Crashlands
Overview -
Butterscotch Shenanigans consists of Adam, Sam, and Seth Coster, three brothers based in St. Louis, Missouri. 'Crashlands' began its life in 2013 after the brothers abandoned an endless runner they had been working on, and it was greenlit on Steam last year. The PC version is accompanied by Android and iOS editions, which support cross play.
Video Review
'Crashlands' has a colorful and vivid palette, with cutesy, cartoonish characters and whimsical animations. All of the cutscenes are in-engine and usually quick, which I appreciated as I was keen to get back into the gameplay. Some textures are fuzzy, like the menus and map, but the game has almost no slowdowns.
Audio Review
The music, done by St. Louis-based Fat Bard, is a winning mixture of upbeat, high-tempo chiptunes and more easygoing instrumentals. The theme song in particular is amazing. The duo also did the sound effects, which are evocative of the older games that inspired Butterscotch.
Final Thoughts
'Crashlands' has heart and soul in spades. It is capricious, engrossing, and highly addictive. It has such a pleasant mix of genres that it can be appealing to a wide variety of gamers, not just the ones who enjoy a good craft. Its flaws, like the slow start and smudgy menus, are small and easily overlooked.
