It’s April, which means it’s Super Adventure Box (SAB) time again! For anyone new in Guild Wars 2, or just simply hasn’t come across it in-game before, SAB is quite simply a completely different game within GW2. It’s an entirely self-contained 8-bit platforming inspired mini-game, masterminded by Josh Foreman.
Although we’ll sadly never see World 3 & 4, Worlds 1 & 2 return every year in April. Why in April you ask? Well, because it was initially released on April 1, 2013, which caused many of us to think the whole thing was one big April Fool’s joke. I certainly never expected to see anything like this in any MMO because it’s so utterly different than anything else in GW2. I mean, just look at the original commercial for SAB. It seems like it had to be a joke. But it was great!
It wasn’t a joke, though, and we got one of the best updates we’ve seen in GW2. It’s one of the best because not only is it executed well, but it was something no one saw coming or even thought to ask for. And yet, it’s incredibly fun, and even though I am very jumping challenged, I’ve always enjoyed spending time in SAB. Honestly, just hanging out in the hub listening to the music is fun because it pays homage to old school platformers without merely copying them. They accomplished the task of making something innately familiar and yet new and unique.
As I have mentioned, I am very jumping challenged. As such, I very much appreciate infantile mode, especially in World 2. The happy little clouds which make pretty rainbows are just too enticing. Plus, the infantile mode allows players to ignore the clouds and do things the normal way and only fall back on the bridges when needed. This allows players to work their way up to normal gradually rather than having to jump right in, which can be overwhelming.
For people who love a challenge, there is also Tribulation mode, which, as the name implies, is a real trial to get through. You see, in normal mode, there are nearly always clues that will happen when you do something if you are paying attention. Even when a player isn’t paying attention, a mistake generally won’t just outright kill you. In tribulation mode, all bets are off because learning seems to happen through dying mostly… unless you have a cool friend to go through it with you and give you pointers. Although some of the jumps I had to make when I was giving tribulation a try seemed impossible. Of course, that just adds to the excitement when you succeed. Regardless of skill level, SAB has something for everyone.
One cool addition this year is the new Super Outlaw Raptor skin. I’m happy and disappointed this is skin isn’t available through playing SAB. It would have been a cool reward to work to, mainly because it completely overhauls the raptor mount to look like something you’d find in SAB. On the other hand, I’m happy it’s in the gemstore because I’ve been sitting on some gems for a while, so I could pretty easily grab it. I wish they had done both, though. Giving people the option to earn it through playing SAB or buying it would have been refreshing and would have satisfied both camps. Either way, it’s a cool mount.
Anyone trying Super Adventure Box for the first time this year? Any achievements you are looking to complete in there? Let me know; I’d love to hear about what people are enjoying about it.
