Pineapple Smash Crew

A fun little bite-sized roguelite from the early years. It's a fun romp with zany explosions and a surprisingly bumpin soundtrack as well. I kind of wish there was more lore and that the end game was a little more fleshed out, but for a fun couple hours of gameplay it's a definite recommend.

So Pineapple Smash Crew,

Believe it or not this is actually one of the first games i picked up on this platform, it just happened to pass by one day and after seeing the neo-retro artstyle my compulsive little gamer brain had decided to buy it before my parents' bank account could ever object.

But enough personal exposition. What's the game like i hear you ask.
Well in terms of gameplay it stays true to that retro feel i mentioned earlier. Though i don't see that as a bad thing (and i'm never wrong), the mechanics that are here feel more polished because of it. The roguelike crew-management mechanics are a nice touch too and incentivise you to actually think and strategize rather than going in guns a blazing, though there is still more than enough opportunity for that don't worry.

Closely tied to this aforementioned strategising is the grenade mechanic. In the game each of your soldiers can carry a grenade, these 'nades come in many different types with each having their own unique behaviour. This is in my humble gamer opinion one of the most important mechanics in the game, as it not only directly affects the way you play this game but also allows you to quickly switch up your style of gameplay if things aren't really working out. Wanna take things more slow? Take the shield and heal grenade. Need some more firepower? Use the laser and missile grenades. You get the point.

Is all of this worth 10 bucks though? If you'd ask me i'd probably say why not? I don't mind supporting indie developers and to me that more than makes up for the extra costs. But if you're short on money i'd suggest you put this on your wishlist and wait for the next steam sale. Because if you like top-down retro shooters, i think this should be right up your alley.

Oh and P.S: Game's got a dope soundtrack

I have thought about this game a lot since 2012. Sure it isn't that great as a complete package, but there is something really special about it. Maybe if Rich had more time to add content or some help, this game would have really been something extraordinary. What we got is great but flawed nonetheless. I hold this title dear to my heart for inspiring me to enter the industry, and for being a labor of love that never quite reached the heights it could have.

To me, PSC is very bittersweet. I don't know how Rich is doing. I wish him the best. But this game gained little traction. I can't imagine it could sustain a career for long. Everything about the game oozes with a love for gaming. The controls are crisp and the main loop of clearing out ships on pro-merc is a blazing fast expedition of twitchy reflexes and planning. But that is all there is. Every level feels the same, which is a massive shame. A game like this could have really left a mark on the indie scene, but it just couldn't dress its beautiful bones in enough meat. This is likely the result of the project being a solo endeavor. Making a game is REALLY hard, especially when you are alone. Props to Rich, but I wish there was more. 9 years later and I still wish for a sequel to go deeper.

I recommend PSC to anyone who thinks it looks cool and isn't expecting something too deep. If you are looking for especially deep gameplay, well designed levels, or a wealth of content, then you may want to pass.

Sad to see they didn’t continue to develop this. It is a fun game. Co-op would be a lot of fun. Especially on the cough with friends.

You might get an hour or 2 of fun out of this but once you have finished your first ship you have seen pretty much everything the game has to offer. You just repeat the process over and over again.

This game will mostly appeal to fans of 8-bit designs and twin-stick shooters, as it's a well-made game fusing those two things. The game is colorful and loud, with frantic twin-stick, top-down shooter controls (i.e. left stick moves your squad around with aiming/ shooting taking place via where right stick is aimed.) Fans of retro chiptune style music will find some enjoyment from this soundtrack, as hefty explosions fill the rooms from the various weapons you throw out to annihilate the enemies including screen-filling grenades and various missiles and turrets.

What bothers me about this game the most is that it seems like you are more often a victim of friendly fire and exploding barrels more than the minimal attacks from enemies, making for a somewhat clumsy feeling level of player interactivity. I think this is somewhat intentional with the game, however.. as you seem to be making a mad dash through the levels to complete the various objectives before a timer/"radiation" begins to automatically do damage per second to your party until they are dead if you take too long to complete the objectives, which some players may find annoying to be racing against a clock to complete the levels and not able to explore freely.

The game could use more boss or objective variety, with objectives ranging from pushing puck-like objects into incinerators on the map or eliminating all enemies, but the main gameplay of running from room to room and eliminating the enemies is fun. The gear you can buy your characters seems pointless and very limited to just a few helmets / hats that don't seem to affect their stats or weapons at all and are cosmetic-only(?). You may end up unlocking more gear as your characters level up, but I'm not certain as I haven't had any characters live for very long.

I got this game on sale and enjoy 8-bit design aesthetics, and enjoy booting it up now and again to try to progress through a few levels and see how long I can have my guys live for. I'm uncertain if there is an end-game or if it's endless levels, but it's fun to boot up and mash through a few stages with its frequent explosions and enjoyable chiptune soundtrack. I think 9.99 for its default asking price is a bit high, and would feel better about snagging it under a 5$ pricepoint.

What can I say It's a great little hidden gem of a game, not exactly a story driven title but a great title none the less. Blinding soundtrack, lovely graphics, just a generally great top down isometric shooter. Good for killing some time or if you just wanna get lost in a sea of pixelated explosions with an absolute killer Chiptune soundtrack in the background.

I am not sure why this game has so many positive reviews. It doesn't quite feel finished. It is highly repetive and does not seem to have much variety. The moment to moment gameplay consistes of an isometric view squad based shooter, where you can pick up usable items, such as grenades, shields, health, and other, and you go around randomly generated levels shooting stuff and avoiding having your squad members killed. You can buy heads and thing but so far I haven't seen any items you can purchase upgrades for.

