Some co-workers and I were BS'ing about some older games and one of my friends happened to mention Devil's Crush for the Turbo-Grafx 16. Devil's Crush, in case you didn't know, is a video pinball game and was a follow-up to the not-nearly-as-good Alien Crush. Instantly I remembered all about my little TG-16, and how many freaking hours I spent playing this damned pinball game. I decided right then and there I would have to play the game again, just to see if it was a good as I remembered. After acquiring a used system at a farmers' market for 5 bucks, I hit ebay and picked up the game. And last night I had a run at it. How did it fare?

Gameplay

If you've ever played a pinball game on a home console you pretty much know what to expect here. Left control pad works the left flipper, right button the other flipper. The unused button controls tilt. Easy.

The game has a dungeon / late-80's metal thing going on, and while it looks dated now how can you knock a game with monks, dragons, flaming skulls and evil skeleton soldiers with swords? You can't that's how.

The game consists of 3 levels or playfields, each revolving around a different element. At the top there's a satanic circle thing with some monks chanting in clrcles, in the middle is a womans face in a helmet that gradually turns into a snake as the game progresses. At the bottom is your dragon and flaming skull, as well as the point of no return (The bottom of the machine). All three playfields offer something different and all three have access points you can open to enter bonus areas.

This pinball game isn't even remotely in the realm of a realistic pinball experience. There's crazy shit going on all over the place, and it makes for a fun and ever changing and evolving playfield. There's not much more to say about it than that. It's a complex video pinball table that looks like it belongs in an 80's metal video. With some kick-ass 80's metal synth music.

There are a few problems with ball physics, sometimes it seems like it's sliding around instead of rolling, but overall the feel is genuine

Is it fun?

Personally, I had alot of fun playing it. But that probably has more to do with nostalgia than anything else. If you're a younger kid you'll probably have no respect for the dated look and sound. I had the TG-16 back in the day and I had fond memories of this game and one or two others for the system. Anyone looking to discover the Turbo-Grafx system, this is a great place to start. If you're looking for a video pinball game, this is one of the best ever to hit the home consoles. period.

Is it worth the time & money?

Here's the deal. The Digital Press price guide lists this game as being worth about 40 bucks. I'm not sure if it's really worth that much. (They rate on rarity and quality)

If you already own a Turbo-Grafx 16 then you really need to own this game. But it's not worth buying a TG-16 for. After some poking around I found my copy on eBay for around $30. And I can tell you it's worth that much.

Since the game begins and ends after your 3 balls, it's not really a matter of being worth your time. The little time it takes to play a game is VERY worth it.

Dig around for this little gem, it's a really fun game.

8 out of 10

Comments (1)

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment