Reality TV is clearly a hot property, because those mad fools over at Devolver Digital are all-in with the unveiling of The Crush House – a slick and curious looking game from Nerial (of Card Shark fame) that is coming to PC later this year.
Set in the wondrous year of 1999, you get to monitor and maintain a house of cheeky singles that are clearly hungry for their 15 minutes of fame – and of course there is a dark secret beneath it all.
You can’t fault the premise for being original, I struggle to think of any game that lets me choose big butts for TV. The description goes into a little more detail:
Play as Jae, who has scored the gig of her dreams. But the demands are high and the stakes are even higher! She must cast, film, and produce each season of The Crush House, capturing all the drama, fighting, tension, and romance in the show’s iconic Malibu mansion.
But remember: no matter what, the demands of your audience must be met. If not, you run the risk of cancellation.
The trailer initially made me think I was going to be playing a very specific game of The Sims, before it pulled back the curtain to reveal that Jae is very much a real presence within the game – residing in the far less luxurious backrooms of the operation. The walkie talkie in hand and disembodied voice barking orders immediately took me back to FireWatch, a similar title that sees you managing stuff on behalf of a distant voice.
The key features for the game do genuinely paint a picture of a very fun experience to be had, focusing on a balancing act of managing the personalities within the house to chase ratings and money – all with the promise of some kind of sinister mystery to uncover between all your regular duties.
Well worth a watch, and I know I’ll have my eyes peeled for the PC release when it comes later this year.
Have you envisioned yourself as a TV producer? Think you can topple the dynasty of MAFS or Big Brother with The Crush House? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views. Follow him on YouTube @Bad at Video Games
