As far as I remember, this game was created on the concept of levels that fall apart as you play them (hence the name, Crumble). Combine this with the idea of using a grappling hook as your main method of traversal and it sounds like you would have something interesting. From my time with it though, I can't really tell what this game wants to be.

As it currently stands, it feels like it wants to be a goofy physics simulator while simultaneously wanting to be a precision platformer based around speed. If you have a lot of patience, a challenge like that may sound interesting. However, I feel that for the average player (or even the above-average player), the unpredictability of the physics and the grapple-tongue leads to a game that doesn't feel very satisfying to play. If you don't have a grappling point directly above you, you have no idea where your grapple will latch onto. As a result, it instantly kills your momentum in most situations. In a frenzy to save yourself, you'll begin attempting to climb the walls by swinging back and forth, only to realize this straight up doesn't work the vast majority of the time.

Aside from most of the levels being forgettable, there are genuinely some cool ideas and mechanics on display here and there. In the brief moments where you're going full speed and making split-second decisions, it feels awesome! I think with some adjustments and more focus, it could be a more enjoyable experience. For example, I feel having a grapple-assist that locks on to very specific points could go a long way.

Also, I took off half a star because while I was looking up info for this game, I couldn't help but notice the publisher seems to be obsessed with NFTs.

A real palette cleanser!

In Crumble, you're a slimeball that mysteriously arrives on a unknown land, and you have to get on the Spaceship headed back to your home planet. You tongue your way through all sorts of objects and textures, and then fly away in a rocket ship.

There's no story or dialogue from any of the characters, not even in fake language like there was in Tunic. It contrasts sharply with something like a JRPG - in a good way. You don't have to think hard to play this game. It's incredibly fair with progression and there is no true failure - if you fall in the fog, you rise anew, ready to ball.

A "main levels" playthrough is a under three hours, but it belies additional optional levels, a snow world added post-release, and unlockable and content. The variety of objects and how Crumble sticks to them mean there's a wealth to learn and will have you head-scratching how everyone got those fast times.

A controller is recommended by the game, but it's completely optional. Admittedly my keyboard switches started popping off because I was holding W for so long on certain sections.

I was one of the people who showcased Crumble's earliest builds, back in 2020. It's made me really sentimental about how far it has come from where it started.

BUY THIS GAME!

When it clicks, it's good, high-speed, momentum-based platforming and swinging, but something always seems to get in the way of that happening. This might be just a personal gripe, but it's absurd to me that this game has no option to invert the x-axis camera. Playing with the default camera is completely off from what I'm used to, and by the time I figure it out, it's too late. This is especially bad considering how often the game expects you to be able to move the camera during fast-paced segments, both to see what's ahead or below you and to aim the tongue. Even if the camera was the way I like it, I suspect I would still end up fighting it in order to actually see where I'm supposed to go. This kind of speed-focused 3D platformer really can't have that kind of problem. The tongue also tends to always grab the exact wrong thing, and in general, I don't have a good grasp on its feel and mechanics. Whenever the game needs me to climb up a wall using it, it feels like hell. This game feels like it's only about 2/3rds of the way there, it needs a little something extra for me to really latch onto it because even when it's fun it feels barebones and half-baked (this might also be due to the music sounding so much like stock music).

On paper, I should really like Crumble. I like momentum based platforming. I'm a fan of using your grapple hook to fling your character forward with a rush of speed. Playing as a cute character that's reminiscent of Gooey from Dreamland 2 or a Dragon Quest Slime makes me smile ear to ear. But the game never quite lands for me.

It's design reminds me of a bit of a mix between Sonic and Marble It Up. High speeds with an emphasis on momentum. Unfortunately, like Sonic, the base movement of your character feels slightly sluggish, one of the main aspects of Sonic that I've greatly disliked. This may be a game that much like Sonic, is better on sequential play throughs, but for a first timer, it was rough to even want to finish. It reminded me of my time with Dreamland 2, ironically enough.

The fast paced momentum rolls found in Marble It Up are here as well, and they're serviceable sections and were my favorite parts of the game. The flow felt intact and much more tighter in with the level design, keeping with the flow of the player. The rest of the game felt like a restless struggle against itself.

In theory using your tongue to grapple hook platforms should be exhilarating to perform, but the result is usually a fight between reeling yourself back in, or fighting with the controls to direct your slimey splooshing body towards the next floating, potentially unstable platform. The game is designed with these types of platforms, often being used as a challenge, floating or suspended in the air to give the player a challenge. This would be fine, IF the player had a better way to control where the grapple tongue is placed. In a way, I'd call it too loose. This makes trying to navigate tougher challenges more of a struggle against the controls than it is a rewarding challenge against the game design.

The music is what I would call "midi ragtime", and I'm personally not a fan of it. Repetitive, sometimes borderline annoying compositions, sometimes poor audio mixing, and generally just a very forgettable selection of music. The music felt unfitting for a colorfully fun romp through strange new worlds. It never made me feel like I was driving forward, but instead meandering around, which is the exact opposite of the gameplay.

It's never fun to be overtly critical to a game. Crumble was a game I was looking forward to eventually buying and playing as it went on sale, (I received it for free). I believe this was the developer's first game, and for a first game, it's a well put together package. The developer did everything themselves, which is a commendable, herculean effort. Even if I'm critical of certain aspects, I think there's a spark of something that I can clearly see be refined and tweaked into becoming something that's more satisfying. If someone were to be in love with the aspects I found unsatisfying, I could understand where they're coming from, but I think there's a happy medium to be found within a sequel with more experience under their belt.