Back in the early 80’s Nintendo struck gold with a certain character we all know and love today. One might wonder if today, said character is more well-known worldwide than even Mickey Mouse. But, that question is probably for a different time. In this article, I will be talking about Wrecking Crew on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Wrecking Crew is a 1985 puzzle platformer game starring Nintendo’s then up and coming star, Mario. The game was developed by Nintendo and the design was handled by Yoshio Sakamoto, who had previously worked on games like Donkey Kong Jr and Balloon Fight. Wrecking Crew is part of the original release line-up for the console, oftentimes referred to as the “Black Box” games.
The game is a relatively simple concept. The player controls Mario (and Luigi if playing in 2 player mode) where he is tasked with the job of ‘wrecking’ objects located around the building shown on screen. The player can navigate around the building via ladders and platforms, but is unable to jump. This is supposedly due to the fact that the hammer that Mario is carrying is too heavy. This one aspect, no jump, is what introduces the complexity and puzzle aspect to the game. Along with having to break objects, the player must also avoid enemies, so planning the path around the screen is critical. There are other elements that can introduce multiple methods of play, such as doors that can be opened that cause enemies to go to the background area away from the player.
But, as simple as the concept is, the game is deceptively hard at times. Traversing the games 100 
levels can be quite a journey. Fortunately, they allow you to select your level from the start screen, so picking up where you left off in the puzzle platforming onslaught is easy. First instinct is to run through and smash all objects and clear the level. You quickly learn, though, that you sometimes need to perform your smashing in a correct order to ensure you have a proper path through the level. The two-player mode is one character at a time, so it doesn’t change the gameplay. But, it is fun having a person to compete against.
Another interesting aspect of the game is the enemy character Spike. Spike is the construction foreman and he shows up in various levels and in the bonus stages. He is behind the stage, so you can’t interact or run into him directly. But, you and he can hit each other down to the bottom of the stage by breaking an object where you both are standing. He looks a little bit like Mario, but has a different color palette. One might wonder if this is where the idea for the bizarro world character Wario initially started.
Technically speaking, Wrecking Crew is a simple-looking game. It looks and sounds like something that would have been in an arcade in 1983-85, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The game does exactly what it needs to do perfectly well. You can easily recognize objects to smash, where enemies are and how to easily get around the stage by course of ladders. Musically, the game doesn’t feature too many songs, but what is there is classic arcade music if I ever heard it.
Other features in the game include the aforementioned 2 player mode which allows an alternating play option with a friend. Another really cool feature they included was a fairly “ahead of its time” level editor. Since the game’s levels are broken into a grid, and each grid spot can hold one object, creating new levels is a fairly straightforward process. Unfortunately, this feature was intended for use with the Japanese Famicom Disk system version of the game. Since the Disk System media was writable, players who created new levels could save them to play later. For the NES release, the feature to save wasn’t preserved via a battery backup. So once the system is powered off, any and all levels created are lost.
In 1998, Japanese gamers got an exclusive sequel called Wrecking Crew ‘98 for the Super Famicom as part of the Nintendo Power download game service (which was another Japanese exclusive). The gameplay is similar, though it features a more competitive type of two-player game experience. The original game also saw a few re-releases over the years on 3DS and Virtual Consoles.
Overall, I would say that Wrecking Crew for the Nintendo Entertainment System is a worthy puzzle platformer to this day. The gameplay is easy, fun and fairly addictive. Visually, it isn’t anything special, but it definitely captures that early 80’s arcade aesthetic perfectly. Give the game a shot if you are a fan of NES, platformers or anything in between!
Now that we have that general information about Wrecking Crew out of the way, one might be asking… “Isn’t Mario a plumber?”. The simple answer is, yes. But, it is more complex than that. In his 1981 debut game, Donkey Kong, Mario was known as a carpenter named “Jumpman”. (A distinction I find funny, since in Wrecking Crew you can’t jump.) In 1983, he and his brother Luigi are plumbers in the classic Mario Bros. In the 1985 game discussed in this article, we see him move to the role of wrecker. One might wonder what caused Mario to have such a swing in jobs over the course of 5 years. He would later go onto roles of golfer (Golf/NES Open), referee (Punch-Out, Tennis), pinball player (Pinball), doctor (Dr. Mario) and many more over the years. It seems as though the job market for an Italian guy in the early-mid 1980’s was filled with opportunities and Mario was definitely taking advantage of those. He does eventually go onto fully embrace his plumber instincts when we get into the 1990’s.
Anyway, it works, though, Mario has definitely had one of the longest and most varied existences in video game history. He has served as our companion through decades of games of just about every style you can think of. Platformers, racers, sports, party… even RPGs, Mario has done it all!
RETROGAMINGDEV
#GeekDad who is super into #videogames, most specifically #retrogaming. Learning #GameDev, developing @100HeartsGame! You can also find me on Twitter @retrogamingdev!
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