Introduction

A genre I often ignore, but am almost never disappointed by is video pinball. Growing up, I loved playing pinball in the arcades. Since these games were almost always cheaper than the newest arcade titles, I would end my gaming session with pinball almost every time; prolonging the inevitable dwindling of my coin stash just a bit longer.

All this time spent playing pinball resulted in my growing very fond of the genre and playing fairly often. This translated into a few home purchases, such as Kirby’s Pinball Land, Sonic Spinball and Pokemon Pinball, all of which I enjoyed to varying degrees. As time passed, I stopped dabbling with the genre mostly due to an ever-growing and all-consuming backlog of games.

As part of my mission for this site, I wanted to spend time delving into a variety of genres, so inevitably, video pinball resurfaced. I was excited to find a treasure trove of games I had missed out on, but which was the best? After extensive research I settled on a gem of a game entitled Devil’s Fury for the Turbografx-16.

Review

Visuals 9.5/10

Awesome and terrifying sprite work.

The visuals in this game are very detailed, as one would come to expect in a quality Turbografx title. The sprite work for the larger creatures on the screen are ugly as hell, in the most detailed, intentional, and beautiful way possible. This gnarly assortment of over-sized hellspawn includes epic dragons, an evil snake woman, an eye-popping skull, and an elaborate assortment of “bosses” in the bonus stages. These large monsters really help give the impression of playing pinball on a heavy metal album cover.

Even the weird little minions look somewhat impressive

These already awesome visuals are supplemented by solid sprite work on the smaller on-screen enemies as well, resulting in a consistently engaging graphical presentation. The screen is never void of action.

Pretty badass bonus stage, but would like some more full-size play-fields

The visuals are not perfect however, as the presence of only one multi-tiered play-field supplemented by small bonus stages leave something to be desired visually. It would have been nice to have completely different main play areas, rather than going for a presentation of a singular pinball machine. This negative is somewhat counterbalanced by the fact that each tier of the scrolling play area having visually distinct styles, while still maintaining the demonic motif the game is going for. This forms a cohesive, yet significantly varied approach that helps remediate the issue of having only one main play-field.

Overall, the visuals in Devil’s Crush go above and beyond what is necessary for a game of this style and provide a template for what pinball games should look like.

Sound 9/10

The game’s title track gives off the expected demonic vibe and sounds absolutely perfect for what they are going for. It almost sounds as if you are in the preparatory phases for a trek into hell fire, which is exactly what I want in a devilishly good title theme.

During gameplay, one main theme plays. The song is fast-paced, complex and an aural delight; looping at just the right time to avoid monotony. The track also features a section that sounds like a complex “guitar” solo that adds a little excitement and flair to an already impressive track.

This incredible main theme is supplemented by artfully crafted tunes for the bonus stages. Some stages share a theme, but the bonus stages are accessed somewhat infrequently and the quality of the tracks are on par with the main theme, so the repetition is far from a problem.

In addition to a rockin’ soundtrack, Devil’s Crush has pretty awesome sound effects that occur when hitting obstacles or slaying enemies, and little jingles that occur when obtaining an extra ball or when gaining bonus points. The sound effects help round out an already exceptional gameplay experience. This is especially evident when the player’s death is accompanied by the omnipresent skeleton enemy laughing at their demise in mockery; it is small touches like these that help set this game apart from other video pinball games.

Gameplay 8.5/10

An important aspect of any pinball game is a well-programmed physics engine. Despite the completely unrealistic setting, a demonic pinball machine, the pinball physics are somewhat based in reality. In most cases, the ball bounces where it should and is easy to control if the player has any familiarity with pinball. The physics in the game are not 100% perfect however, the ball’s mass seems to be a little lacking and certain skill shots turn out a bit different than expected, with occasional hyper-fast ricochets that can catch a player off guard. This is one of the few disappointments with the game, but the physics are close enough to reality to outweigh the game’s quirks and can easily be adapted to in a short time frame. There is also a tilt mechanic that can be taken advantage of by the skilled player to help further control, and even correct, the path of the ball. Caution should be used however, as the table can tilt and lockout the flippers, leaving the player defenseless as their steel ball falls to its doom.

