The Crush House

The Crush House exceeded all my expectations, creating an experience that was enjoyable, engaging and incredibly reflective.

The Crush House gives you your very own reality TV show to produce and film, full of drama, naughtiness and a whole lot of butts.

I can’t wait to be able to talk about this one in detail, it surprised me how much I liked it. Even if it kind of feels like a roguelite, I don’t care; being able to mastermind this show by picking the cast and placing things around to evoke emotions was fun, every. single. time. If you like dynamic games where you, the player will kind of set up the dominos and watch them fall I feel like you will be hard pressed to find a better game than The Crush House. Not only was it fun setting up the various shots and seeing things unfold amongst the various castmates but the mystery here is the real draw. Go into this one as blind as you can, you will thank me for it.

While the more randomized elements of The Crush House can make it frustrating at times, this "thirst-person shooter" still delivers quite the unique and fun experience. After all, how many games can claim that they provide a challenge in seeing if players can find a way to capture three butts on camera at once while also getting a glimpse of the Success Slide in order to please both the Conspiracy Theorists and Mega Fans? Throw in a good spoof of reality shows with a memorable cast and some bright '90s Malibu visuals, and you have something worth toasting over with a nice glass of Crush Juice...

I can’t help but feel Rockstar’s classic videogame nasty, Manhunt, was a better attempt at critiquing the voyeuristic quality of reality television. It pre-dated reality TV as a genre, so it’s not explicitly about the subject, but the savage grimness in the way it turned snuff film production into entertainment certainly had something harrowingly poignant to say about what we, as people, will find entertaining to watch. The Crush House, meanwhile, is bright and fruity, and the sinister element that is meant to carry the subversion seems to be something more akin to something like “tee hee, we know this is a bit problematic, but we sure love reality TV anyway.” It makes sense that this is where the developers would land. We all know that reality TV should be critiqued even as we all have at least one example of it that we can’t help but watch. The developers have also made a genuinely entertaining game out of it. It would be ridiculous to criticise candy for being good at being candy. I think I’m just surprised that it didn’t have more substance because it seemed like it had all the potential in the world to be a grand dessert.

Herein lies the appeal of The Crush House: it can function as a Big Brother camera operator simulator for those looking for that (especially on lower difficulties), but it also offers up a compelling dark side for those with a bit of patience. That, paired with an incredibly low price tag of $24.99 AUD, makes this title one that I’d happily recommend to those in either camp.

The Crush House is a clever and entertaining spin on reality television - one that has its tongue firmly in cheek, but which also speaks to deeper themes in the metanarrative I'm working hard not to spoil here. It's repetitive and a little unfair at times, but also compelling and enjoyable - and there's a real thrill to getting good footage.

Crush House doesn't require a preexisting love of reality TV to enjoy - only an appreciation for true ingenuity.

They've delivered the true entertainment of reality shows in a way never before seen.

With its pop-coloured approach, and an expert balance between its tones, The Crush House is a bright, cynical, and stylish takedown of reality TV that brings its many unseen horrors to the forefront. A strangely curtailed ending may dampen the intrigue of the plot, but while the seasons rush past, the drama is thrilling.

A fun and frenetic reality TV sim, The Crush House delivers thoughtful commentary on virtual voyeurism.

If The Crush House had simply been a smart and funny photography and cinematography game, I would have been satisfied and pleased – but it offers the player far more than that. Underneath the snappy text and playful design, it has a weird heart, too. It’s worth noting that the review build still had moments of glitchiness – however the strength of the idea and execution far outweighs any of the technical struggles. This in itself is remarkable: The Crush House is so much fun that even the slightly broken parts didn’t make me want to turn it off. It’s a fantastic way to spend the last few chill nights of summer – and the seasons coming up, too.

The Crush House does something different, combining aspects of social interaction, photography, and simulation with a deeper mystery waiting to be uncovered, always lurking below the surface. It’s an interesting combination, and while it could offer a more cohesive experience, there’s little else like it on the market. Reality TV fans interested in how the medium can translate to video games should absolutely give The Crush House a look.

