Crush 3D

Common Sense Media says

Unusual puzzler cleverly uses perspective, but it's hard.

Age(i)

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Quality(i)

 
(i)
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What parents need to know

Positive messages

This game rewards thoughtful, considered action. It suggests that strategic, logical thinking is the most important tool when confronting challenges.

Positive role models

The hero, a dressing gown-clad young man, is a good-humored fellow and obliging lab rat for his friend, a strange professor. He makes cracks about the professor's lack of consideration for the consequences of his experiments, but he tackles the game's puzzles with determination and tenacity.

Ease of play

Most of the puzzles aren't that hard in concept, but switching dimensions and perspectives can be a little disconcerting. It's a mechanic that won’t easily be learned by all players. Most will either find their bearings after dozen or so puzzles, or they’ll grow frustrated and give up.

Violence

Players occasionally squish large bugs, which release yellow goo. Should the player's avatar fall off a ledge, he'll let out a little yell. He never dies or becomes seriously injured. 

Sex
Not applicable
Language
Not applicable
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable
Privacy & safety

Some privacy concerns. The game uses the Nintendo 3DS StreetPass feature, which automatically transfers player information to others, including their Mii character. This feature can be turned off, but young children should be cautioned to never use their real name as their Mii.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Crush 3D is a puzzle game that allows players to change not only the perspective from which the view their surroundings, but also switch the environment from two dimensions to three, then back again. Players must think through both logic and strategy, and consider consequences before taking action. There is some mild violence, but it's directed at bugs, which are squished and squirt yellow goo. Parents need to remember that Nintendo is warning parents not to allow kids age six and under to view the graphics in 3D because that viewing "may cause vision damage." The Nintendo 3DS offers parents the ability to lock out the use of 3D graphics in the system's Parental Controls. This game also has the option of using StreetPass, a feature where player information can be passed to others. It too can be turned off.

Parents say

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Kids say

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AGE
9
QUALITY
 
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What's it about?

A wacky professor has come up with a way for people to experience worlds that shift between two and three dimensions in CRUSH 3D for Nintendo 3DS. Players take on the role of a young man who unwittingly becomes a guinea pig for the professor's experiments. He finds himself inhabiting virtual environments in his subconscious that can be \"crushed,\" flattening them to two dimensions. You can also shift the camera around our protagonist, allowing you to crush the environment from new angles. This unique mechanic allows our hero to bypass and overcome obstacles, find hidden collectibles, and squish the occasional bug on his way toward finding an exit in each of the game's 50 or so puzzles.

Is it any good?

QUALITY
 

Crush 3D is clever and fun, but it may well break your brain. Imagining what an environment will look like transformed from three dimensions to two -- or back again -- is harder than you make think. Thank goodness the game’s developer, Zoe Mode, is forgiving in the game's design. The puzzles are challenging, but there are plenty of save points. And crushing never has fatal results -- though you can accidentally jump off ledges if you aren’t careful. It's also a case of a game in which the 3DS’s stereoscopic display is a true benefit.

It could be a little more robust -- a game that costs $30 should last longer than five or six hours -- but there's little denying its cleverness and innovation. It's worth it for puzzle fans looking for something different.  

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about how we use reasoning skills in our day-to-day lives. What are some activities that require you to consider consequences before taking action?

  • Families can also discuss the ethics of scientific experimentation. When is it appropriate to use real people to test new technologies and theories? When is it not? At what point do the ends cease to justify the means?

  • What are some other puzzle games that you have played and enjoyed?

Game details

Platforms:Nintendo 3DS
Price:$29.99
Available online?Not available online
Developer:Sega of America
Release date:March 6, 2012
Genre:Puzzle
Topics:Bugs, Science and nature
ESRB rating:E10+ for Animated Blood, Mild Cartoon Violence (Nintendo 3DS)

This review of Crush 3D was written by

Chad Sapieha

About our rating system

  • ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
  • OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.

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Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging, good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

Find out more

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Teen, 14 years old Written byKieth11 September 15, 2012
AGE
9
QUALITY
 

Good, but really hard.

It's a good game, but really, really hard. It's possible, but don't think anyone can pass something on their first try without getting really pissed off. The puzzle world is so big that it's extremely easy to overlook things, therefore you can easy get past a whole level and never explore the whole place. Collecting everything is really hard also. Also, I feel as if such a game should allow you to create and share your own levels, but sadly you can't do that in this game. This game isn't anything anyone can learn from, but it requires you to think like crazy! You can squash bugs and make them explode into this green liquid that looks so weird...
What other families should know
Too much violence
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