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Innovative. That's probably the best word we could use to describe Crush. Being able to move from 2D to 3D and back has been explored in many games by many developers, but few can boast what the guys at Zoe Mode have accomplished. They even upped the ante by allowing players to switch views on six axes at any time during the game. Crush is without a doubt one of the best games on the PSP to date. It marries innovative gameplay with a storyline that's interesting, innovative and compelling
The game is about a kid named Danny, who was hospitalized for his insomnia. Danny's is not your average Joe and has a lot of emotional baggage that begins manifesting in his subconscious. He seeks help from Dr. Reubens, whom other professionals in the field of psychology criticize for being a bit too... eccentric.
Dr. Reubens "suggests" a treatment that uses a special machine he created: C.R.U.S.H (Cognitive Regression Utilizing pSychiatric Heuristics). The therapy has Danny undergoing hypnosis while hooked up to said machine. It should allow him to cut through his neuroses and come to terms with the secrets he has hidden in his psyche. At least in theory...
Senior Producer Paul Mottram at Zoe Mode was nice enough to let us pick at his brain regarding Crush. He discussed their choice to release it on the PSP, the current lack of multiplayer options, and even the possibility of user created levels. Those who have been enamored by the game will also want to read about the possibility of a sequel to the game (which is referred to multiple times in the interview).
QJ: In 50 words or less, describe the experience of playing Crush.
PaulMottram: An utterly original and innovative experience that is more likely to train your brain than any number of brain training compendiums. You will never have experienced before the feeling of elation you will get when you figure out how to crush your way through a level.
QJ: The premise of the game is really unique, what was the inspiration for creating Crush?
PM: We have always been fascinated about making new original games and the concept of using different perspectives seemed like a brilliant idea. Moving between an orthographic and perspective camera was a neat trick and we were surprised that nobody had thought of doing it before which made us worry that we might be trying to do something that was impossible.
M. C. Escher, Father Ted explaining perspective to Father Dougal using cows and just looking at 3DS Max with it’s perspective and orthogonal views, coupled with a desire to create a game that wasn’t like everything else convinced us that we could make it work.
  
QJ: Given the fact that it does feature rather innovative gameplay, what specific target market (ie hardcore gamers, puzzle gamers) will this game primarily appeal to?
PM: There is no denying that the game is challenging and focused towards a more cerebral puzzle gamer, however we believe that anyone can play the game once they understand how the Crush mechanic works.
We made a deliberate decision to try to avoid pressuring the player at any time and providing lots of checkpoints and hints if they want them. Players want to explore the levels and try different crushes at their own pace without having to worry about dying.
  
QJ: The switching between 2D and 3D modes reminds us of the ability of Mario in Super Paper Mario, given the fact that a lot of gamers loved this innovation, do you think that the comparison would be a good selling point of the game?
PM: The games couldn’t be more different; SPM is an RPG/Platformer where you can occasionally rotate the camera 90 degrees to see the depth in the scene. The Crush mechanic is completely different. The player can crush at any time along any axis and the mechanic is key to solving the puzzles in the game.
It’s never a bad thing to be mentioned in the same sentence as a game as good as SPM however and we love the fact that we are both trying to be innovative in our game design and demonstrate that there are new areas to explore within existing genres.
QJ: Is it part of Zoe Mode's strategy to take a few pages from the DS' success with puzzle games and merge it with the hardcore gamer appeal of PSP?
PM: Zoe Mode's strategy is to make original and innovative games that appeal to a wide audience. We’ve been responsible for all the Play and SingStar franchises on the PS2 for the last few years, which have been tremendously successful and in parallel we are constantly looking for new and inventive gameplay mechanics to put into our games.
We want to be known as a company that isn’t scared of trying new things and trying to broaden the audience for videogames. We wanted to make a handheld game and the PSP offered us the best opportunity to create the Crush title we wanted at the time we started production.
QJ: Speaking of other handhelds, with Crush being a puzzle-based game, don't you think it would have more success with the market DS holds? Why venture in a deal with PSP?
PM: A DS version of Crush has always been on our mind along with other consoles but we would want to tailor the experience to the strengths and weaknesses of each platform it went on. When we started development the PSP provided us with the most powerful hardware and the quality of the screen and it’s 3D capabilities meant we could be much more ambitious with the design and our artwork.
We also felt that the PSP market was severely lacking new IP and games like Crush and this was a gap we wanted to fill.
  
