The Crush House Review (PC & macOS)

Plenty of shady things go down inside the walls of The Crush House. And while most of them get swept under the rug, you’ll sometimes get lucky and capture them on camera. But before the plot grows sinister, you do enjoy a relatively easygoing gig as the producer of a late ‘90s reality TV show. At least for the early to mid stages of the game, you do get a rough idea of what it feels like to be in charge of shooting juicy content for viewers. 

For the most part, The Crush House is very much a satirical take on reality TV. It pokes at the issues that plague the industry, putting you in the shoes of the camera woman in charge of shooting, sometimes, characters under duress. But the game also gives you some breathing room to maneuver the set as you please. It gives you the freedom to choose your own cast and shoot the scenes you think will generate the most views. 

Reasonably, a ton will determine just how worthwhile The Crush House will be to you. This is very much unlike most video games. It gives you only a camera and allows you to experience varied perspectives on the film industry. It feels like the type of game to buckle up and maul over the contrasting ideas of the cast, audiences, and the production team, balancing their wants and needs. 

Anyway, enough jibber-jabber. Let’s jump into what you can expect in the game and whether it’s all worth your time. Cue The Crush House review.

Take Charge

Waking up in the basement, you’re given a camera and tasked with selecting the cast to star in a late ‘90s-themed reality TV show. There are 12 characters in total, each with a unique bio. Although the bios are the usual archetypes you might expect from the cast of any other reality TV show – The Kardashians, Too Hot to Handle, etc.

Anyway, you can choose an initial cast of four, which you are free to pick at your discretion. Perhaps you want to experiment with personalities that are likely to squabble. Or those that seem likely to ignite romance. It’s all up to you. Still, character selection is crucial, as it’ll be the base that determines how many viewers you retain. 

The cast is then set loose in a Malibu mansion, where they interact and do whatever they want in the house. Your job, though, is to follow them around with your camera. And yes, it’ll feel perverted at times. But the powers that be demand that you capture steamy moments that entice viewers and generate income.

If You Say So

It gets more dramatic when viewers’ comments begin to stream on the side of your screen. All sorts of audience types express their excitement, nudging you to keep shooting a fight or kissing scene to please them. But you’ll also get requests from audience types with more specific needs and wants. 

Some are into plants. Others are into plumbing. And as dull as some of the requests may sound, you have no choice but to satisfy them. It’s made more apparent by the specific meter that tracks the level of satisfaction of each audience type. Even more apparent is when you fail to fulfill their requests, and your show is canceled.

The requests grow more unsettling the more you play. Some viewers demand to see zoomed-out butts. Others fancy feet. But beyond the more perverted requests, you also find some art enthusiasts who want to see the art pieces in the house. And film majors who are keen on camera angles for certain scenes.

In short, The Crush House proves to have more depth than anticipated. Even more so when you can fulfill the desires of multiple audience types in one scene, say capturing plants, butts, and a squabble all in one frame. In fact, the level of ingenuity you apply to fulfill multiple audiences can be so exhilarating that it keeps you craving more challenges.

Hacks

If the audience’s demands grow too overwhelming, the game throws you a lifeline. It allows a specific audience type that feels you’ve met their needs beyond expectation to affect the audience types that still feel like you have neglected them. It comes in handy, especially when you stumble onto needs that aren’t clear, like the activists and cynics.

In any case, you’ll be doing a lot of running around the house, trying to be at the right place and time for the steamiest scenes. You can arrive just when a fight between characters has ended, leaving you with a lost opportunity to entice the masses. 

Overall, though, the filming itself is pretty interesting. Sure, you’ll often be standing to film scenes, but the content is engaging enough. Plus, you’ll often need to zoom in or out depending on the objective or maneuver around the room to find the best camera angle. The only times when filming grinds to a halt is when filming the duller needs like plants or aquariums. 

Take Two

Failing to fulfill your audience’s needs cancels your show, thus forcing you to re-shoot for the day until you get it right. Fortunately, the audience changes with each run, almost like a roguelike run. That way, you experience a fresh run while also giving you a fair chance to beat the game. 

Additionally, you’ll have the chance to make more money by airing ads during downtime. While the ads section of the game is passive, it still is fun to watch. You watch ads that draw inspiration from games like Cult of the Lamb. But the ads aren’t set in stone, with the freedom to select them based on your audience. 

As always, the more you satisfy the audience, the more income you’ll earn. Thereafter, you can spend in-game currency to buy props for the show. The props can be pretty pricey. So, you want to prioritize the ones that make your audience happy, like butt-shaped pillows for butt lovers and so on.

Plot Twist

At the start of the game, you’re instructed to avoid talking to the cast. It’s one of the rules you must adhere to. But once the cast goes to bed, and you’re free to roam around the mansion, exploring, some of the characters will approach you with odd requests. 

Some of them will ask for more screen time, while others will have more specific requests, like filming them kissing to ramp up their popularity. It’s all up to you whether you fulfill their requests or not. However, it quickly becomes apparent that to unravel more of the plot, you have no choice but to heed the ask.

As for the plot, while the characters have weird Animal Crossing-like gibberish sounds, the dialogue itself isn’t too bad. It’s at certain times funny, with some intriguing ideas. However, as you replay and switch characters on consecutive runs, you’ll realize dialogue isn’t tied to a character. 

It takes away the opportunity to develop more profound background and storylines specific to a character and, thus, form a deeper connection to them. Otherwise, you could care less about the characters and the story, and I wouldn’t blame you.

But soon, as if to make up for the shallow character development, the plot weaves a compelling plot twist. Essentially, you’ll have one in-game week of filming per season, upon which your cast will jump into the Success Cylinder, spiraling you down into the plot twist. I won’t give any spoilers, but the story sure does take a captivating turn, unraveling some of the dark sides of reality TV.

Dust Off

Visually, The Crush House dons a bright pink neon color palette. It’s a textbook fairy tale depicting a cute and adorable world. It makes it the perfect setting to introduce a dark plot twist that catches you by surprise. 

While the music won’t win any awards, it’s pleasing enough to get the job done. Plus, you have control over choosing the music to play during certain scenes. 

It’s a shame that you run into some bugs here and there, including crashes, menu glitches, and the music disappearing. However, none of them detract from the overall playthrough. Still, it’d be nice to have a patch that ensures a smooth and seamless playthrough.

Verdict

The Crush House feels like not only a gaming experience but also a reference point to discuss some of the issues reality TV has. It pokes at social issues relevant in today’s world. And the best part is that it puts you in the driver’s seat to film reality stars, some under duress. 

While the playthrough doesn’t give you complete freedom over the reality TV show you make, seeing as most of your content is determined by your audience’s wants and needs, it still provokes deeper conversation around the Information Age. 

Is pleasing the masses, with their depraved and perverted needs, the way to go? Or should TV shows uphold morality, money be damned?