TURBOGRAFX-16 Action Sports 1990

Devil's Crush

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Compile's TurboGrafx-16 pinball hybrid where a medieval gothic table features breakable enemies, secret bonus stages, multi-floor progression, and boss battles — all within a pinball framework. Devil's Crush is one of gaming's greatest pinball games and a defining title for the TurboGrafx-16 platform.

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💡 Devil's Crush — Key Facts

→ Devil's Crush was developed by Compile and published by NEC
→ Released in 1990 on TURBOGRAFX-16
→ Genre: Action, Sports
→ We rate it 9/10 — an absolute classic
→ Compile's TurboGrafx-16 pinball hybrid where a medieval gothic table features breakable enemies, secret bonus stages, multi-floor progression, and boss battles — all within a pinball framework. Devil's Crush is one of gaming's greatest pinball games and a defining title for the TurboGrafx-16 platform.

Overview

Devil’s Crush gives players one table. Three floors. Enemies instead of bumpers. A boss in the middle section. Bonus stages through portals. Gothic metal on the soundtrack.

That’s enough. Twenty years later, players still return to beat their high scores on the same table.

The Table Design

The TurboGrafx-16’s screen scrolls vertically through the three-floor table. The top floor has target enemies and portals to bonus stages. The middle floor houses the central serpentine boss and the most complex enemy configurations. The bottom floor provides the flipper section — where most pinball occurs — alongside additional targets.

Passages between floors mean the ball can leave the lower section, scroll through the middle, reach the top, and return through different paths. The multi-floor structure creates a table with more decisions than standard pinball — not just whether to go for bumpers or targets but which section of the three-floor maze to navigate toward.

The Audio Argument

Devil’s Crush’s soundtrack made an argument for what game music could do. The gothic organ theme was immediately distinctive — heavy metal filtered through medieval horror, synchronized to a pinball table populated with demon-adjacent creatures.

Players who owned TurboGrafx-16s used Devil’s Crush to demonstrate what the hardware’s audio was capable of. The music did more for the game’s atmosphere than any visual element. It said: this table is serious. This is a place with its own character.

The Pinball Game That Isn’t Just Pinball

Standard pinball: hit bumpers, avoid gutters, pursue high scores. Devil’s Crush: destroy the gargoyle, open the portal, complete the bonus stage, face the serpent boss, maintain the multiplier, pursue high scores.

The action game elements don’t compromise the pinball — the physics remain satisfying, the skill required is genuine, the ball behaves like a pinball ball should. They add objectives that keep sessions from becoming purely score-hunting abstraction. The table has things to accomplish. Accomplishing them makes the score pursuit feel earned.

Our Review

Outstanding / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

🎵

Audio

★★★★★

🔄

Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Devil's Crush is a pinball game on a massive vertical table split into three interconnected floors. Enemies populate the table and must be hit to destroy — the skull-and-stone motif features gargoyles, skeletons, wizards, and a central serpentine boss on the middle table section. Certain target combinations open bonus stages — sealed side rooms with specific objectives accessed through the main table's portals. The boss enemy at the center of the middle table activates when enough enemies are cleared. Score multipliers, bonus targets, and the physics-responsive table design create genuine pinball depth alongside the action elements.

Graphics

Devil's Crush's gothic aesthetic — skulls, demons, medieval stone, serpents, gargoyles — creates one of gaming's most memorable pinball table designs. The three-floor scope and detail of breakable enemy sprites make the table visually engaging throughout long sessions.

Audio

Devil's Crush has one of the best game soundtracks on TurboGrafx-16 — gothic heavy metal and organ compositions that perfectly complement the table's aesthetic. The music was noted at release and remembered as a genre-defining use of TG16's audio capabilities.

Replayability

High score pursuit is endless — the table's depth, bonus stage variety, and score multiplier system create sessions that feel different as player skill develops. Pinball's inherent replay structure makes each game feel fresh.

Historical Significance

Devil's Crush (1990) is considered one of the finest pinball video games ever made and one of the TurboGrafx-16's defining titles. The game influenced subsequent 'fantasy pinball' design — the combination of traditional pinball physics with action game enemies and boss battles became a sub-genre. Sequels followed on various platforms (Dragon's Fury on Genesis, Alien Crush returns). The original TurboGrafx-16 version is consistently ranked among the best games on the platform.

✅ Pros

+ Three-floor table with enemies, bosses, and bonus stages far beyond standard pinball
+ Gothic metal soundtrack is exceptional
+ Physics feel authentic for a fantasy pinball game
+ High score pursuit provides genuinely endless replay
+ One of gaming's best pinball games regardless of platform

❌ Cons

- Single table — all gameplay on one design
- Bonus stage access can be opaque without guide
- Pinball genre appeal required for full appreciation
- Limited modern accessibility

Also Known As

Devil CrashDragon's Fury (Genesis)デビルクラッシュ

Devil's Crush FAQ

What makes Devil's Crush different from regular pinball games?

Devil's Crush combines pinball physics with action game design in a way no standard pinball simulation does. The table is populated with destructible enemies — gargoyles, skeletons, wizards, snakes — that must be hit and destroyed for points and progression. A serpentine boss occupies the center of the middle table section and activates when enough surrounding enemies are cleared, adding a boss battle to the pinball framework. Bonus stages are sealed rooms accessed through table portals, each with specific completion objectives. The multi-floor scope — three interconnected vertical sections with passages between them — creates a table far larger and more complex than physical pinball tables. Devil's Crush is a pinball game that requires action game engagement to play well.

What is the soundtrack to Devil's Crush?

Devil's Crush's music was composed for the TurboGrafx-16's sound chip and is considered one of the most distinctive game soundtracks of the early 1990s — gothic organ music combined with heavy metal guitar influences, creating music that perfectly suits the demonic table aesthetic. The main table theme is immediately recognizable to TG16 owners. The audio quality was noted at release as exceptional for home hardware. The music's thematic coherence with the visual design — skulls, serpents, medieval stone — made it an example of audio-visual game design that critics and players cited specifically.

Is Devil's Crush available on modern platforms?

Devil's Crush was released on Wii Virtual Console and appears in TurboGrafx-16 Mini compilations. A Genesis version called Dragon's Fury (also known as Devil Crash MD) was released in 1992 with a different visual design on the same gameplay framework. The TurboGrafx-16 original is available through retro game stores. Modern pinball enthusiasts seeking the fantasy pinball experience sometimes reference Devil's Crush in comparison to modern Zen Studios tables, which occupy a similar design space with updated production values.

What are the bonus stages in Devil's Crush?

Devil's Crush has multiple bonus stages accessible through portals opened by hitting specific target combinations on the main table. Each bonus stage is a sealed room with a specific challenge — clearing all enemies before a timer expires, hitting specific targets in sequence, or defeating a mini-boss enemy. Successfully completing a bonus stage returns the player to the main table with bonus points and progression rewards. The bonus stages add objective variety to the high-score pursuit structure — they're not pinball but are integrated into the table flow as interruptions that reward skilled play.