Devil's Crush
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Japan , Japan |
| Products | Video games |
Devil's Crush is a pinball video game released in 1990, developed by Compile for the TurboGrafx-16. As the second installment in the Crush Pinball franchise following Alien Crush, it embraces a dark, supernatural motif featuring imagery such as skulls, skeletons, and demonic figures. The series continued with subsequent titles like Jaki Crush and Alien Crush Returns.
A conversion of the game was made for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, titled Dragon's Fury (known as Devil Crash MD in Japan), handled by Technosoft. Both the TurboGrafx-16 and Genesis versions released in North America underwent censorship: pentagram symbols were substituted with stars, and coffins bearing crucifixes were altered into vases. When Devil's Crush was later reissued on the Wii's Virtual Console, the European edition restored the original name but replaced pentagrams with eight-pointed stars. Additionally, it became available on the Wii U eShop in 2017.
Gameplay
The game presents a vertically scrolling pinball table spanning three screens in height and includes three sets of flippers. Players have the ability to nudge the table to affect the ball’s movement; however, excessive nudging results in a tilt penalty that disables flippers and forfeits a ball. The table incorporates numerous targets alongside concealed bonus chambers, enriching gameplay complexity.
In the Genesis adaptation, players who attain the top score encounter a final boss encounter situated on a more compact playfield.
Reception
Receiving widespread critical praise, Devil's Crush was lauded for its impressive audiovisual presentation. Damien McFerran from Nintendo Life commended its "remarkable" visuals and unforgettable soundtrack. Frank Provo of GameSpot acknowledged minor imperfections in physics but celebrated the elaborate table layout and distinctive thematic elements.
Upon its debut, the TurboGrafx-16 edition reached the number one position on the Computer & Video Games charts.
In 1997, Electronic Gaming Monthly placed it at number 50 in their "100 Best Games of All Time" list, referring to it as "the finest video pinball game" due to its unique departure from conventional pinball designs.
See also
External links
- Devil's Crush Strategy Guide (TurboGrafx-16) at TurboPlay Magazine Archives
- Articles with short description
- 1990 video games
- Compile (company) games
- Crush Pinball
- Fantasy video games set in the Middle Ages
- Kaga Create games
- MegaTech Hyper Game awards winners
- Multiplayer and single-player video games
- Pinball video games
- PlayStation Network games
- Sega Genesis games
- Technosoft games
- Tengen (company) games
- TurboGrafx-16 games
- Vertically scrolling video games
- Video games developed in Japan
- Video games scored by Toshiaki Sakoda
- Virtual Console games for Wii U
- Virtual Console games