The Great Playthrough: Game 16 - Wrecking Crew

Wrecking Crew

Released on: NES

Played on: 3DS Virtual Console

Released in: 1985

Yes, it's another NES Nintendo Ambassador game played on my 3DS and, in a first for this blog, it's a game that has dramatically changed my opinion after playing for a full hour. When I got Wrecking Crew (back when the Ambassador games were first released), I played it quickly and then wrote it off as being a novelty game that one gets bored of quickly. How wrong was I?

In my defence, the problem I encountered when I first tried it, was that as it stars Mario and has lots of platforms in it, I assumed that it would be a platformer and then felt cheated when it didn't turn out to be one. I mean, you can't even jump for crying out loud! And then, on my re-play for this blog, I realised - it's not a platformer, it's a puzzle game! And it's ridiculously addictive as well...

Basically, you have to guide Mario around the screen, avoiding enemies (which you can't kill, although you can occasionally slow them down), and destroying all of the walls, ladders, pillars etc. - the level ending once you've successfully wrecked them all. But often there are only one or two ways of clearing the level successfully, so it has to be done in a certain order. 

And I loved it! The hour zoomed past as I worked my way through the first 12 or 13 levels, and once I'd settled into it, I loved the strategic thinking required. The 8-bit graphics suit it perfectly (mind you, I've always been a fan of 8 and 16-bit graphics) and the sound is basic, yet functional. 

Is it a perfect game? No it's not. But it's a very good example of how gameplay is more important than graphics and how Nintendo can make the most wonderful games, that can be overlooked because they don't look amazing. I urge you, if you have the facility to play this game, whether you have an original NES (in which case I'm jealous, because it's one of the few Nintendo consoles I don't own), or an emulator, or maybe you were a Nintendo Ambassador like me, then play it. And enjoy. 

There's even a level designer! (Although I haven't tried that yet.)

Rating: 8/10 (and yes, I am aware that quite a few games have been 8/10 so far...)

Time played: Just over an hour

Would I play it again?: Yes - it's perfect for short-burst play.

Next time: Depending on whether the issues I referred to on my previous blog have been resolved, it'll either be Speedball 2 on the Megadrive, or Zelda: Four Swords on the 3DS.