The somewhat disappointing physics are greatly , overshadowed by some of the game’s more unique elements. Rather than the usual pinball fare, Devil’s Crush offers a variety of ghoulish figures to slay by crushing them with the ball, as well as interactive bumpers that slowly transform into more gruesome creatures as they are damaged. For example, if the dragon bumper on the left side of the table’s first level is sufficiently damaged, she begins to spew flames that can interrupt the pinball’s path. Continue to damage this beast, and she will eventually break down to the point where her mouth can be entered, permitting access to a secret bonus stage.

These secret levels are a common theme in the game, with up to six available to be accessed in a single playthrough. Each of the secret stages present the player with a “boss battle” of sorts that consists of destroying a massive enemy by repeatedly damaging them with the pinball. Some of them are actually fairly difficult and offer a bit of challenge in an otherwise incredibly easy game.

Aside from the single-screen bonus stages, the original multi-tiered main stage offers a large amount of variety in its own right. Unlike the this game’s predecessor Alien Crush, this game smoothly scrolls between tiers rather than utilizing the abrupt screen transition the older game was known for. This allows for seamless transition between each of the unique levels, which significantly bolsters the gameplay mechanics and makes for a more fluid experience.

Tier one has some of the best sprite work and is a great place to milk easy points

Each of these tiers are visually and strategically unique. The first tier consists of two alligator-like bumpers, a large dragon with its brood of eggs, and a terrifying skeleton whose eyes follows the player’s every move and laughs at their demise. Each of these can be destroyed to either gain access to secret stages or release further hordes of enemies to destroy for easy points. The first tier also has a castle that spews enemies, and if entered, barricades the inlane’s singular pitfall, nearly guaranteeing a prolonged play session. The outlanes can also be blocked by various means as well, making the primary strategy on the bottom level securing the castle and destroying all the bumpers to milk points.

Unlike the first level, the second level’s primary focus is a large serpent woman that should be the player’s primary target for points. Destroying her yields many points and gives access to a bonus stage. There are also some other pentagrams that lead to various places or further damage the serpent women, and a collections of knights that can be destroyed on the left side after breaking down a gate.

Nothing like a little devil worship in a pinball game

The third level has a variety of pentagrams that act as portals to bonus levels or changes the type of evil druids circling in the center. My interpretation are that these druids are worshiping the evil demon lord at the top, but I am just going out on a limb with that comment. The strategy here is to destroy as much as possible and get into a bonus level ASAP. It is a bit unclear to me what is going on up here with regards to opening specific portals, so I just trash everything and try not to fall back down to the lower levels.

Overall the gameplay of this game is exciting and fast-paced and I highly recommend this game for any Turbografx-16 owner or gamer in general. The ability to destroy demons while playing pinball is super satisfying and the game offers a save feature and 2 player mode to liven things up a bit. I cannot recommend this game enough.

Resources

Tips and Tricks

My humble high score for this review… If I play a couple more times I will update it.

Enter the castle on the first level ASAP to block off the pitfalls. If this is secure throughout the playthrough, its a guarantee that a high score is coming

Clearing a bonus level will give a “blue” ball….. great name choice. This results in a 2x score multiplier until the blue balls are lost. Entering another bonus stage with the blue ball can result in massive points, especially with a perfect clear.

Make the entering bonus stages the priority, this can usually be done by focusing on destroying the large enemies. Also the third tier should be a constant goal for the same reason.

Selected Cheats

There are quite a few cheats for Devil’s Crush, but I decided to only list ones that I deem useful or fun.

View Password of current game: press Start to pause, Select to view scores, Button I to see password.

Sound Room: Bring up score screen again, press up, down, left, right, I.

2-player game with infinite balls: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA B

1-player game infinite balls: AAAAAAAANG

View Ending: NAXATAAAAA

Dragon’s Fury (Genesis)

Devil’s Crush was ported to the SEGA Genesis under the title Dragon’s Fury. It is a nearly identical game mechanically, but offers technically better visuals and a possibly inferior soundtrack. The physics even feel improved in the Genesis version. There is one issue with the visuals however, despite being more detailed than the Turbografx version, the play-area is reduced in size due to an added information panel on the right side.

Despite the minor complaints, Dragon’s Fury stands toe-to-toe with the original, offering a much more accessible experience on the much more widely distributed Genesis.

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