The Crush House

Starting at €16.99Buy now

"The Crush House" is a reality TV show simulation where you play as Jae, the producer, and must cast, film, and produce each season in a Malibu mansion. Each season is unique based on your chosen cast and audience demands, with twists and questions arising as you continue. Cast twelve eccentric personalities to create a four-person cast for each season, and keep your show on air by satiating the audience or risk cancellation. Uncover clandestine conversations and truths, while navigating the demands of the Network.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 137 reviews

story positive mentions

monetization negative mentions

The game features an interesting and unique concept that combines elements of reality TV with puzzle mechanics, making it engaging and fun.
The art style is colorful and appealing, and the humor throughout the game adds to its charm, keeping players entertained.
The gameplay encourages strategic thinking as players must satisfy various audience demands while managing character interactions, which can lead to unexpected and humorous outcomes.

The gameplay can become repetitive quickly, with many players noting that dialogue and scenarios are reused across multiple seasons, diminishing the overall experience.
Some mechanics are poorly explained, leading to confusion about how to effectively please different audience types, which can result in frustrating gameplay.
The story and character development feel shallow, with many players expressing disappointment in the lack of depth and resolution in the narrative, particularly in the endings.

story
70 mentions
24 % positive mentions
74 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and humorous, while others feel it lacks depth and resolution. Many appreciate the intriguing backstory and meta-narrative elements, but criticize the repetitive dialogue and the abrupt endings that leave plot threads unresolved. Overall, while the story can be compelling and addictive, it often feels thin and underdeveloped compared to the gameplay mechanics.
- “Not to mention the game's humor, compelling story, and unraveling the mystery of the crush house.”
- “I am really enjoying playing this game; its core mechanic is very fun, and the background story is very gripping.”
- “The thing that was motivating me to keep going through it was the aforementioned mystery, which I was really interested to find out more about as a big fan of story-rich games.”
- “Compared to Nerial's previous title, 'Card Shark', it falls flat on its face in both gameplay and story.”
- “The story is more of a glimpse than it is a full narrative.”
- “The demo and the trailers teased a dark and sinister 'hidden' plot underneath the flashy reality TV show, but it's kind of predictable and just not very engaging.”
gameplay
65 mentions
40 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Crush House" has received mixed reviews, with some players finding the core mechanics fun and addictive, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking depth. Although the unique premise and humorous writing are praised, many feel that the gameplay loop becomes stale over time, with insufficient evolution or variety in mechanics. Overall, while the game offers engaging moments and a charming aesthetic, it struggles to maintain player interest due to its simplistic and often monotonous gameplay.
- “Truly unique gameplay with fun writing and tons of charm!”
- “The gameplay loop is really fun and addicting as it goes on and you unlock more audiences.”
- “This game is an amazing balance of fun banter, witty dialogue, challenging gameplay, and dark lore.”
- “What we found was a really surprisingly disappointing mess of counter-intuitive writing and game mechanics.”
- “The mechanics are poorly explained and implemented.”
- “In the end it felt like it was more about the 'mystery' of the house, which isn't necessarily bad, but the gameplay was far too often encouraging me to leave my goofballs to film things like the pipes underneath the house.”
humor
28 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its sharp wit and engaging dialogue, often drawing comparisons to reality television and other comedic media. Players find the writing to be both hilarious and charming, with a mix of absurdity and relatable character dynamics that enhance the overall experience. While some humor may not resonate with everyone, the game's blend of funny moments, intriguing backstory, and quirky interactions keeps players entertained and invested.
- “The writing is hilarious, the art style is adorable, and the mystery element is very intriguing.”
- “I will never recover from how out of pocket some of the humor in this game is.”
- “The dialogue is hilarious and familiar - it's that messy goodness that's found in reality television.”
monetization
21 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization system in the game heavily relies on ads, which players find both amusing and frustrating; while ads can generate revenue to purchase upgrades, the process often disrupts gameplay and can lead to repetitive mechanics. Players express dissatisfaction with the ad tailoring feature, noting that it fails to effectively cater to audience preferences, making it challenging to earn money without sacrificing gameplay. Overall, while the humor and graphics are appreciated, the reliance on ads detracts from the overall experience, leading to a tedious gameplay loop.
- “Tailoring ads gets more money, and since that doesn't work effectively, and since there is little free time to have the camera off to roll ads in the first place, it's difficult to earn money in order to buy new props.”
- “Ads pay out, but at the cost of not getting footage, meaning you risk restarting the whole day over, adding even more repetitive gameplay to an already overly-repetitive game.”
- “In seasons 1 and 2, I would clear my goals with plenty of time to spare and then just sit on ads waiting for the day to end because there was no penalty for it.”
graphics
16 mentions
