Why Super Crate Box Reminds Me of My Father

There is a reason that I find myself hopelessly addicted to Super Crate Box after no game has held my attention for months.

It reminds me the kind of game my father would play.

Now, the visual style of Super Crate Box certainly alludes to a generation not my own. The initial level looks straight out of Donkey Kong, and the characters would fit into such a game seamlessly. However, when I say I’m reminded of my father, I’m referring to something more.

I certainly don’t meant it to be uncomplimentary (against the game or my father). I mean he’s simply used to a different breed of games than the ones we’re used to. He keeps his cool at the helm of a Galaga cabinet with one credit left. He has seen levels in Ms. Pac-Man that I’ve never dreamed of.

Super Crate Box is a hard game, much like many classics. In fact, to say it’s a “hard game” is putting it lightly. It’s a really, really hard game. If you finally manage to grasp the normal mode, those which follow are practically murder. I’d imagine the acronym behind “SMFT Mode” is less than pleasant.

I typically hate hard games. If something is too difficult, it sucks the fun out of the experience. Super Crate Box isn’t that type of game. It has a “just one more round” infectious quality that can keep you playing for hours. You never feel punished, just challenged. It reminds me of games like Sinistar, or other games from the same era, which I spent my youth playing alongside my father.

If he or I had found this game sitting in an arcade, we’d likely be broke. In my opinion, that’s the best compliment I could ever hope to give such a title.