Take on the role of interplanetary repair technicians in Crewcial, a co-op game for up to four players that’s all about communication and careful throws.
When it comes to co-operative games, one of the most important elements is communication. How that works, either in game or between the players, is arguably one of the most important signs of how well it’ll succeed and how far it will be shared. Games like Overcooked and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes are perhaps some of the best examples of this, and Crewcial might well join them due to its clear iconography (and prompt button) as well as the easy-to-understand, but pace shifting, minigames.
There’s something to be said about the trend of split-screen gaming where, when I saw the 2D, multi-tiered levels, I instantly assumed that this was going to be a game where players fought against one-another rather than working co-operatively towards a goal or score. However, unlike most of those games, which keep the full screen locked in view, Crewcial will, by design, have people travel off screen, and this adds a very interesting element to the level design.
Because, as well as stopping emergencies, winding valves, and fixing machines, you’ll also have to quickly learn the level, as most of them are filled with awkward platforms that, should you try to toss items to another player (which is the best way to get tools around the level) and miss, will gladly send your tools whirling off in the wrong direction. And, in the case of most of the levels that I played while at New Game Plus, that often means sending them out of the level, or into a pit that means you’ll have to wait for it to spawn back in, and that means you’re wasting precious seconds.
That’s where the communication comes in. You can press a button to shout for the right tool, and just the right number of pop-ups litter the map, ensuring that… as long as you stay calm and your throw stays true, you can stay in control of the worsening situation.
Crewcial is in development for PC, you can wishlist it over on Steam.