56 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their unique and adorable art style, vibrant colors, and character designs, contributing significantly to its overall aesthetic appeal. While some users noted minor glitches and repetitive scenes, the visuals are generally considered cute and engaging, enhancing the gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics effectively complement the game's tone and concept, making it visually enjoyable for its target audience.
- “Great aesthetics overall with the colors, characters, and animations.”
- “I love the art style and character designs.”
- “The idea sounds really fun and the art style matches the tone it was going for.”
- “There are no graphics settings aside from fullscreen and VSync toggles.”
- “Basically, the game's art style carries it.”
- “All this complaining has been about the aesthetic and character stuff.”
stability
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting persistent glitches and performance issues that hinder gameplay. While the overall concept and aesthetics are appreciated, the bugs are described as severe enough to make the game unplayable for some. Improvements in stability are essential for a more enjoyable experience.
- “I kept running into glitches and performance issues when playing.”
- “This game is so buggy it is unplayable.”
- “The game has serious glitches that need to be resolved in order to be played at all.”
optimization
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for frequent glitches and performance issues, particularly on high-end PCs, while it performs better on the Steam Deck. Players have noted that these technical problems detract from the overall experience, despite the game's enjoyable concept and gameplay.
- “On the Steam Deck, it works great, but on my super nice computer, for some reason, the performance is bad, where it lags and skips frequently.”
- “I have been having constant performance issues in this game, unlike anything I experience in games that are much more taxing on my hardware.”
- “I think without the performance issues I've been running into, I'd recommend the game, but do know the gameplay loop is repetitive and the objectives of the game will take you away from just filming a reality TV show.”
- “Unfortunately, I kept running into glitches and performance issues while playing.”
- “On the Steam Deck, it works great, but on my high-end computer, the performance is poor, with frequent lags and skips.”
- “I have been experiencing constant performance issues in this game, unlike anything I've encountered in much more demanding games.”
music
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's soundtrack is praised for its vibrant and engaging quality, featuring remixes from popular indie titles like Bugsnax and Cult of the Lamb. Players appreciate the colorful visual style and the clever easter eggs, although some express frustration over the lack of guidance on how to change the music.
- “I think the game has a pretty cool and colorful visual style and a great soundtrack.”
- “I really love the low-key easter eggs and shout-outs to other indie games, as well as the soundtrack that includes remixes from amazing games like Bugsnax (Sunrise Over Snaktooth Island) and Cult of the Lamb!”
- “The music in the game is fantastic and adds a lot to the overall experience.”
- “The game doesn't explain how to change the music or utilize the off-kilter feature.”
- “The soundtrack is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous.”
- “The music doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
character development
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
While the game features unique and visually appealing character designs that enhance its original concept, many users feel that the lack of sufficient dialogue limits the depth of character development.
- “The character designs are very unique.”
- “I love the art style and character designs.”
- “I looked forward to this game for months. I love the original concept, and the visual style and character designs are all really good.”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious and repetitive, which can lead to boredom during extended play sessions. However, the overall experience is enjoyable, particularly when played in shorter bursts, making it a fun adventure dating sim.
- “Kinda tedious.”
- “The Crush House overall is a fun game to play, yet sometimes it feels repetitive and can get boring and tedious if played for a long time. However, it's a very good adventure dating sim game to enjoy in short bursts!”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the challenge of navigating conflicting audience expectations, particularly between "wholesome" players and those seeking more dramatic interactions. This creates a compelling dynamic that blends social engineering with puzzle-solving, though it can lead to confusion about what different groups truly desire, especially when character conflicts dominate the narrative.
- “Figuring out how to appease each audience, especially when opposing audiences like 'wholesome' and 'wine moms' show up, was compelling from a social engineering meets framing puzzle perspective.”
- “I don't know what the wholesome people want because the characters are almost always fighting.”
replayability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviewers express concerns about replayability, noting that repetitive character behaviors and dialogue diminish the excitement of trying different casts, ultimately undermining immersion and the desire to replay the game.
- “The game offers a wealth of choices that make each playthrough feel unique, enhancing its replayability.”
- “With multiple endings and character paths, I find myself coming back to explore different outcomes, which greatly boosts replayability.”
- “The variety of gameplay styles and strategies keeps the experience fresh, making me eager to replay the game.”
- “This undermines immersion and replayability.”
- “I've had several different cast members behave the exact same way and say the exact same things, which makes me feel less excited about the replayability or running different casts.”