Wikipedia

Crossy Road

Crossy Roadis anaction gamereleased on November 20, 2014. It was developed and published on iOS by Australian video game developerHipster Whaleand originallyyodo1on Android. The name and concept of the game play on theriddle joke"Why did the chicken cross the road?"[3]It has been described asendless runnerversion of the 1981 video gameFrogger.[4][5][6]After June 2017, the publisher for the Android version ofCrossy Roadwas changed from yodo1 to Hipster Whale.[7]

Crossy Road
App icon
Developer(s)Hipster Whale
yodo1
Publisher(s)Hipster Whale
yodo1 (pre Dec 2017)
EngineUnity
Platform(s)iOS,iPadOS,tvOS,Android,Android TV,Windows Phone,Windows,Series 30+,Sky Q,KaiOS
ReleaseiOS
  • WW:November 20, 2014
Android
  • WW:December 23, 2014
Windows Phone
  • WW:May 1, 2015
tvOS
  • WW:October 30, 2015
Nokia 105 (2017)[1] KaiOS[2]
  • WW:2019
Genre(s)Endless runner
Mode(s)Single-player,multiplayer(tvOS)

Gameplay and objectives

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The chicken, near the bottom, waiting for a yellow car to pass

The objective ofCrossy Roadis to move a character through an endless path of static and moving obstacles as far as possible without dying. By default, the character is a chicken that must cross a series of busy roads, rivers and active train tracks, but there are hundreds of other characters, and depending on the character the environment around also changes, with the obstacles varying. For example, when playing as the Astronaut, the environment is space and obstacles include asteroids.

In the original mobile version, the player must hop to go forward or swipe the screen in the appropriate direction to move the character horizontally or backwards. Some characters can only be unlocked with cash or ingame currency.

There are a number of special characters in addition to regular characters. For example, theAndroidversion includes Android Robot, based on the operating system'sAndroid logo.Other characters includeDoge,Archie,Dark Lord, the mascot ofHipster Whaleand #thedress, a female character wearing thedress of the same name.Variouspopular culturereferences and games are also included, such asForget-Me-Notand "Emo Goose" voiced byPhil Lester.

The player is able to collect coins; an in-game currency, characterised by its golden-yellowish color, squarish shape and red C in its middle. These are obtained in-game by collection during gameplay, watching advertisements, completing tasks, collecting a free gift given every few real-time hours, and using legal currency to buy them in various amounts. Coins are counted the top right corner of the screen. One hundred coins can be used for a chance at a new character from a lottery machine.[8]If the player owns the Piggy Bank mascot, red coins worth five coins each are added to the game, and coins received from free gifts or watching ads are doubled.

Hipster Whalefounders and game developers Matt Hall and Andy Sum atGame Developers Conference

Development

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Initially the developers planned to spend only six weeks developing the game, but afterwards realized the game's potential and dedicated another six weeks to completing it.[9]The game's free-to-play model was based on the one forDota 2.[10]

A big influence on the team was the success of the gameFlappy Bird.Developer Matt Hall noted that "That was when people really wanted to play high-score chasing games, and they were telling people about it, and there was this cool opportunity."[11]Eventually Hall hit upon combining such a game withFrogger.[11]Other influences includedTemple Run,Subway Surfers,Disco Zoo,Skylanders,Tiny WingsandFez.[12]The game's art style was created by Ben Weatherall.[13]

Reception

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The game was a finalist for the Game of the Year Award 2014 for the Australian Game Developer Awards.[14]It received generally positive reviews withMetacriticgiving the game a score of 88,[15]TouchArcadegiving the game 5/5 stars,[8]BigBoomBoom.comgiving the game 5/5 stars,[16]Gamezebo Gaminggiving the game 4.5/5 stars,[17]andApple N' Appsgiving the game a 4/5 overall score.[18]Polygondubbed the game "brilliant" and compared it as an updated take onFrogger,[4]whileTimecalled the game a mix ofFroggerandFlappy Bird.[19]At the 2015 Apple WWDC developer's conference,Crossy Roadwas one of the winners of the 2015 Apple Design Awards.[20]

Three months after its initial release, the game earned over $10 million and had over 50 million downloads.[21]

Flat Eric,best known for his appearances inLevi'scommercials in 1999, as well as the music video forFlat Beatis anunlockable character.[22]

Spin-offs

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Disney Crossy Road

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In 2016, Hipster Whale andDisney Interactive Studioslaunched a spin-off video game calledDisney Crossy RoadoniOS,Android,Windows Phone,Windows 8.1,[a]andWindows 10[a]devices. It features Disney characters likeMickey MouseandDonald Duck,as well as some characters from numerous Disney franchises such asZootopia,Big Hero 6,The Lion King,Tangled,Wreck-It Ralph,Moana,Pixar'sToy Story,Cars,The IncrediblesandInside Out.At launch, the game features over 100 characters.[24]

Disney Crossy Roadwas shut down on iOS, Google, and Amazon on March 12, 2020.[25]

Crossy Road Castle

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Crossy Road Castleis an endless co-op platformer that acts as a sequel toCrossy Road,available only onApple Arcade.[26]It supports up to four players and can be played with either touch controls or a controller.[27]Players are placed in a procedurally generated tower spanning multiple levels and must work together to reach the exit.

