Perhaps due to possible confusion over the ultimate fate of Mario's character design, the folks of Nintendo may have once considered Mario to be a general-purpose blue-collar worker (the inspiration for which can be deduced from Japan's pre-1990s construction boom). Hence, Mario - and his brother Luigi - ended up having jobs involving demolition.
In this game, the brothers' prowess at jumping and upper-cutting had been exchanged with the weighty smash of the sledgehammers that they use to perform the namesake activity in this game. The brothers go through levels (called 'phases' here, as in construction project phases) which are filled with seemingly haphazard construction (that of course deserves destruction) and slightly creepy bipedal critters who hound the brothers wherever they go.
Hit detection is a game mechanic that is central to this game, so thankfully it appears to be quite reliable; as long as more than half of a player character is in front of an edifice, he can smash it. There is no tutorial whatsoever, but the game, like most Nintendo NES games of the time, often have a demo of sorts that would play if the player leaves the main menu idle. The demo is particularly useful to new beginners, for the (usually) deft gameplay shown in it contains techniques which the player should learn.
Each level in the game requires the player to crack walls, stockades and ladders; the ones which are to be crunched will often appear as blinking, often white or grey objects, which is a welcome choice for graphical contrast. (The darker ones take longer to destroy.) The construction of each level gets more puzzling as the game progresses.
(This reviewer finds it intriguing that the edifices appear to resemble those that one would find in prisons, but this is a mere conjecture.)
Many of the later levels, especially those involving bombs, destructible ladders and other objects that can be optionally destroyed, generally require more thought to be solved, as a wrong move can result in the player being stuck in level and having to reset the whole game session. The puzzles are commendable for being devious, but they do highlight the deficiencies in game design when it comes to dealing with such woeful coincidences. A feature to force a reset of the current level without the score being bumped back to zero would have been useful.
To help the player solve the puzzles, all levels come with the feature of allowing characters to move off one vertical edge of the screen and reappear on the opposing edge at the same elevation. It is a nifty feature which added flavor to the solutions. However, some enemies are smart enough to use this feature as well. Also, to discourage the player from abusing this feature, and to instill a sense of urgency, a fireball would be conjured if the player character stays within an elevation for too long. Otherwise, the player can take as long as he/she likes as there is no timer in the game whatsoever.
There is also an edifice, in the form of doors that lead into another plane beneath the main one, that the player can use. The player can open this (by hitting them of course) and lure (most) enemies into the door, which will close after a while. This effectively traps them in the otherworldly plane of existence in which they can follow the player but not do any harm whatsoever. However, these are far and few in between the many officially designed levels.
Barrels are usually placed as an obstacle in the level, and cannot be bypassed by any character. If a barrel is on one of the optionally destructible pillars, it becomes a double-edged sword. With good timing of the destruction of said pillar, and a quick hoofing out of the way, the barrel can be made to fall on an enemy, which permanently traps it. With bad timing however, it traps the player character instead, effectively stymieing the game. Either way, the barrel becomes a permanent obstacle on whatever elevation it landed on.
Another game design that would be of use to the player is that Mario can fall off the platform that he is on if he is next to a detonating bomb (the fuse of which is completely useless, as it is detonated by applying blunt force). He can also fall off if the ladder that he is climbing on is destroyed. There is another way for Mario to plummet, courtesy of a particular enemy in the game who will be described later. In any case, while falling off can be a minor annoyance, the developers had cleverly allowed its use as a technique for solutions. (The falls are hardly fatal after all; Mario makes a perfect landing via his ample derriere.)
Speaking of enemies, there are only three main types. One of which are individuals in Hazmat suits who are fast but follow a set movement pattern, which involves climbing the next ladder that they come across. (It is as if they are on an never-ending inspection tour, this reviewer supposes.) Another type are living bipedal wrenches who hound the player character wherever he goes, but are otherwise too slow to catch up if the player can help it.