As of right now this feels like a beta, not a finished product.

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).

The game is fantasticly fun, though I suggest waiting for a sale as its a relatively lite on content for $10. $5 is a reasonable price.

Pros:
-Quality cartoon sci-fi art
-Absolutely fantastic music
-Solid core shooting mechanics
-Good weapon variety and enemy variety

Cons:
-A little overpriced
-There are only 3 mission types
-It took me only 2 hours to get 67% of the way through a game. I plan on replaying it a few times, but still seems fairly short.
-Gets a tad repetitive, this is an afternoon shooter.

(some tips for new players: Use your grenades all of the time everytime, use health items when safe from enemies, and when you select party upgrades don't pick anything fancy, stick to the most straightforward destructive forces as you wont have the state of mind to use the more tricksy weaponry effectively in the heat of the moment.)

This game is great. Completely underated in my opinion. It has everything you need for a good arcade game: Top-down perspective, guns, and explosions. You know what else has explosions? America. You know what rhymes with America? Pineapple Smash Crew. Buy this to support America.

Crazy game. Awesome and hectic top-down shooty action. Bright colours, a good sense of humour and an utterly fantastic chiptune soundtrack from Syphus, this is not one to miss.

Levels are randomly generated, and get larger as you progress. Lots of unlockable 'grenades' with all kind of effects from standard explosions, to healing and teleportation. Adjusting your approach on the fly based on what grenades you have is great fun.

It's kind of a shame the controller support is only sorta-implemented though.

It's a simple little game that's fun to play in short spurts, 10-30 mins at a time. A perfect "coffee break" game. Charming graphics and soundtrack, and some neat tactical run 'n gun gameplay.

The only criticism is that there's not much to do with your XP and credits that you earn in game. Unlock a new grenade, get a bump in health and damage, and buy hats for your dudes, but that's it.. Feels like a missed opportunity.

This game is surprisingly fun despite the reviews. Although it could use a bit more content this game is a guaranteed waste of time in a very good way. Great for short and sweet playthroughs.

Noticed this as a daily deal, thought I'd throw a recommendation in. Disregard the low metacritic score (though if you think metacritic is a valid source of info - lol). This game is shit loads of fun; just an all around "retro" type of feel to the gameplay.

Just when I thought I had enough of twin stick shooters, along comes Pineapple Smash Crew. Is it any good ? Yes. Yes, it is. Is it the best one so far ? No.

It's an indie game with a cute, retro look. And since it's an indie game, you can't really compare it to the bigger (retail) titles, qualitywise. That doesn't mean it isn't any good though.

So, like practically all twin stick shooters, you just run around with your crew and kill enemies and objects. Destroying stuff will earn you XP, credits and grenades, which you can use to eventually upgrade your grenades or buy reinforcements when necessary. Grenades are actually an important part of the game. Almost every enemy leaves behind a random grenade. These range from healing grenades to missile grenades, and they're fun to use and the key to success as the missions get increasingly harder.

Missions are randomly generated, maps as well. But the designs are so similar that it's hardly noticeable. It will keep you coming back though.

[Rating: 71/100]

A fun arcadey shooter that's all about explosions! I get an 80's vibe just playing it...kind of reminds me of Smash TV, but with minor RPG leveling and a de-emphasis on fabulous cash prizes. All in all, a very fun game for a low price.

Pineapple Smash Crew is a one of a kind game. Its a shooter, sort of... an RPG, sort of... and an absolute blast (no sort of for this one). Your crew, consisting of 4 blocky individual space marines who look like Lego characters have to complete goals ranging from removing the "toxins" from the ship to killing big bad bosses. Your arsenel isnt based on guns though, it is based on your ability to use special grenades (health, missles, teleport, shield, machine gun, laser, etc). You unlock more grenades as you progress on, leveling up your team. If one of your mates dies, hes dead for good and is replaced by a strangely named marine (Lost Master Chief on my first level..::tear::) Overall this game is a joy to play, and an indie must have!

Presentation: 9/10
Graphics: 10/10 (I personally love retro graphics)
Sound: 10/10 (Utterly banging soundtrack, look it up on youtube)
Controls: 10/10 (Easy manuverability)
Replayability: 9/10

Overall: 10/10

Simple yet addictive fun in the oldskool arcade style. This game definitely gives a lot of BANG for your buck as you'll be flinging grenades into all directions, dodging one explosion after another as you shoot your way through each randomly generated space ship.

Cannot. Recommend. Enough. This game has more personality, gameplay and joy in it's measley 15mbs then some games manage in 15gbs. It's a case of the easy to learn, hard to master trope when it comes to employing the different types of grenade to their most devasting effects and getting used to the dynamic behaviour of the humble yet ever present explosion. However even the simplest of lucky shots or corner rebounds are satisfying thanks to the bright effects and puddles of pixelated mush enemies leave behind.

It is not the deepest game, but highly satisfying and perfect for either one quick mission or an hour or two of blasting your way through wrecked ships.

This game is a well crafted throwback to arcade cabinet shooters that I so fondly remember. Not as fondly as my dad, of course, who (thanks to me) sunk more money in quarters than he would like to admit. While the gameplay and aesthetics are more than enough to keep you blasting at robotic spiders and Frankenstein-esque zombies, the soundtrack is truly admirable, with the main theme paying homage to seventies crime-drama films with a sprinkle of Atari 2600 mixed in. All in all, Pineapple Smash Crew is a fun romp and definitely worth your time.