Crush - hands-on
Mario isn't the only guy on the block with interdimensional technology
Crush, as we saw inour earlier look, is a puzzle-meets-platformer blend with an intriguing twist. The gist of the gameplay is that you must alternate between 2D and 3D perspectives in order to progress through each level. It's easy to make comparisons to Super Paper Mario, because both games switch from 2D to 3D with the touch of a button. While it lacks Mario's visual appeal, Crush expands onthe interdimensionalidea creatively, allowing players to take multiple camera angles (or points of view) into consideration when transforming the world from 3D to 2D and back.
Each level consists of a floating structure of blocks that you must traverse from point A to point B. The only way to do this is to "crush" and uncrush your surroundings multiple times to create a path to the exit. Along the way, you must collect marbles to get the exit to open (the exit will remain shut until a certain number has been collected). On your way to the exit, there are various obstacles, movable objects, and enemies (in the form of cockroaches) to deal with.
At least one rollable ball appears in each level, which must be positioned correctly to progress in the level. To make things more difficult, its properties change depending on whether it's rolling in 2D or 3D, so to get the ball where you want it, you must sometimes crush or uncrush while it's in motion, which can be tricky. As for the enemies, roaches can survive nuclear fallout, but apparently can't survive the transition into 2D, so a carefully placed "crush" will smash them with a satisfyingly oozy crunch.
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