CrossKrush review for PS4, Xbox One, Switch

CrossKrush is definitely one of the more unique puzzle games I?ve ever played. You play as either half of an elderly couple who are unhappy about a highway and bridge being built near their property, so they decide to take matters into their own hands and blow up cars as they cross.

As someone whose gaming mantra is ?the more explosions, the better,? I have to say, that kind of scenario appeals to me.

What?s also appealing: the fact that CrossKrush is pretty fun. It?s not at all complicated, either — which is part of why it?s so fun. As the cars cross the bridge in blocks, you set explosives in their path, and they blow up as soon as you trigger them. Occasionally you get cars packed with TNT or cars that leave explosive residue behind after they explode, which add to the destruction, and you need to avoid blowing up ambulances, but generally speaking, what you?re doing in Level 1 is the same thing as what you?re doing in Level 10. On top of that, it?s all short enough — 10 short waves per level — that you never feel like the game is dragging on well past the point of it being fun.

Mind you, the flip side of that is you kind of wish there were a little more to do, since what?s here is so enjoyable. There are a couple of slightly different modes — a mode where the cars go faster, a one-hit death mode, a mode where explosion holes stay until they get paved over, and a two-player version — but they don?t substantially change anything, and it feels like there are more directions this game could have potentially gone.

Still, it?s always better for a game to leave you wanting more than making you lose interest long before it ends. CrossKrush is just the right amount of quirky and challenging to make it well worth an hour or so.

Ratalaika Games provided us with a CrossKrush PS4 code for review purposes.