Crate Crew is currently being rebuilt from a collection of dusty disks and water damaged notes. I estimate it's about 90% complete.
Crate Crew (1987)
Controls
- arrows: Move
- z: Change character
- x: Restart
Description
A team-based puzzle game where players must push crates onto targets using a crew of specialized workers. Each character has different movement and strength abilities, making teamwork essential!
Restoration challenges...
Originally found on a prototype Beep8 cartridge with missing sprites. Reconstructed character animations based on a rediscovered notebook.
Notes
Gameplay
Crate Crew is a block pushing game that takes the classic crate-pushing puzzle formula and expands it with multiple characters. Players must switch between workers to maneuver crates into position while avoiding dead ends.
Each level presents new challenges, requiring careful planning to ensure every crate reaches its destination. Crate Crew is (so far) the most complex puzzle game on Beep8, and it’s surprising how much strategy it packed into its small file size.
Restoration Story
This game was discovered on an unmarked Beep8 cartridge with no visible labels. The ROM was partially corrupted, missing some of the character sprites and sound effects. Fortunately, there were some old notebooks with what looked like character designs, which helped me reconstruct the missing animations.
Interestingly, there are remnants of a level editor hidden in the code, though it appears unfinished and I haven’t bothered to make it functional. Was Loadstar Software planning a more ambitious version of the game? Or was it an internal tool that never made it into the final release?