Naxat Super Pinball: Jaki Hakai

"A fitting sequel to Devil's Crush"

I am a big fan of video pinball, and as such, I sought out every game related to Naxat and their awesome Turbografx game Devil's Crush. Jaki Crush is for the Super Famicom (Japanese SNES), and was only available in Japan. They also made a few sequels on the Genesis called Dragon's Fury and Dragon's Revenge. They were just so-so with physics that just can't match Devil's or Jaki Crush.

Gameplay: This game has a large 3 level scrolling playfield with lots of creatures and Dark atmosphere. Great graphics, very smooth with lots to do.

You complete various targets and goals to get into bonus levels where you fight a boss of sorts. If you beat the boss you get a blue ball which doubles all your points for a short time after.
The top screen has a pentagram type floor with lots of targets and monsters to hit, and numerous holes for the boss levels abound throughout the field.

A bonus multiplier keeps track of your score until you collect by hitting certain targets. If you have the blue ball from beating a boss, you get double points. The many bonus levels are challenging and sometimes a bit unfair, but it keeps you coming back for more.
Graphics: These are nice graphics, very detailed with a menacing look and as mentioned above, the physics are excellent, if a bit floaty. You can choose slow or fast balls, but the fast are the only way to go and seem just right. Nice bonus levels, and a Mode 7 intro to the bonus levels.

The screen scrolls smoothly to follow the ball, but sometimes it's hard to keep up and you end up losing the ball. After a while you get used to it, and can exactly anticipate when to hit the flippers. Alien Crush on Turbografx, Naxats first game has an annoying screen break instead of a scroll, and that just plain sucked.

Sound: Good music with a dark feel, and spot on sound effects round out this excellent game.

Replay: Unlimited here, as you can save your game with a password at any time and come back later. It aslo has lots of new things to do once you beat each boss.

Overall Score: 9. This is probably only second best to Devil's Crush, and a tad better than House of the Dead Pinball on the Gameboy Advance(great game). Dragon's Fury and Dragon's Revenge on Genesis are fine if you have a Nomad for pinball on the go, but the gameplay just isn't as good as Jaki Crush.

If you are video pinball fan, and can take out the two plastic tabs on your SNES to play this game, it is a must buy. They can be found on eBay cheap, and modifying your SNES takes about 5 minutes. Great stuff here pinball fans.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/02/02, Updated 10/02/02