Enjoy the rest of your weekend and enjoy YOUR Field

The Barford Sports Club Team Our sponsor and supporter Barford Village Shop have asked us to remind everyone that  new volunteers are always welcome to join the team – give something back to your community and pop in to see Corenna Jennings our Manager in the shop for more details