Release Date: July 20, 1990
Developer: NAXAT Soft
Publisher: NEC
For me, video pinball was one of my guilty pleasures. I started my love for video pinball games with, well, Video Pinball for the Atari 2600. It was primitive and lacked any real depth, but I would play it for hours. When I got my hands on my TurboGrafx-16, the 8/16-bit hybrid that could, I eventually sought out a video pinball game for it. I stumbled upon Devil’s Crush and fell in love with it almost immediately!
Devil’s Crush is the sequel to Alien Crush, another great video pinball game for the TG-16. The sequel presents players with a single table spread vertically across three screens. As the title suggests, the table is hellish in theme. All the hallmarks of a video pinball game are present: bumpers, eject holes, slingshots, lanes, skill shots, and other targets that you can hit with your ball. This game, however, throws a lot more than just standard fare at you. Every part of the table has creatures that you can hit for points. The top level has a demonic circle with chanting monks circling it that you can target as well. There are many opportunities for you to hit things and rack up a high score.
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The table itself is very interactive. The slingshots on the lower field of the table will shatter and spew forth a horde of demons if hit enough times. A small tower will pop up on the lower field and do different things, like erect barriers on the out lanes or lead you to a secret bonus field, if you shoot straight through it. Other bonus fields can be found by hitting other targets or tunnels. The table is littered with many transformation points.
The biggest transformation point is the large face in the middle field. Although just a bumper when you start play, you can wake her by entering an eject hole, then trigger transformations on her the same way until she reaches her true demonic form. When she does, you unlock yet another bonus field. Touches like these are awesome and make players want to keep playing the game.
Visually, the game is a gem. It really takes advantage of the TurboGrafx-16’s 16-bit graphics processor, showing off vibrant colors. There is a large amount of detail in the table, and the TG-16 shows it all off. The table scrolls up and down seamlessly and never hitches up or struggles. The music and sounds are also classic chiptune goodness. There is only one main music track throughout the game, but it is excellent. The game also has fun pinball-like effects, like bumper and flipper sounds, as well as bonus chimes. Everything about this game’s presentation is top-notch.
With all the gushing I’m doing, you’d think the game is perfect. Well, it isn’t. My main problem with the game is its ball physics. It’s difficult to recreate the feel of a real pinball table in 8-bit, and Devil’s Crush seems to do pretty good. However, the physics will do strange things at times, like sending a ball shot from the end of the flipper right down the middle, as opposed to at an angle. The ball will also take weird caroms off some targets, going in directions the player may not expect. Also, the game will get boring after a while. It’s expected of a video pinball game with only one table, even a table as busy and chaotic as this one can be. That aside, Devil’s Crush is a really fun game that will please any video pinball aficionado.
Does it still hold up? Yes! It may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but there is plenty here to entice even those that do not normally enjoy playing video pinball games. The demonic atmosphere, transforming table dynamics, and many secrets can turn a short play session into a marathon.
Folks wishing to play the game now don’t have to spend a quintillion dollars on a TurboGrafx-16 and the game. It is available on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo Wii. Unfortunately, it is only available for the Wii U in Japan. If you have a Wii and you enjoy video pinball games, this is definitely a game you would want to take for a spin.
Good: Awesome gameplay; colorful, detailed graphics; excellent sound
Bad: Wonky ball physics at times; only one table; may not be for everyone
Final score: 8/10
