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エイリアンクラッシュ
©1988 Naxat Soft
Release : 1988-09-14 (¥5200)
HuCard (2 Mbits) NX63001
Pinball game
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Released in America as
ALIEN CRUSH
( TGX020005 )
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Alien Crush is a pinball game by Naxat Soft, and it can be described
in numerous ways, but simply, the easiest would be to define it as a pinball game with
"alien flavors".
Alien Crush features
all the elements and items usually found in traditional pinball games, such as
bumpers, holes, kickers, flippers and so forth. But here,
they have been bred with a weird and detailed alien bio-mechanical design which
consists of vertebraes, slimy cocoons, lopsided monsters, squidard tentacles and viscous brains.
The main playfield is made out of two connected vertical screens with a pair of bumpers
at the bottom of each one of them. Furthermore, the game also includes numerous bonus
screens that can be accessed by sending the ball through hidden or narrow passageways, usually
indicated by green or yellow arrows. These bonus
screens are usually in the shape of small rooms, and consist of various groups of aliens or large
bosses which need to be annihilated for points. And points are a central
element of the game, Alien Crush is a pinball game at heart,
and achieveing a high score is about the only goal the player needs to focus on.
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Interestingly, it seems that Alien Crush was actually developed by Compile (better
known for its Puyo Puyo, Zanac and Aleste series). But their name
is nowhere to be found - no end credits, and no staff section in the game's manual.
However, there is a dead giveaway in the game itself - the instantly recognizable
Compile chime can be heard with each extra ball earned !
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Alien Crush (version tested here) was the first episode of a long series of
addicting pinball games by compile and Naxat Soft. Devil Crash
(aka Devil Crush in the west) followed on 1990 for the PC Engine system and
dropped the alien design for a magic/medieval theme featuring castles, dragons, wizards and
so forth. The game was then ported to the Megadrive in 1991 and renamed Devil Crush MD
for the occasion (aka Dragon's Fury in the west). Interestingly, Tengen distributed
the game in the United States and decided to release their own forgettable sequel in 1993 - Dragon's Revenge
in not, per se, related to the Crush series, and the overall quality of the game is far below the
standard set by the other games. Anyway, back to Naxat Soft's series. Jaki Crush then
followed for the Super Famicom system in 1992 and featured a theme based on Japanese
folklore, with demons and evil spirits. Finally, the franchise was revived in 2008 through the
Wii Ware channel - Alien Crush Returns was developed by Hudson Soft, who remastered
the classic Alien Crush with 3D graphics.
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Teaser text from the American version:
Imagine a LIVING pinball machine... with aliens and outlandish worlds to throw at you.
And turbo-charged, speed-of-light pinball action. You control the flippers and ball speed
to defeat the Slime, the Tentacloid and Scorpion. Go for the eyes! This is full-tilt,
out-of-this-world action! Surrealistic graphics plus true-to-life, earsplitting
arcade pinball sound.
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Japanese Soundtrack
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Click on picture to enlarge |
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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I have always found virtual pinball games (as they are sometimes called) a bit lame.
I mean, some of them try hard to mimic pinball machines but the feel is
just different. In truth, the whole idea just doesn't totally gel with me.
However, several Japanese companies tried to take the concept to its next level,
and managed to add features unique to the video game medium to the mix.
And this, I believe, is the winning formula. No doubt that this is
what makes Alien Crush such an entertaining and fun game. Its dark aesthetics
and amazing attention to detail also add a tremendous atmosphere to the game. The only
drawback is the lack of vertical scrolling, I wished the main playfield could scroll
up and down (as it does in Devil Crash, sequel of Alien Crush). Despite
this rather subjective issue, Alien Crush is a fun and addictive game, but my personal
advice would be to hunt down the more polished and superior Devil Crash first.
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