Alien Crush

Alien Crush is a 1988 pinball game for the PC Engine, developed by Compile and published by Naxat Soft. The record lists a side view and one player – logical enough for digital pinball, since the table is displayed as a single vertical surface running from top to bottom.

Compile was a studio known for shooters and for a feel for smooth motion, which turns out to suit pinball unexpectedly well. The key to a good digital table is the physics of the ball: it must bounce predictably, accelerate believably and never get stuck. When that fails, no amount of artwork rescues the game.

The PC Engine was a sound choice for the job. The console had a strong graphics subsystem capable of many on-screen colours and fine background detail, which is decisive for a pinball table – the entire game happens on one surface, so its artwork carries the whole impression.

1988 marked the beginning of the PC Engine's Japanese heyday. The console positioned itself as a powerful alternative to eight-bit rivals and depended on games that showed the difference immediately. A dark, densely illustrated pinball table was exactly that kind of demonstration.

OldGame.cz will fire this table up inside your browser, and the same entry carries its year, the studios credited and screenshots.