Crush 3D

Just over four years ago, British developers Zoë Mode were responsible for the clever puzzle/platformer Crush on PSP. A fantastic title from a talented developer that sadly went unnoticed by the larger gaming community. Fast forward to 2012 and Sega have decided to give it another go, and this time the game is released on Nintendo 3DS.

The central gameplay mechanic in Crush 3D is your ability to switch between 2D and 3D in order to reach the end of each level. By switching perspective obstacles appear and disappear and you are able to manipulate distances. With five separate 3D views - front, left, right, behind and above, and the same for 2D there is a lot to play around with. You then crush the world into 2D or uncrush it to 3D in order to progress. It's a mechanic that perfectly fits the Nintendo 3DS.

An example of how it works as that if you look down on the level from a top view and crush it, then the height differences in the level are of no consequences and you can progress to platforms you could otherwise not reach. Different angles may produce even more advantagous outcomes so you're constantly switching between perspectives to find the best solution.

There is a story here as well. Crush is actually a machine designed by Dr. Doccerson meant to help us organise our minds and overcome fears. It stands for Cognitive Regression Utilizing pSychiatric Heuristics, and something went wrong when you (the lab rat Danny) was testing it. The end result is 50 levels that will see you challenge your spatial abilities as well as your powers of deduction with the help of C.R.U.S.H.

Searching high and low for the exits, the game introduces new twists at regular intervals throughout. At first you need to activate the exit, and you achieve this by collecting a certain number of balls, and an addition there are two bonus items per level that unlock extras. Then the concept is gradually expanded with enemies, switches, balls and blocks with special properties, and even if you can always zoom and watch the level in its entirety, the proper solution is not always readily apparent.

In order to stretch the lasting appeal of the game somewhat, a trophy mode has been added in. In this mode you are only given a limited amount of time and crushes in order to complete the level. A nice idea - and the only real difference apart from the design - to the PSP version. A needless addition is the ability to switch gifts in levels over Street Pass as you'll just get more bath robes (Danny's only piece of clothing) that you'd ever care for.

At the end of the day I fully recommend Crush 3D, and even if the mechanic fell on deaf ears the first time around it still holds up remarkably well. For those who did happen to stumble upon the original, however, there is little reason to return. The new colourful graphics may even put some old fans off, yet the music is truly masterful. With the competition of the 3DS e-shop's excellent Pullbox, Crush 3D may feel a bit lacking in value, especially considering it is a game that is a few years old, but still it slots nicely into the growing Nintendo 3DS library of games.