November 22, 2023 - Reading time: 2 minutes - Category: game library project
Crumple Zone is an racer and an ode to the Destruction Derby game on PS1. I loved that game and played it to death as a kid, so when I was able to pick this game up dirt cheap in a bundle, I decided to try it right away.The game is fun, and it definitely evokes feelings of playing the original game. I've played the first cup of the campaign, which was 6 events. 5 of those were "races", which is a bit of a misnomer because it doesn't actually matter where you finish the race. As long as you crash into people, you rack up score, and I was able to win events despite coming in near last in the race.
The last event was a destruction derby, which is where the game shines. Smashing cars is just plain old fun. The damage model is really simplistic - all that matters is that you're going faster than the car you smash into. It makes for some awkward situation, as you smash into opponents at high speed and take no damage at all. But once you get used to it it's fine.
This is a good arcade game. There's not much to it, but I think I'm going to finish up the campaign.
Verdict: Keep Playing
Part of the Game Library Project