Super Crush KO
It's not uncommon to say that many up-and-coming and recently released titles are currently in my coverage queue. A single recording session tends to take up an entire shift, sometimes multiple ones. As a one-person wrecking crew even I get burnt out from the fixation of one or two titles but that's an article for another time. Super Crush KO is an example of a game perfect for taking a break away from "gaming" if "gaming" gets too strenuous. Like a kid in a candy store, Super Crush KO assaults the player with waves of pastels, synth pop, and a woman with fists and kicks to back up her attitude.
Karen is a young woman living alone with her cat, Chubbz, when suddenly they are attacked by an alien squadron led by Ann, meant to take over the world! Or, at the very least, steal Chubbz from Karen and keep the cute round fat cat (Not that Fat Cat) away from the totally evil Ann who is definitely not falling head over heels for an athletic girl with spunk and unmatched, inexplicable power at her fingertips. Seriously, for an average girl lounging in what I'd imagine being her day off, Karen has a more complete move list than most other brawlers I've played.
The dynamic between Karen and Ann, the music, art style, and attitudes of the characters remind me of the two protagonists from River City Girls. It's safe to say that women today are innate with the power to do shoryukens, dive kicks, and shoot Kamehameha-style beams from their hands. Karen can also use Ann's rifle against her as she can fire at enemies from a distance when she can't reach her foes. It's almost as if Ann had allowed Karen to get close by leaving her plasma rifle as she steals Karen's cat away from her.
Gameplay is similar to the aforementioned River City Girls as well as similar brawlers, yet the simplicity of other 2D platformers. Karen can attack, use her special attacks at the cost of energy, and use her super attack once her special meter fills. Combat is seamless and the player is encouraged to use as much of Karen's resources as possible.
Karen has access to four special moves, named after snacks. The Twister Drill, represented by a pretzel, is effectively Cammy's Cannon Drill and Uppercut Slice is a "Dragon Punch." Air Pop is an angled kick that can be used as an elevated jump or as a "dive kick." Finally, there's the Ground Shake, which interrupts un-dodgeable attacks and lifts opponents in the air. Each of these moves will be utilized to traverse through each level as well as earn combo streaks on hapless enemies.
Not unlike Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, Super Crush KO's gameplay alternates between using Ann's plasma rifle to attack enemies from a distance while also keeping the combo going. The higher the combo and score count within a combo, the higher the grade, up to an S rank. The highest ranking a player can earn is an S+ rank and can compete with other players on the leaderboards. Super Crush KO's controls are responsive and everything in Karen's kit synergizes well with each other. I was able to pull off some stylish combos in the tutorial level along with the bare minimum and this is where Vertex Pop excelled in.
Super Crush KO is a short game, with sixteen levels and four bosses each representing a different section of the city. The entire plot takes place over the course of a single day, beginning at dawn and ending at night. While the game is short, the few dialogue cutscenes were fairly cute. The ending hints at a budding friendship between Karen and Ann who just doesn't want to feel lonely hence why she steals Karen's cat to begin with.
Ann begins to feel admiration for Karen as Karen destroys all of Ann's robots, which is understandable. If I was in the presence of a cool badass like Karen, I'm sure I would be head over heels for her as well. Right, the cat. It's about the cat. Turns out the cat is cool with both Ann and Karen, so, "That Darn Cat" brought two star-crossed rivals together into lovers. Everyone gets a happy ending!
Right now the game is on sale on the Nintendo Switch for $3 which is a perfect price point as Super Crush KO can be completed in a little over two hours. There are tons of replayability as mentioned earlier, with players vying to get the high score and top the leaderboards. Super Crush KO was able to meet my expectations by providing me a break from the heavier content, much like the various snacks that the game represents. Players who want to take an hour away from the woes of life and wish to add a little bit of color should check this one out.
Super Crush KO is available on the Nintendo Switch and Steam.