Look: 8/10 Super cute UI for the Top Score and Bonus Stage font etc. And cute how it has an actual place in the map: rather than being an extra layer that's always on top in the same spot, you actually move to it ha. Technically gets repetitive eventually, but has a classic Nintendo/Mario look that is endearing.

Sound: 8/10 Cute jingle, classic NES sounds, and the sounds also somehow reminded me of Mr. Do. I swear some sounds were straight from other NES games, namely other Mario games. Only complain is that Pause sound sheesh.

Play: 7/10 Wow this is so much better than the Vs Arcade version! I mean, with 2 players I probly woud like the Vs version more, but without it... the single player version of this is so much better, I suppose I should say. It has everything I felt was missing from the Vs version: effective use of wrap around, a bit more forgiving at first to get used to and learn the mechanics, actually cute and progressively difficult level design (I'm starting to wonder if I accidentally started in a later level on the Vs version, now that I think of it... but it said Phase Phase 2 etc. Hm) It was genuinely fun manipulating the enemies' pathfinding and learning the games' quirks. (tho all this eventually got overran by the tedious puzzle aspect)

Feel: 7/10 The lack of fall damage was critical to making this so fun (and the wrap around feature which, as far as through Phase 3, the Vs Arcade version did not seem to have). It allowed for just exciting fun, tho the fact there were 100 phases kept looming over me. That's nice in the sense of replayability but I like to complete games fully.... And I wasn't sure if I loved this enough. Hm. But yeah, it's those little things--namely the cute way the UI/Top Score/etc are displayed, the lack of fall damage, the wrap around, the nice jingle--that make me push throughhhhhh. Ah!

Attachment: 7/10 I was at first flustered by there being Bonus Stages--like there weren't enough levels already!--but the gameplay was still keeping my interest by Level 10... Maybe it will keep it to Level 100! After all, 1942 was very long too and I completed all of that.. The Bonus Stage was a cute idea too, I felt actually kinda good at keeping track of the coin and it was almost immediately intuitive what to do.

Welp I got to Phase 11 on my first night and was still genuinely having fun. I leave for Florida tomorrow, and I didn't have this on the list of potentially fun games to play while down there but it definitely made the list!

Darn, as much as I was enjoying it, the tedium that got me to stop playing the arcade game crept in more and more. Phase 12 is what ruined it for me. I liked the challenge of keeping track of where you can go up and down, but overusing the getting-trapped moments and having too complex of puzzles in the early levels burned me out too fast. Odd cuz I was having such fun for the first 11 phases! This is where I got burned out heh

Still, an overall great action game, even if with a tedious love of frustrating puzzle elements. This could have been one of my faves! Argh

Completion: To Phase 12 . Score 79,100 Playtime: 1h 30m

Wrecking Crew seems like an unassuming little arcade action game at first, but lends itself to some tricky and puzzling fun that impressively takes advantage of its own systems.

Starring Mario (or Luigi in two-player mode), you attempt to wreck walls, ladders, and other objects in a stage as he avoids enemies. The player can move and use the hammer to destroy objects, as well as employ pillars to drop objects, doors to lure enemies into a background, bombs to drop enemies down to the ground, and barrels to trap them. Enemies may either chase Mario/Luigi or follow a standard movement pattern. Fireballs may also follow a wave arc across a section and threaten the player's progress. An evil wrecker called Spike can also hit blocks and knock the player down to the ground.

Given these tools, Wrecking Crew employs an impressive 100 levels that can be accessed from the main menu instead of forced to play in a single bout (though there is a score and bonus stages involved to get a high score!). Strategies include blocking off enemies, leading them into set patterns, determining which ladders to hit first to make a full path, using bombs and Spike to hit the ground safely, and even employing mechanics that don't seem obvious at first but radically change how the viewer plays the game. It's extraordinary puzzle design and can be repeated as many times as necessary (at the cost of a high score).

Music is serviceable and cheerily inoffensive - enemies and objects are colorful and easily identifiable, allowing the player to focus on the action and not get confused. Paired with excellent puzzle design, this game is an absolute must-play on the NES.