QJ: Ben Hebb discussed the difficulties in the transition from 2D to 3D and the balancing of the colors used in the game, what other problems have you encountered in the development of the game?
PM: Designing levels that provide a series of exciting puzzles for the player that cannot be circumvented by a un-predicted Crush has been the biggest challenge. The designers had to consider every possible outcome of a crush from any direction and still try to produce attractive and challenging levels. The demand on them and QA was massive.
QJ: What are the chances that we'll be seeing a "bigger" version of this game on other platforms such as the PS3, Wii or the Xbox 360?
PM: I think there is a lot more to do with the Crush mechanic and characters and so I’d love to explore different platforms and versions of the game, fully utilizing all their unique interfaces and capabilities.
When and if that will happen is still to be decided but it’s something we would really like to do.
QJ: Is a sequel planned for the game?
PM: At the moment we cannot reveal anything about other potential versions or sequels, however if a game and mechanic ever deserved to be experienced by a wider audience, then that game would be Crush
QJ: What gameplay features of the game (aside from crushing) are you and the developers most excited about?
PM: Crushing is what this game is all about and it is key to everything that happens in the world. The nightmares that inhabit the world all behave differently in 2D and 3D and you must decide how you are going to approach each one and in what dimension.
  
QJ: Did you consider adding a multiplayer mode where two patients can help each other out in solving puzzles? It would have been awesome to have a friend playing in 3D to move a block while you're in 2D, ready to use it as a platform
PM: It would be wonderful to be able to solve puzzles with a friend or even use the crush to hinder each other whilst playing together. We strongly considered this for the first game but our focus was on creating a compelling single player experience first especially when introducing the players to such a new concept.
It would definitely be something we would consider for any potential sequels and we welcome any ideas you may like to see in a future multiplayer version.
QJ: This game touches upon the mysteries on the mind and Neurosis, will characters get a chance to interact with the real world through Danny or be confined to the C.R.U.S.H. machine?
PM: I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone at this stage but we’ve definitely left the door open for more adventures in Danny’s mind and the real world.
QJ: Will this game have downloadable content like online levels which can be accessed through the memory stick? If it will, do you think we'll be seeing some user-created levels? If not, why?
PM: This version has no such feature unfortunately; however this is an aspect we would like to explore in future. All the levels were built using an in-game editor that could export to memory stick. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time to make all the required additions that would have been needed to release this commercially.
Seeing what gamers could do with such a tool would be superb and is definitely something we would like to see in future.
QJ: This game is slated to be released in Europe and the US, do you think we might be seeing it out in other locations such as Australia and Japan? Maybe even Korea?
PM: Australia is due to get the game but currently there is no Japanese or Korean language version. If the demand is there however I’m sure it is something we could do with Sega
QJ: IGN got a copy of the game and said that "While the sheer depth of proceedings makes for some incredibly satisfying puzzle and platform action, we found things incredibly overwhelming at times" Is there a way to tone down the difficulty for less experienced players? If yes, how do the lower difficulty levels actually make things simpler?( i.e. offer a different level, etc.)
PM: There are no specific difficulty settings, however the player can turn on ‘context sensitive’ hints which will help them through the levels. Initially these are very obvious however they get a bit more cryptic on later levels.
QJ: What new games does Zoe Mode have lined up after Crush?
PM: We have several undisclosed projects in development that should be announced soon and hopefully some more Crushing :)
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