The Super Adventure Box is back and better than ever. Motto, the creator of this strange contraption to teach his Asuran prodigy, has included another World for players to explore. If that’s not enough to sate your nostalgic hunger, ArenaNet have added in a Tribulation Mode for both World 1 and 2. This mode is not your normal kind of hard more, as it’s almost sadistically difficult. Players that brave the Super Adventure Box can choose from a number of new weapon skins to show off their accomplishment.
We’ve already had a taste of World 2 in the introduction of the Super Adventure Box back in April. Players will start in Zone 2, which has a very exotic asian theme. The ninjas and samurai from Zone 1 return, along with a new array of enemies to try and halt your progress. Puzzles are plenty once again, this time featuring all new co-op puzzles designed to be tackled by the entire party.
There’s also the addition of mini-bosses: a few challenging foes to face before the big finale end. These guys are no pushovers either. If and when you manage to best them in combat, they will award you with new weapons. Those include the new Power Glove which can block projectiles and move big objects, and a Magical Flute which does different things as per which tune you play. The team has also added in subtle improvements, such as improved power up placements.
The main hub has been redesigned too. It’s gotten a facelift, while still home to the four houses that represent each World. Once you enter a house, you arrive in a pre-mission sort of room which lets you choose your mode: Normal, Infantile and the new Tribulation Mode.
Tribulation Mode is the new prankster kid in town. It turns both World 1 and 2 into twisted, almost troll-like levels. You will die, a lot, and you will usually have no idea why. It’s taken inspiration from games such as “I Want To Be The Guy” and “I Wanna Be The Boshy”. Both of these games are famous for their rage-inducing difficulty and outright unfairness. Tribulation Mode will be similar if not more. You can no longer trust anything, even in the familiar Zones of World 1. This mode is not for the easily aggravated.
So why should you bother with Tribulation Mode if it’s so hard? Well for the cool loot of course. Players that reach the end of each World in the mode will receive exclusive green (World 1) and yellow (World 2) weapon skins to really show off your dedication. For you players that plan to stick to normal, there’s a new slew of weapon skins, this time on of each type unlike the last time. You can also snag a miniature Moto and miniature Princess from the vendor outside of the Super Adventure Box. Finally a new coloured backpack is up for grabs once you complete the meta-achievement for each World. These will work retroactively for those that have already completed World 1 back in April. It should be of note that rewards are now account bound dailies, NOT per character.
It’s going to be another month long event for the Super Adventure Box, a welcome shift from the two week living story cycle. That’s not to say the living story is going to have a break, so expect more on that in a couple of weeks time. I’ll be interested to see how difficult Tribulation Mode really is, and equally how many people achieve its bounty.