Yo douchers, here is why Crush kicks the shit out of any other puzzler out there and you should buy it (I got mine from Play-Asia). I will do my best to describe it, but the game is a real mind-fuck that isn't easily explained.
Okay, so you're Danny, this guy who can't sleep, so he goes to meet this crazy doctor who's got this machine called C.R.U.S.H. (which stands for something funny that I can't remember), and somehow you can reclaim your thoughts by exploring your memories in different themed environments and recollecting your marbles (glowing orby things). Once you collect enough orby things the exit opens up and you move on to the next level.
I guess it's like the thing in Super Paper Mario where you can switch the world into 3D, but I hate making that comparison as this game was being developed long before anyone knew about it, and Gamefaqers are all like "SEGA STOLE IT FROM NITNENOD URURURUR". But instead of just smooshing into 2D from a single perspective, CRUSH LETS YOU CRUSH THE LEVEL FROM ANY CAMERA ANGLE, LEFT, RIGHT, FRONT, BACK, AND UP.
So basically it's you tooling around a level in 3D, and there are big boulders to push, stuff to roll, etc etc, Sokoban etc etc who cares. Typical. But the twist that fucks your brain into jelly is the fact that you've gotta manipulate the world in both 3D and 2D. There are different colored parts of the level -- patterened means you can move through it in 2D, solid means you can't move through it in 3D. Let's say there's this boulder you've gotta use as a stepping stone but you need to move the boulder onto a platform 50 feet straight up. Impossible OR IS IT? Rotate the camera so it's top-down then CRUSH. Roll the boulder to the right. Everything is flat in 2D so the boulder goes onto the platform. Uncrush and now you're standing 50 feet up on that platform with the boulder perfectly in place.
Sweet lord, it's impossible to describe this game. It's a goddamn designer's nightmare, because the game plays from the 3D perspective, but it also plays in 2D from Left, right, front, back, and up. Levels can last from 5 minutes to one hour, but relieving the pressure are CHECKPOINTS. Oh god thank you for adding checkpoints for this game. EXIT got on my nerves because it was VERY easy to fuck yourself over and have to restart 20 minutes later, so checkpoints weren't really feasible. In CRUSH, the game is designed so that you can never screw yourself over, get stuck, EVER. Also, the checkpoints respawn so you can hit the checkpoint, go do some stuff, come back and checkpoint AGAIN. Considering the insane fucking complexity of every level, I consider this a small miracle.
Then they start layering in new stuff, like stuff that keeps you from uncrushing, gears, timed portions with alarm clocks, moving platforms that work in both 2D and 3D...Jesus. There are also orbs kinda floating out there in space and you're like how the F am I supposed to collect those?, but then maybe ten minutes later you'll find yourself somewhere in the level, and if you whip the camera in a certain direction, boom, you're right on top of them.
Difficulty: Good gentle learning curve. You can die, but only if you're a dumbass. You won't walk off cliffs or smash yourself or anything. There are cockroaches in the game that you can crush and trap inside cages via perspective tricks.
I saw this at GDC at the Experimental Games Summit and was like "Hmm I don't think they can possibly pull a good game out of this, it's just too complex." I was wrong. This game is impeccably designed and is the best fucking platform-puzzler in ages from the 5-6 hours I've put into it so far. Buy this game and if you pirate it you're a douchebag.
