Super QuickHook

Super QuickHook is a 2010 mobile 2D platform game developed and published by Rocketcat Games. The game released on June 17, 2010, for iOS devices, with an Android port releasing later on July 23, 2015.[2] The game is a spiritual successor to 2009's Hook Champ, and follows its playing characters traversing two-dimensional levels, primarily using a grappling hook.[3]

Super QuickHook
Official cover art showing some of the game's characters swinging using grappling hooks
Developer(s)Rocketcat Games
Publisher(s)Rocketcat Games
Designer(s)Kepa Auwae
Programmer(s)Jeremy Orlando
Artist(s)Brandon Rhodes
Composer(s)Andrea Chang[lower-alpha 1]
Cecill Etheredge[lower-alpha 1]
SeriesHook Champ
Platform(s)iOS
Android
ReleaseiOS
  • WW: June 17, 2010
Android
  • WW: July 23, 2015
Genre(s)2D platformer
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The game was developed by a team of three people: Kepa Auwae, Jeremy Orlando, and Brandon Rhodes. Auwae designed the game, Orlando was the lead programmer, and Rhodes was the lead artist.[4] Super QuickHook received "universal acclaim" from critics, scoring a Metascore of 96/100 on review aggregator Metacritic,[5] making it tied for the 23rd highest-rated game on the website.[6] Critics praised QuickHook's grappling hook mechanic, with Slide to Play stating that it makes the game a "blast to play".[7]

Gameplay
One of the game's playable characters, Jakob, swinging across a cave using a grappling hook

Super QuickHook is a 2D platformer where players play as one of 6 different characters as they traverse terrain and levels using a grappling hook,[3] which is used by touching the screen.[8] The player also has a pair of rocket boots,[9] which can propel the player forward when used, in addition to Slick-pants, which allows players to slide.[10] The game is divided into four modes: story, avalanche, eruption, and duel. In the story mode, players attempt to clear 22 different levels,[11][3] which are scattered with coins and hidden areas.[8] Later levels introduce other obstacles and mechanics, such as spikes that the grappling hook can't grapple onto.[12] The avalanche mode is a high score-based endless runner where the player attempts to escape an incoming avalanche. The eruption mode is alike the avalanche mode, with the only noted differences being its higher difficulty[3] and that the player has to avoid a volcano eruption, rather than an avalanche.[13] The levels in the avalanche and eruption modes are randomly-generated and, like the story mode, also feature coins.[3] In the duel mode, players battle others in the avalanche mode, with the person lasting the longest being the winner.[12]

After clearing a level, players receive store credit, the amount of which is dependant on the time it took the player to beat the level and the number of coins collected. The game's original iOS release featured integration with the social media platform OpenFeint, which allowed players to record their playthroughs and to race ghosts of other people's records. The developers also published their ghosts, some of which players are required to beat to access certain levels.[9]

In the in-game shop, players can spend the store credit they've earned in the different modes to upgrade their items and to buy hats that can be worn by the player character.[3] Players can also optionally converse with visitors of the shop.[13] Following a July 2010 update, the game featured achievements,[11] which awarded players that performed specific actions or goals in the game. Unlike Hook Champ, which was 8-bit, Super QuickHook had a 16-bit-style.[8]

Development and release
Designer Kepa Auwae at PAX Prime 2015.

Super QuickHook was developed by the American company Rocketcat Games, consisting of Kepa Auwae, Jeremy Orlando, and Brandon Rhodes, and was their second major mobile title.[14] Auwae designed the game, Orlando programmed it, and Rhodes took the role of the lead artist.[4] The game used production music by Andrea Chang and Cecill Etheredge.[1]

During early development, Super QuickHook was internally referred to as "Avalanche Game", which was due to the game's avalanche mode.[15] In a podcast with TouchArcade, designer Kepa Auwae described the game's development as "building on the fun" Rocketcat Games had when playing the 2009 endless runner title, Canabalt.[16] The game's level design is based on a "classic principle" invented by Nintendo; it first shows a mechanic in a simple context and then proceeds to use it in more difficult and challenging scenarios.[12]

Leading up to the game's launch, Rocketcat Games posted gameplay screenshots and trailers for the game.[17][18][19] In early June 2010, Rocketcat Games submitted Super QuickHook to Apple for release on the App Store.[20][21] The submission was accepted, and the game released on iPhone and iPad on June 17, 2010.[22] Following the game's launch, multiple updates were released, which added new content to the game.[11][13] An Android port was released on July 23, 2015.[2] Super QuickHook was removed from the App Store following the iOS 11 update, which removed all 32-bit applications from iOS devices;[23] however, the game was re-released by GameClub on the same platform as a part of their service on October 25, 2019.[24]

Reception

Super QuickHook received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game has a Metascore of 96 out of 100,[5] making it the third highest-rated mobile game on the aggregator,[28] and tied as the 23rd highest-rated game overall.[6] Critics directed praise at the game's grappling hook feature, with Tracy Erickson of Pocket Gamer calling it "equally [as] fun" as the first film in the American media series Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark,[9] which has been described by critics as one of the most "deliriously funny, ingenious[,] and stylish" American adventure films made.[29] Super QuickHook was the highest-rated mobile game on Metacritic in 2010.[30]

Super QuickHook was seen as an improvement from its predecessor, Hook Champ.[3] Critics were happy that Toothy, who chased players down in Hook Champ, had been removed from the game,[10] as it allowed players to explore levels "at [their] own pace".[7]

