''Devil's Crush'' is a

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

video game developed by

Compile In computing, a compiler is a computer program that Translator (computing), translates computer code written in one programming language (the ''source'' language) into another language (the ''target'' language). The name "compiler" is primarily ...

for the

TurboGrafx-16 The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, though ...

and released in 1990. The second installment in the ''

Crush Pinball ''Alien Crush'' is a pinball video game developed by Compile for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. It was released in 1988. The game is the first installment in the '' Crush Pinball'' series. It was followed by three sequels, '' Devil's Crush'', '' ...

'' series after ''

Alien Crush ''Alien Crush'' is a pinball video game developed by Compile for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. It was released in 1988. The game is the first installment in the '' Crush Pinball'' series. It was followed by three sequels, '' Devil's Crush'', '' ...

'', the game has an eerie occult theme with skulls, skeletons, and demons. It was later followed by ''

Jaki Crush is a pinball video game developed by Compile and published by NAXAT Soft. ''Jaki Crush'' was released exclusively in Japan for the Super Famicom in 1992. The game is the third in the ''Crush Pinball'' series, and was preceded by ''Alien Crush'' ...

'' and ''

Alien Crush Returns ''Alien Crush Returns'' is a WiiWare pinball video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, com ...

''. The game was ported to the

Sega Mega Drive/Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

, retitled ''Dragon's Fury'' (''Devil Crash MD'' in Japan) by developer

Technosoft was a Japanese video game developer and publisher based headquartered in Sasebo, Nagasaki. Also known as "Tecno Soft", the company was founded in February 1980 as Sasebo Microcomputer Center, before changing its name to Technosoft in 1982. The c ...

. Both North American versions, TurboGrafx-16 and Genesis, are censored—all hexagrams have been changed to generic stars, and coffins with crucifixes on them in one bonus stage have been changed to vases. ''Devil's Crush'' was later released on the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...

Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Un ...

, with the European release reverting to its original title; however, the pentagram symbols were removed and replaced with an 8-sided star. It also saw release on the

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. Th ...

eShop The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was ena ...

in 2017.

Gameplay

The playfield of ''Devil's Crush'' consists of a free scrolling

table three screens high. There are three pairs of flippers. The player can nudge/bump the table to influence the ball's path. Using the tilt button too much will result in the game "tilting" and the flippers will stop working, causing a lost ball. There are many targets to shoot for and hidden bonus rooms. In the Genesis version, after the player achieves the highest score and beats the table, there is a battle against a final boss and his minions on a much smaller table.

Reception

''Devil's Crush'' has generally been critically applauded. Damien McFerran of ''

Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...

'' noted the game's audiovisual presentation, stating: "The graphics are really stunning, the designers were obviously smoking something strong when they created this game. The music is also noteworthy, with a brilliant main theme that never gets annoying or repetitive." Frank Provo gave an overall positive review in ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'', despite complaints about the pinball physics: "While the ball generally behaves like it's supposed to, it does feel lighter than it should, and it will occasionally ricochet off a wall at an unbelievable angle. Unless you're dead serious about your pinball, though, you'll come to terms with the ball's unique quirks real quick. The intricate table, the flashy visuals, and the surreal setting make it very easy to overlook a few goofy caroms." The TurboGrafx version reached the top of the ''

Computer & Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...

'' charts. ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The ...

'' listed the TurboGrafx-16 version as number 50 on its "100 Best Games of All Time" in 1997, calling it "the best video pinball game of all time—mainly because it didn't try to be anything like real pinball." Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.

Notes

References

External links

*
Devil's Crush Strategy Guide (TurboGrafx-16)
at

TurboPlay ''TurboPlay Magazine'' is a bi-monthly, U.S.-based video game magazine which was published by L.F.P. from June/July 1990 through August/September 1992. It was available via subscription only (US$9.95 per year). A total of 14 issues were release ...

Magazine Archives {{Crush Pinball video games 1990 video games Compile (company) games Crush Pinball Fantasy video games set in the Middle Ages Kaga Create games Multiplayer and single-player video games Pinball video games PlayStation Network games Sega Genesis games Technosoft games Tengen (company) games TurboGrafx-16 games Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Toshiaki Sakoda Virtual Console games Virtual Console games for Wii U

Gameplay

Reception

See also

Notes

References

External links