classicgames.org - Crusher

On the surface, Crusher looks like a pretty standard puzzle game--and as far as gameplay is concerned, this is true. It is your run-of-the-mill puzzle/strategy game with an overhead view. Your character traverses through block-filled rooms, and you can push blocks around to either trap bad guys or reveal power-ups.

What's so interesting about the game is its surreal plot. You are in a bunch of caverns deep underground--so deep underground, in fact, that there is no oxygen and you must survive off of oxygen tanks. This is essentially the game's way of justifying the limited number of moves which it allots you, adding an element of urgency lacking in many otherwise similar puzzle games. Your initial goal is to earn 10,000 points; however, the game's story grows bafflingly unreal after this goal is reached. You learn of the fact that Secret Spy Mr. X is hiding somewhere in the caverns. Upon finding him, he gives you directions to a Special Map. The Map tells you the location of the Beautiful Eve (a hot babe), trapped in a special dungeon room. If you resuce her, you need to find Ted the Punk Rocker, who knows how to retrieve the numbers that enable you to open a hidden Vault (I'm not making this up). The Vault is ostensibly full of Treasure, but since the manual doesn't specify, it may very well be full of Cashews.

The sound is limited to a few clicks and beeps from the PC speaker, and the graphics are nothing remarkable. It runs at the correct speed on my Pentium II 233MHz machine. If you like challenging puzzle games, then you're in luck, as this is sufficiently difficult and strangely amusing.

Posted by Darius on 2001-04-01

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