Wrecking Crew (video game)

Did You Know?

• In Japan, Game Machine listed Vs. Wrecking Crew as the thirteenth most-successful table arcade unit of October 1984.
• A fanmade English translation patch for Wrecking Crew '98 was released in October 2017.

Gameplay

In Wrecking Crew, players take control of Mario, or Luigi in two-player mode, and must smash every destructible object across 100 levels using a large hammer. Because the hammer is so heavy, Mario cannot jump. From the title screen, any level can be chosen to begin. Each level is built on an invisible grid, with each cell holding one object. These include walls, pillars, and ladders that can be destroyed, as well as indestructible barrels and ladders. Bombs will blow up every connected destructible object, and enemies appear that Mario must avoid. Opening doors sends enemies into the background, making them harmless. A new character, the construction foreman Spike—called Blackie in Japan—chases Mario and knocks down objects to make him fall. The player begins with five lives, losing one upon touching an enemy or a fireball. The game ends when all lives are gone, and it can be quit at any time, which is required if Mario gets stuck inside a barrel. Since Mario cannot jump, the player must figure out the best order to destroy things; for instance, removing a ladder too early might block access to a wall. Destroying several objects in a row, often using a chain of bombs, earns bonus points, and bonus items occasionally appear for Mario to collect. The game includes a level editor that lets players design up to four custom stages. These can be saved and loaded using the Famicom Data Recorder, a cassette tape drive that was only sold in Japan for the Famicom. As a result, versions released elsewhere cannot save or load custom levels. The U.S. manual mentions that the save and load functions were included for potential future products. This feature was later restored for the Wii Virtual Console release, which uses the Wii’s internal storage.

Re-releases

Wrecking Crew saw multiple re-releases over the years. It first returned in 1989 on the Family Computer Disk System, then in 2004 as the 14th Famicom Mini title for the Game Boy Advance. The game also appeared as a bonus unlockable in its sequel, Wrecking Crew '98. On the Wii Virtual Console, it launched in 2007. It was given to Nintendo 3DS owners in September 2011 through the Ambassador Program, with a general sale on the 3DS Virtual Console starting in Japan in September 2012 and in other regions in 2013. The Wii U Virtual Console got its own release in June 2013. Unlike the original NES version, all Virtual Console releases except the 3DS one allow players to save custom level designs. In July 2019, the game joined the Nintendo Classics service on the Nintendo Switch. Hamster Corporation then released VS. Wrecking Crew as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Switch in April 2020.

Sequel

Wrecking Crew '98 is an action puzzle game that came out exclusively in Japan in 1998, first on the Super Famicom's Nintendo Power download service and later as a cartridge. It differs from the original game by focusing on competition rather than clearing panels from a level. On each side of the screen, blocks and colored panels appear, and players must match three or more panels of the same color to make them vanish. When panels disappear, anything above them falls, which can create chain combos. Matching four or more panels of one color sends a specific attack to the opponent, with each color causing a different effect. The game ends when one player's screen is completely filled with panels. The story follows Mario, who returns from a trip to find Bowser building tall bases that block sunlight from the Mushroom Kingdom's plants. Mario gets his magic hammer from his Wrecking Crew days and starts destroying the bases. At each site, he battles a member of Bowser's construction crew, including his old rival Foreman Spike. The main single-player mode is Story mode, where Mario moves through an overworld to enter construction sites and defeat opponents. Finishing stages within a time limit unlocks secret stages and an alternate ending. Clearing Story mode unlocks up to 12 playable characters for Versus mode, which supports one or two players. It also unlocks Tournament mode, an eight-player single-elimination competition. A playable version of the original Wrecking Crew is available from the main menu. The game was re-released on the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan on September 28, 2016, and on the Nintendo Classics service on April 12, 2024, marking its first Western release. A fan translation patch came out in October 2017.

Legacy

Foreman Spike was a playable character in the 2001 game Mobile Golf. The Bonus Stage music from Wrecking Crew got a remix for Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix in 2005. Starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008, the Golden Hammer became a usable item in that series. A stage based on Wrecking Crew appeared in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014) and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018). Spike appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) as Mario and Luigi’s former boss, voiced by Sebastian Maniscalco. After nearly four decades, his name was made consistent as Spike even in Japan, where he had previously been called Blackie or Blacky.