Developer: Compile, Naxat Publisher: NEC Released: September 1989 Genre: Action
Being a Turbo Grafx-16 owner in the early 90s was a lonely existence. Where NES and Sega Genesis owners could trade games back and forth I was usually the only one with a TG-16. So to experience new games I had to rely on rentals and let me tell you, the pickings were slim at Blockbuster. While I would dally with pinball games every so often I would not say I was a fan of the genre. But Alien Crush surprised me. As a last minute rental I went in with low expectations. But the presentation more than anything hooked me. Alien Crush is still good for a few hours of cheap fun.
The presentation in Alien Crush is a large part of its appeal. Most pinball tables use licenses to catch the eye of passersby. The Crush series used varying themes in each installment to achieve the same effect. The H.R. Geiger influenced art direction is dripping from every element of the table. The walls are vertebrae, the bumpers are brains, and every so often Aliens pop out of holes. The most striking element is the intricately detailed alien in the lower half of the table. It is both intriguing and terrifying, especially when it comes to life. The bonus stages, while not as out there as in later games, are still pretty great at adding visual variety. Compile knocked it out of the park in this regard.
The controls take some adjustment. Rather than using button I & II to control the flippers you use a combination of the D-pad and button I. Button II tilts the table to affect ball movement. It is….workable but less than ideal. How often do most people tilt anyway? Regardless once you adjust the game is playable even if you will lose a few balls due to forgetfulness.
Even the best laid table means nothing if the ball physics are terrible. In this regard Alien Crush still feels better than most pinball games released today. You have a choice between slow or fast speed and both feel great. The table comprises two screens and for some god forsaken reason transitions between the two rather than scrolling. It makes no sense and is jarring but I digress. There are multiple targets in each side of the table with hot spots triggering different events. The game uses its theme well as the board is alive with activity. Hit the right spot alien heads will appear or bones will form a bridge to block holes. Aim for the brain at the top and you can activate point multipliers. Ball control is a crucial skill to maximizing scoring but the game also has some bonuses as well.
The hidden bonus rounds all use the same table but with different enemies. It is here where you can score the bulk of your points. The enemies vary, from a multi-sectional caterpillar, skulls, to aliens inspired by Slimer from Ghostbusters. These are more like boss battles in that they are tougher to survive in but you also are not penalized for failing. The rewards are plentiful as you can earn millions of points in short order. Reaching these areas is tough since you need to activate certain parts of the board. This is a cool feature though and one that distinguishes Alien Crush. It would also be expanded on in later titles in the series.
Pinball is all about achieving as high a score as possible. But Alien Crush sort of has an end game. If you manage to reach the maximum score of 99,999,990 the game ends. This makes sense considering there is no reason to continue at that point. For your trouble you get a cool congratulations screen which I will admit is a bit lame. That point total may sound outrageous but the game is generous in its scoring. Abusing the bonus rounds will net you millions of points and it is possible to achieve in a few hours. For those that want a quest to drive them the sequels are better.
In Closing
Alien Crush remains a highly playable game to this day thanks to its balanced gameplay. Most pinball games from back in the day were not good. Alien Crush bucks that trend due to solid mechanics and great presentation. Konami have done a good job making it accessible on various platforms and it is cheap to boot. I recommend it.
