Sack Smash 2001

Sack Smash 2001 is an endless action game created by Tom Fulp and Dan Paladin (then known as synj) in Dec 2001, two days after Christmas.
==Design and gameplay==
Sack Smash is a very basic game. The player controls a white character with an enormous scrotum. The player maneuver their character using only the left and right arrow keys.
The objective is to smash evil gnomes holding machine guns, whilst not smashing pink guys, aka good kids. Smashing a kid causes you to lose a life. Losing all three lives ends the game. There is no punishment for not smashing a gnome.
==Presentation ==
The graphics for Sack Smash was created by Dan Paladin, it uses a his signature cartoony "flathead" style. It takes place in a snowy environment with a handful of pine trees. The only interactable elements are the gnomes, which walk to the left, and the kids, which stand still.
There is no music, the game uses only a few basic cartoony sound effects, namely 'boing' and splat' sounds. Because of this, the game's filesize is incredibly small, fitting in just over 100 kilobytes.
==Reception==
For its time, Sack Smash 2001 was met with positive reception, largely due to its graphics and Tom Fulp's involvement. It won Daily Feature, and as of March 2024, it has over 800K views and a score of 4.04/5. It is notable as the first major collaboration between Fulp and Dan Paladin, who would later create Alien Hominid and co-found The Behemoth together. Otherwise, the game is not very well-remembered and is often criticised for its lack of replay value. 
==Sequel:==
In 2002 Tom Fulp and Dan Paladin would develop a sequel, Sack Smash 2003, released on Dec 19, 2002. It provided a few key changes, but the gameplay otherwise remains the same. Unlike 2001, Sack Smash 2003 only won Daily 2nd and has 440K views as of March 2023. It is featured in the Christmas 2002 collection.
There are several key differences between Sack Smash 2003 and its predecessor. First, it adds a bridge section. After some time, you jump off the bridge and must land on either a single gnome or one of many kids, as highlighted by a "bridge cam". Landing on one of them causes the others to run away and resumes the gameplay loop. It also adds spikes. Landing on spikes reduces your score by 25%, but does not cause you to lose a life.
The game also provides nine lives instead of three. Both the characters and background also received a visual upgrade.
== Links ==
*Play Sack Smash 2001
*Play Sack Smash 2003
Category:Flash games
Category:2001
Category:Mature