Super Crush KO
PC, Switch
Becomes an effervescent balancing act, as you constantly make snap decisions in mid-air
Developer/publisher Vertex Pop Format PC, Switch (tested) Release Out now
Within minutes of playing this side-scrolling beat-’em-up, we’ve let out that sigh. You know the noise you make when, after a long day’s left you with a dry mouth and a headache, the first drop of a cold beverage hits your tongue? When Super Crush KO immediately hands us an uppercut, a multidirectional air-kick and a ground-pound, which all segue into each other at the merest suggestion of a button-press, that sound escapes us. Ahhh.
There is something undeniably refreshing about this type of game, which – although in no danger of shaking up the world of videogames as we know it – executes a tried-and-true concept with relentless focus and tons of sparkle. Vertex Pop is a master at this: its 2D spaceship shooter Graceful Explosion Machine achieved much the same back in 2017, offering simple, sharp side-scrolling action bolstered by a thrilling weapon-swapping system and a focus on score-chasing. Super Crush KO provides the same compulsive arcade sugar rush, but for players who are more into dragon punches than deep space.
It is almost teeth-achingly sweet at times. When a gorgeous alien catnaps Karen’s pet Chubbz, she must grab her auto-targeting laser blaster and sprint through the streets of a pseudo-Tokyo to rescue her friend – and perhaps do something about the impending robot apocalypse while she’s at it. A basic one-button, threepunch combo is your bread and butter, while a laser blaster that works on a cooldown deals with far-away enemies or finishes off a fight while your special moves recharge. Said special moves are doled out in the form of snacks that pop out of vending machine checkpoints: a pretzel, for instance, unlocks horizontal attack Twister Drill, while a piece of pizza grants Karen an Uppercut Slice, and a milkshake Ground Shake. Each is mapped to a button-press and directional input, and we’re instantly able to start chaining together bouncy combos.
It’s the salty-sweet popcorn power-up, however, that provides the most mouth-watering action of all with a flaming pink air attack. And with this, we’re off, tracing zig-zags around the screen with our abilities. Air Pop propels us across the screen through groups of ever more dangerous bots. Twister Drill is the perfect way to deal with groups of less-threatening enemies while getting a hit on a fire-breathing scorpion; an Uppercut Slice throws it into the air for a few punches and laser blasts before we use Air Pop as a dive kick to send it smashing into enemies on the ground, and then perform another to whizz into a flying robo-eyeball and keep our combo going. (A Devil May Cry- esque grade ranking in the top-right corner encourages us to switch up our approaches; taking a single hit will plummet it down to a D, but with enough one-twos, slams and ten-tacrushes, we can push it up all the way to S-rank.)
It is breathless stuff. It’s been a little while since we’ve played something with such responsive controls, the simplicity of the inputs combined with tight animation ensuring every move is a pleasure to make. The final touch comes in the form of meter management: our laser blaster overheats if we rely on it too much, while the four bars of our special move meter are powered by gems dropped by downed enemies. Every so often, we defeat enough to earn a devastating Super Beam attack, which can be fired on the ground or in the air. This has us shimmying around to create the optimal setup to kamehameha as many of the beefiest enemies as possible. As yet more enemy types are introduced (robo-armadillos that roll across the length of the screen; spinning tops that crash downwards; diamondshaped bats that are best dispatched from range; bots that release red mushroom spores after being killed), Super Crush KO becomes an effervescent balancing act, as you constantly make snap decisions in midair with one eye on your score and another on your meter.
Super Crush KO rarely feels unfair – indeed, much of the time, we can’t help but feel it’s slightly too forgiving. While Graceful Explosion Machine took pride in quickly ramping up the difficulty, the curve here is much less exacting. You lose a chunk of score for each death in a run, yes, but we still manage to S-rank every boss fight on our first try – which may be largely due to the fact that each mecha-showdown is disappointingly similar. It’s uncommon for us to finish a regular level with less than an A-grade. When we do slip further, it’s usually because of the environmental hazards. Vertex Pop has the right idea, perhaps, in trying to add a twist of danger to our dive-kicking antics, placing laserbeams and spike traps in opportune places on certain screens. When it works, it’s a wonderful workout for our dash button as we get into the rhythm of avoiding the bright red hazards; when it doesn’t, it’s cause for accidentally wasted continues, and frustration at a couple of poorly placed checkpoints. Some areas keep us so boxed in by lasers that it sucks the essential joy out of the game – the sheer fun of pulling off those juicy combos.
When the otherwise gorgeous bubblegum pops of action are impeded in this way, it’s easier to notice the stale bits: the bland boss fights, the samey music, the pastel city backgrounds that never really change from area to area. But when the stars – and robots – align, and we string together one of those magical sequences that keeps us off the ground for a good 30 seconds, such things are forgotten. It’s to Super Crush KO’s credit that, after rattling through its brief but bouncy campaign, we immediately dive back in for another crack at perfecting our high scores. It is some of the best gaming junk food around: moreish although not particularly nutritious, best enjoyed in small moments of convenience and often while watching something else. To knock the appeal of that would be elitist – sometimes, that stuff just really hits the spot.