CroZXy Road

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With the permission of Hipster Whale, Bob Smith re-wroteCrossy Roadfor theZX81,an 8-bit computer from the 1980s.[28]In Smith's words, one of the motivations for porting the game "is to prove that there are some great modern game ideas which don't rely on amazing graphics or great processing power, and could work just as well on much older machines."[29]The ZX81 version was released in 2015.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^abWindows version was discontinued after version 2.8.[23]

References

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  1. ^HMD Global (17 July 2017)."The new Nokia 105 and Nokia 130 delivers even better value with great quality designs".Archived fromthe originalon 3 June 2020.Retrieved18 April2018.
  2. ^Ambre M (27 December 2023)."10 All-time classic games on your KaiOS phone".Retrieved3 January2024.
  3. ^Barker, Garry (11 March 2015)."More than fun and games with local developers Rylandia".Digital Life.Fairfax Media.Archivedfrom the original on 26 June 2015.Retrieved22 March2015.
  4. ^abKuchera, Ben (21 November 2014)."Crossy Road has invented the 'endless Frogger,' and it's brilliant".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on 28 November 2019.Retrieved23 November2014.
  5. ^Hayward, Andrew (26 December 2014)."You Should Play: Crossy Road is basically endless Frogger, and that's a very good thing".Macworld.Archivedfrom the original on 19 August 2020.Retrieved3 October2015.
  6. ^Rosenberg, Adam (9 September 2015)."'Crossy Road' brings a new take on its 'endless Frogger' to Apple TV ".Mashable.Archivedfrom the original on 27 November 2020.Retrieved3 October2015.
  7. ^"Crossy Road - Android Apps on Google Play".9 June 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 9 June 2017.Retrieved19 May2024.
  8. ^abDotson, Carter (21 November 2014)."Crossy Road" Review - Watch Out for That Train! ".TouchArcade. Archived fromthe originalon 2 May 2017.Retrieved23 November2014.
  9. ^Kidman, Angus (18 December 2014)."Why Crossy Road's Developers Launched On Android Through Amazon".Lifehacker Australia.Archivedfrom the original on 8 August 2020.Retrieved27 December2014.
  10. ^Te, Zorine (24 December 2014)."Crossy Road's Surprising Success, Future Secrets, Dota 2 Connection".Gamespot.Archivedfrom the original on 11 November 2020.Retrieved27 December2014.
  11. ^abPartridge, Jon."Crossy Road: Making the next Flappy Bird".Red Bull.Archivedfrom the original on 27 October 2021.Retrieved27 November2020.
  12. ^"Matt Hall (@KlickTock) on Twitter".Twitter.28 November 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 21 April 2016.Retrieved15 January2015.
  13. ^"Ben Weatherall (@sunraheadgear) on Twitter".Twitter.8 August 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 4 April 2017.Retrieved22 February2017.
  14. ^"Australian Game Developer Awards Finalists Announced".GCAP. 15 October 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 28 February 2015.
  15. ^"Crossy Road - Endless Arcade Hopper iOS".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2020.Retrieved25 November2014.
  16. ^"Crossy Road iPhone and Android Game Review".Big Boom Boom.20 January 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 20 January 2015.
  17. ^Cymet, Eli (20 November 2014)."Crossy Road Review: Traffic's a Zoo".Gamezebo Gaming.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2019.Retrieved23 November2014.
  18. ^Sheridan, Trevor (20 November 2014)."Crossy Road – Enjoying Crossing To The Other Side".Apple N' Apps. Archived fromthe originalon 31 July 2017.Retrieved23 November2014.
  19. ^Fitzpatrick, Alex (24 November 2014)."Crossy Road Is Your New iPhone Game Addiction".Time.
  20. ^Starr, Michelle (9 June 2015)."Crossy Road, Vainglory take Apple Design Awards".CNET.Archivedfrom the original on 24 September 2018.Retrieved10 June2015.
  21. ^Tach, Dave (3 March 2015)."They wanted to make a video game phenomenon. They made $10 million. The story of Crossy Road".Polygon.Vox Media.Archivedfrom the original on 12 February 2021.Retrieved5 September2015.
  22. ^"'Crossy Road' Dinosaur Update: Unlock New Secret Characters in the Latest Game Update ".13 September 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 28 July 2023.Retrieved8 March2020.
  23. ^"Disney Crossy Road version 2.8 will be the final Windows update".crossy-road.com.Disney Interactive Studios. 29 May 2017.Retrieved5 June2017.
  24. ^Farokhmanesh, Megan (7 April 2016)."Disney Crossy Road launches today for mobile devices".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2020.Retrieved12 April2016.
  25. ^"Disney Crossy Road is being retired on iOS, Google and Amazon".Disney.Archivedfrom the original on 13 February 2020.Retrieved12 February2020.
  26. ^"Apple Arcade's latest exclusive is a new Crossy Road spinoff".theverge.27 February 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2022.Retrieved2 December2020.
  27. ^"Hipster Whale's Crossy Road Castle brings goofy laughs to Apple Arcade".venturebeat.March 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 28 June 2022.Retrieved2 December2020.
  28. ^Smith, Bob (2016)."CroZXy Road - Bob's Stuff".itch.io.Archivedfrom the original on 26 June 2022.Retrieved3 July2023.
  29. ^Smith, Bob (23 January 2016)."CroZXy Road - New 16K ZX81 game - Sinclair ZX80 / ZX81 / Z88 Forums".Sinclair ZX World.Archivedfrom the original on 3 July 2023.Retrieved3 July2023.
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