(The AI for these enemies appears to orient around ladders; the next decision in their movement path is made when they approach a ladder.)
Interestingly, while their behavior can be easily exploited, the developers have made certain that causing anguish to these creatures results in them moving distinctly faster than they were. This gives additional impetus for the player to finish levels more efficiently, without goofing around by aggrieving said creatures.
Wrecking Crew introduces another perennial nemesis of Mario, Foreman Spike, who appears to resemble Wario a little (and may have been the latter's design inspiration), albeit he has sunglasses and a hammer similar to Mario's. Unlike the other two types of enemies, he does not actively seek to harm Mario, but rather to compete with the player character and impede his progress in a level. Spike apparently does his work on the other side of the plane that makes up the level, thus appearing to be blissfully free of the hounding that Mario gets from other hostiles in the game.
Spike will actively pursue Mario and smash any edifice that Mario is standing in front of, causing Mario to fall to the bottom of the level. Mario also happens to be able to return the favor. Interestingly enough, Spike's behavior can also be exploited to solve puzzles, namely when the player wants a quick fall to the bottom. Spike also appears in bonus levels, which apparently suggest that Mario (and Spike) does get remuneration for their work (if the points gained from smashing edifices do not show already). However, they still have to compete with each other for the reward.
If the player discounts the (very significant and entertaining) existence of Spike in this game, the enemies do seem rather limited in design, as do the few actions that Mario has. Combined, they do seem to restrict the sense of variety that this game has, but a wise enough player would realize that it is the levels that are the main content of the game; the dozens of officially designed levels and the built-in level editor (together with the ancient Famicom Data Recorder that was needed to save these custom-made user levels) suggest this to be the case.
As expected of an NES game of its time, there is a score counter to urge the player towards the completion of the current level. However, unlike other games of the same time, it appears not to be part of the UI, but is instead part of the level itself, at its "roof". This is a design decision that initially baffled this reviewer. However, it does keep the player focused on the completion of the level instead of the score.
To boost the score counter, the player can uncover secrets hidden within the level, often by destroying the right objects in the right order, which then uncovers a cute statuette that can - startlingly enough - be destroyed for bonus points. It is unfortunate, however, that the game does not show how these bonus rewards can be achieved, short of trial and error or using the level editor to better understand how they are unlocked.
The game also gives a preview of the level, from the top to the bottom. It is handy when players have forgotten or could not remember how a particular level looks like, but it does get annoying if a player is attempting to find the most optimal path of solution for a level through constant restarting of the level. This is especially so if compared to how levels end suddenly (with a cheerful tune) after all edifices have been crushed.
The two-player mode is not a cooperative mode however. Instead, it's a simple versus mode, in which players take turns at solving a level. This feature is somewhat unremarkable, if compared to the rest of the game; at worst, it felt tacked on.
The graphics in this game mainly serve to show the contrast in the designs of edifices, objects, enemies and the player character, and it mostly delivers in this case. However, the exception is Spike, whose location is difficult to determine if there happens to be plenty of obstacles in the level.
Sound-wise, there isn't much to describe. All of the enemies in the game are silent critters. Generally, static objects in the game have only one sound file associated with each of them. A muffled thud accompanies a striking of a tough wall, the crashing that ensues a successful smashing is satisfying, etc. Suffice to say, sound effects are mostly decent, but do the job of portraying of whatever is happening on-screen distinctly quite well.
The music is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the game. Probably due to the lack of any timer, the game-makers may have decided that a laid-back soundtrack would be used for every level. Considering that some levels can produce high tension due to prodigious amounts of enemies hounding the player character, the music does come off as inappropriate a lot of times. The flourish that announces the start and end of a level is however a treat to listen to (especially the latter).
In conclusion, while it did not turn out to become one of the games Mario is famously known for, i.e. it seems to be a spin-off, Wrecking Crew was still a good enough game in its own right during its time - one that can have players seriously engrossed.