The Crush House is an interesting game that combines FPS elements with exploration, time management, and strategy, all with a narrative that makes you want to marathon the game all the way to the season finale. It’s a game that can only ever be a game, as the impact of the story wouldn’t be the same in another format. While enjoyable, I do suggest having something else to do on hand. Once the audience gets what they want, the drama of reality TV loses its luster, leaving nothing but vapid and repetitive content behind.

The Crush House is a FPS where you shoot with your camera instead of a gun. It really encapsulates the reality TV format, but like reality TV, it did run the risk of getting repetitive after too many seasons.

The Crush House turns reality TV into the funniest puzzle game you'll ever play.

The Crush House might not be the perfect production players were hoping for but what’s there is a really good time and at least always fun. The nature of working and grinding to line up the perfect shot to watch the numbers tick up as you satisfy weird audiences from all walks of life is novel and never gets old. Yes, this means you’re not always authentically re-creating the filming of reality TV as you instead focus on props and the environment in the interest of points, hurting the spotlight on its cast. Though when you can focus on its characters they’re all irreverent, queer and delightfully heinous. I found myself always ready to drop everything for them at the drop of a hat as I tended to their ridiculous tasks, slowly working to an enticing sinister narrative that was hiding underneath. If all else, I could never accuse The Crush House’s beauty of being skin-deep. It is weird, extra, juicy and unapologetic as all hell. It’s exactly what it should be.

The Crush House has its share of solid moments, but it ends up oscillating between creativity and boredom. The day to day filming schedule needed to be spruced up to avoid repetitive dialogue and bland footage.

Crush House tries its hardest to make it all seem fascinating, but, ultimately, there’s just not enough here to make it so.

Quotation forthcoming.

It is agonising to try and share some final thoughts for The Crush House. The concept and execution at its core is top notch, offering a brilliant twist on some existing gimmicks that just aren’t all that common. The disappointment comes from the end of the honeymoon period, where you find yourself hungry for just a little more depth to really reach your TV production potential. I have rarely found a game that offered such a concise gameplay loop, that was wildly fun to engage with and excited you to master it – only to then hit your head on the ceiling of your ambitions in rapid fashion. While my gripes might paint a picture of this game not being a recommendation, I have to insist that the fun parts of The Crush House are absurdly fun. This isn’t a case of the game being broken or unloved, quite the opposite – it is an exceptional level of potential not quite reaching its zenith. Film some butts, see for yourself.

There are some interesting ideas at play here and the reality TV show simulation genre is far from crowded, but the problem is that there is so little to the actual core gameplay. The voyeuristic nature of reality TV makes this a game in which you spend a lot of time simply listening to the characters speak to each other and finding that what they have to say isn’t all that interesting. I can’t help but feel that if this was more of a real simulation of reality TV that gave you a lot more control in staging and forcing dramatic moments, then The Crush House would be more fun to play. As it is, it’s a bit of curiosity that will keep your interest about as long as it does your fictional viewers’.

The Crush House is a chaotic and entertaining experience that delivers fun in short bursts. However, its lack of depth and lasting appeal means it’s more of a spectacle than a substantial game. It’s enjoyable while it lasts, but don’t expect it to hold your attention for long.

There are some really nice ideas in The Crush House, but ultimately it’s unable to tie any of it together in a meaningful way. Fans of dating sims will probably get a real kick out of the first few seasons of the game, but before long the crushing repetition sets in and you find yourself sinking to new lows to satisfy an ever-dwindling audience of perverts. I guess it’s a lot more like reality TV than I gave it credit for, actually.

The Crush House feels like a victim of its own confidence. It’s so self-sure of its premise and big-brained twist that it fails to dig a little deeper under the surface to actually justify any of it. The gameplay itself is incredibly shallow and dull when it isn’t being a frustrating exercise in dice-rolling. The characters are basically all the same person and interact with each other the same ways, repeating the same small set of possible events over and over. Your involvement in the whole equation is to sit there and watch, and hope the emojis and numbers on the screen are doing the good thing instead of irritating you. The payoff is just as shallow as the gameplay, making the whole subversive twist as commentary gimmick a bust.