2011 · Platformer

Crazy Hedgy

2011 3D platformer video game

Released: 20 December 2011
Platforms: iOS
Genres: Platformer
Developers: —
Publishers: —

About

Crazy Hedgy is a 2011 3D platformer video game with beat 'em up mechanics, developed and published by Cybertime for mobile devices. It was released on iOS in 2011 and Android in 2016, but has since been delisted from both.

Players are tasked with navigating its hedgehog protagonist through various cartoony obstacle courses, collecting gems and coins to purchase upgrades and defeating enemies via jumps, punches, throws or unlockable weapons, making use of the smart device's built-in accelerometer to enable tilt controls. As the first project of the video game department of Austrian animation studio Cybertime, the game was particularly praised for its graphical appeal.

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game sees the titular protagonist Hedgy finding out that something is wrong in the fictional cartoon fantasy setting of Green Hedges, leading him to search for the cause. On the way, he encounters various enemies like the mushroom-themed Spankos, forcing him to jump and fight his way to the end.

Played as a linear 3D platformer, in its main story mode, players must navigate through 35 levels, broken up into three themed worlds (each concluding with a boss fight), with the aim of reaching their end while avoiding bottomless pits, enemy NPCs and traps. Hedgy has the ability to double jump, levitating for a short time by blowing bubble gum in the air.Additionally, vehicle sections on rafts or in buckets force players to quickly dodge oncoming obstacles.

Development

Since its founding in 2001, the Vienna-based animation studio Cybertime had specialised in creating 3D animations and special effects. According to founder and CEO Raffael Leb, development of a 3D mobile game was viewed internally as a novel opportunity to apply these existing skillsets, leading to the establishment of an in-house games department. After an estimated 6,000 hours of development time, spread across three years, the title was released for iOS devices on December 20, 2011. It would go on to receive substantial updates afterwards:

Update 2.0, intended to improve the game's graphics, was issued on June 21, 2012.

Reception

The game received "generally favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.

Particular praise was directed towards its visual presentation, with the detailed 3D-modeled environments and characters as well as animations and particle effects being noted as standouts among mobile games of the time. Furthermore, reviewers noted strong gameplay variety, satisfying platforming and fighting as well as sufficient replay value to justify its initial asking price.