Crushed in Time

Looking at all of the evidence, I don't think it's a stretch to say that Crushed In Time is one of the best point-and-click adventure games, ever.

Despite a few dispensable sequences, Crushed in Time is an excellent point-and-click adventure that manages to bring a touch of freshness to a gameplay formula that has already been thoroughly tested for decades. Add to that a delightfully unhinged metafiction that brilliantly draws from every form of humor, along with more or less glorious tributes to video games and game creation as a whole, and you have a generous and memorable experience on your hands.

While the overall game isn’t the longest in the world — a full playthrough only takes a couple of hours — the surprisingly emotional ending will leave you wanting more. While gamers who find point-and-click games may balk at some of the more traditional aspects of the underlying mechanics, there’s enough fresh blood in the game to keep players engaged. Constantly inventive and consistently hilarious, Crushed in Time may rely heavily on the core gameplay mechanics of the familiar point-and-click genre, but it does enough with the classical mechanics to stand out even from the rest of the games made by Draw Me A Pixel.

Crushed in Time is a charming meta point-and-click adventure sending Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on a hilarious journey through time and game development. With clever puzzles, a solid hint system and a fully voiced cast in delightful British English, it balances accessibility and challenge well. A save-game bug slightly dampens the experience, but the witty humour and elastic gameplay make it well worth the trip.

Crushed In Time is delightfully the stretchiest point-and-click adventure game that I've played. Its fun concept is complemented by a vibrant, time-bending journey, but unclear puzzle solutions could dampen the enjoyment, and the plot might be too thin for story-focused gamers.

Draw Me A Pixel is back with a clever and unusual adventure, this time following Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson as they puzzle their way through a glitching video game. There's a lot to love here, but the stretchy control gimmick is not going to be for everyone.

Despite all its flaws, I still admire a lot about Crushed In Time. There’s a spirit of creativity, ingenuity, and risk-taking here that few games can match. That’s the thing about risks, though: sometimes they don’t pay off. The core control scheme here is certainly unique, but it simply doesn’t work well enough or consistently enough to be fun. At times, Crushed In Time can certainly be amusing, and there are a few chapters that are truly clever and engaging despite the controls, but I was glad to put Crushed In Time behind me.