The game's levels were praised by critics; Jared Nelson of TouchArcade praised the details contained within them, citing how flocks of birds sometimes fly out of trees when players get nearby.[3] Andrew Nesvadba of AppSpy praised the secrets and collectibles in the levels, as they awarded players who chose to explore.[8] Erickson criticized the difficulty of unlocking later levels in the game, stating that "the bar [was] set unnecessarily high".[9]

The game's avalanche mode was also praised by critics; Multiplayer.it's Andrea Palmisano called it "pleasant" and also said that it was a good way to earn store credit.[27] Eurogamer contributor Rich Stanton cited the mode for being where the grappling hook mechanic is at its "purest".[12]

The game's integration with OpenFeint was praised by Erickson, calling it "phenomenal".[9] Joe Martin of bit-tech stated that the avalanche mode is a "real challenge" for veterans of Hook Champ and was happy that experienced players could compare scores through the integration.[10]

Sequel

In December 2010, Rocketcat Games released a sequel to Super QuickHook, titled Hook Worlds.[lower-alpha 3] The sequel is a collection of 4 endless runner games, but with Super QuickHook's grappling hook mechanic.[32] According to Metacritic, the game received "generally favorably reviews."[33]

Notes
  1. Through production music.[1]
  2. Based on 9 reviews.
  3. Also known as Hook Swing Worlds.[31]

References
  1. Rocketcat Games (June 17, 2010). Super QuickHook (iOS, Android). Level/area: Credits.
  2. Cowley, Ric (July 22, 2015). "Silver Award-winning Super QuickHook swings onto Android after five years on iOS". Pocket Gamer. Imagine Media. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  3. Nelson, Jared (September 23, 2010). "'Super QuickHook' Review – The Spiritual Successor to Hook Champ (Now With Blast Processing)". TouchArcade. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  4. "About the Developers". RocketCat Games. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  5. "Super QuickHook for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  6. "Top Results for """. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  7. "Super QuickHook Review". Slide to Play. February 22, 2011. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  8. Nesvadba, Andrew (June 17, 2010). "Super QuickHook Review". AppSpy. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  9. Erickson, Tracy (June 17, 2010). "Super QuickHook". Pocket Gamer UK. Imagine Media. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  10. Martin, Joe (June 29, 2010). "iPhone Review: Super Quick Hook". bit-tech. The Media Team. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  11. Brown, Mark (July 13, 2010). "Super QuickHook gets new levels, hats, secrets, and achievements in update". Pocket Gamer. Imagine Media. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  12. Stanton, Rich (February 20, 2012). "App of the Day: Super Quickhook". Eurogamer. Eurogamer Network. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  13. Wilson, Will (September 3, 2010). "Super QuickHook on iPhone gets a huge super update - new mode, level, characters". Pocket Gamer. Imagine Media. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  14. GamesIndustry International (June 17, 2010). "Super QuickHook". GamesIndustry.biz. Eurogamer Network. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  15. Squires, Jim (May 5, 2010). "Super QuickHook Preview". GameZebo. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  16. Hodapp, Eli (February 3, 2010). "Rocketcat Games' Upcoming 'Avalanche Game' Details". TouchArcade. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  17. Brown, Mark (April 21, 2010). "Exclusive: new screenshots of Super Quickhook: Hook Champ successor". Pocket Gamer. Imagine Media. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  18. Brown, Mark (May 25, 2010). "Exclusive trailer for Super Quickhook" (video). Pocket Gamer. Imagine Media. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  19. arn (April 5, 2010). "Exclusive 'Super Quick Hook' Gameplay Video from 'Hook Champ' Developers". TouchArcade. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  20. arn (June 4, 2010). "'Super QuickHook' Submitted, New Video and Screens". TouchArcade. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  21. Brown, Mark (June 4, 2010). "iPhone Super Quickhook submitted to App Store, out soon". Pocket Gamer. Imagine Media. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  22. "Rocketcat Games Releases Super QuickHook, Sequel To Smash Hit iOS Game Hook Champ". Gamasutra. Informa. June 18, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  23. Funnell, Rob (September 20, 2017). "A List of the Best iPhone Games That Will Die With iOS 11: Your Guide to the 32-Bit Appocalypse". TouchArcade. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  24. Clover, Juli (September 9, 2019). "GameClub Set to Launch This Fall With 50+ Classic iOS Games for One Monthly Fee". MacRumors. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  25. Rigney, Ryan (June 21, 2010). "App Store Games of the Week: June 18th Edition". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  26. Pikover, James (May 4, 2012). "Super Quickhook review". GameZone. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  27. Palmisano, Andrea (September 14, 2010). "Super QuickHook - Recensione" [Super QuickHook - Review]. Multiplayer.it (in Italian). Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  28. "Best iPhone/iPad Video Games of All Time". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  29. Canby, Vincent (June 12, 1981). "'Raiders of the Lost Ark'". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  30. Dietz, Jason (December 21, 2010). "The Best iPhone and iPad Games of 2010". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  31. Brown, Mark (September 28, 2010). "Rocketcat announces 59p QuickHook iPhone sequel, Hook Swing Worlds". Pocket Gamer. Imagine Media. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  32. Nelson, Jared (December 18, 2010). "'Hook Worlds' Review – Hooking Invades the Endless Running Genre". TouchArcade. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  33. "Hook Worlds for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
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