Crush 3D

Crush 3D is a puzzle platform game developed by Kuju Entertainment‘s Zoë Mode studio and published by Sega for the Nintendo 3DS on January 13, 2012. Its protagonist is Danny, a young man suffering from insomnia, who uses an experimental device to explore his mind and discover the cause of his sleeplessness. Each level of the game, representing events from Danny’s life and inspired by artists such as Tim Burton and M.C. Escher, requires the player to control Danny as he collects his “lost marbles” and other thoughts.

Danny is troubled with insomnia. Desperate for sleep and unable to get it, he finds himself a test subject in the mad Dr. Reubens’ crowning achievement, C.R.U.S.H. (or Cognitive Regression Utilizing pSychiatric Heuristics, if you prefer). C.R.U.S.H. puts the subject under hypnosis and allows them to explore their psyche and confront their own deep, dark secrets. Crush is a platforming game with puzzle elements.

Initially, it looks like a third-person platformer, but you’ll soon discover the game’s hook – as Danny, you can “crush” the landscape based on the camera direction, giving you a new perspective on a previously impassable situation. Huge gaps become mere footsteps wide, or may even disappear. Tall buildings can be squashed flat, allowing you to walk over previously impossible terrain. By rotating the camera with the D-Pad, you can choose to crush the level sideways, similar to a 2D platformer like Super Mario Bros., or top-down, somewhat like Bomberman.

However, there are, of course, restrictions. Not all blocks can be crossed when crushed. In addition to this, some blocks that you can stand on in 3D simply don’t exist in 2D. And then there’s creatures lurking based on Danny’s fears: giant cockroaches roam around some levels, and need to be squashed before Danny can get past them. Some blocks contain nightmarish limbs that swipe at Danny when he gets too close. And some blocks (representing Danny’s childhood fear of building blocks) even come to life and patrol the 3D levels.