Super Alloy Crush is a fast-paced 2D roguelike brawler developed by Alloy Mushroom, the small studio behind Super Alloy Ranger and The Vagrant. Released on Steam Early Access on April 8, 2025, the game puts players in control of two Cosmic Hunters, Muu and Kelly. They race aboard the spaceship Ranger toward the ultimate cosmic treasure: planet AE-38.
Drawing heavily from the Mega Man X blueprint, it arrives with tight combat, deep builds, and local co-op in tow. This is our Early Access review.
1. Story: Cosmic Hunters on the Trail of AE-38
Story Cutscene of Muu and Lamos
Super Alloy Crush kicks things off with the Cosmic Hunters en route to planet AE-38. From the very first mission, things go sideways: a mysterious Raider begins hunting the crew for reasons even they do not fully understand.
It is an action-forward setup that prioritizes momentum over exposition, which suits the game’s DNA well. The sci-fi mecha setting gives the world a distinct identity. In addition, the opening chapter is punchy enough to get you invested in the hunt.
That said, the narrative does show its rough edges. Much of the dialogue feels stilted and unnatural, which makes it harder for the characters to develop strong or memorable traits. The story works as a backdrop for combat more than a standalone draw.
With several chapters still coming in future updates, there is room for Alloy Mushroom to build something more cohesive. However, we remain cautiously optimistic about where it goes.
Ominous Story Cutscene
2. Gameplay: Explosive Combat With Real Depth
Mission Complete screen
The combat loop in Super Alloy Crush is built on speed, momentum, and reading your enemies. The two playable Cosmic Hunters offer completely different experiences: Muu focuses on close-range brawling with fluid, fast melee combos, while Kelly leans on ranged utility and damage, controlling space from a distance.
Switching between them practically feels like playing two different games, and both are worth mastering. Chaining attacks together is immediately satisfying, and the game is constantly rewarding you for understanding enemy behavior rather than button-mashing through encounters.
Ultra-responsive controls and tactile hit feedback are something Alloy Mushroom explicitly built as the game’s core strength, and it shows: every knockback and every shot lands with real impact.
Game Modes and Structure
Wave 6 in Battle Frenzy
Super Alloy Crush currently ships with four distinct modes, each serving a different purpose in your overall progression.
- Story Mode: The main campaign, where the game’s battle mechanics are built around the narrative. Between stages, you return to the Hub to upgrade both your characters and your NaviShip (support ship), giving you a steady sense of progression that makes each run feel purposeful.
- Battle Frenzy: An endless gauntlet mode where you fight waves of enemies and power up with randomized items in between. Ideal for stress-testing your build.
- Ultimate Mode and Challenge Mode: Higher-difficulty options that demand tighter play and more refined builds to clear.
The Hub loop is one of the game’s quiet strengths. Every run feeds directly into your next set of decisions, and the constant sense of forward progress makes it difficult to put the controller down after a failed attempt.
Enemy Variety and Boss Design
Boss Fight
Compared to the preview build, the current Early Access version features noticeably more enemy variety across both regular mobs and boss encounters. Each variant arrives with a unique moveset that forces you to adapt your approach, keeping stages from going stale.
Some enemy types are deliberately frustrating, particularly flying enemies that require constant aerial repositioning just to land hits. But even those work as skill checks rather than cheap difficulty spikes.
The bosses are a genuine highlight. They can accumulate energy and unleash devastating Overdrive Burst attacks, and the key to beating them is timing your attacks during openings to break their Stance and interrupt their offense.
This design turns every boss fight into something closer to a duel than a raw damage check, and it is one of the most satisfying parts of the entire combat system.
Character Builds and Customization
Items Shop
The build system is deeper than it first appears. Each character has access to over 50 combat Tech Arts, and hundreds of passive Chips that let you construct builds around multi-air-jump setups, infinite energy loops, or layered health systems.
Chips are slotted into a circuit board-style grid, adding a light puzzle element to the upgrade process, and it is engaging enough that you will spend more time here than expected.
Alongside character upgrades, enhancing your NaviShip adds another layer of support during runs. All of these resources are earned through battle coins gathered in the field, making the grind feel intentional rather than artificially stretched.
We genuinely enjoyed the theorycrafting side of assembling each loadout before heading out.
3. Visuals and Sound: 16-Bit Sci-Fi With Character
Super Alloy Crush upgrades the 8-bit style of its predecessor to a 16-bit aesthetic, and the difference is immediately noticeable in both the character sprites and the static cutscene portraits, which vibrate with personality.
The sci-fi mecha art direction gives the world a cohesive visual identity, and the sprites are marvelously detailed and diverse, with a UI that remains clean and readable at all times, even when a lot is happening on screen.
The soundtrack fits the game’s pace without stealing the spotlight. High-energy sci-fi tracks reliably back the combat, though nothing is particularly memorable, which feels like a missed opportunity given how strong the visual direction is.
It does its job and complements the nostalgic atmosphere well enough, but a stronger score would have elevated the experience further.
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- Story Mode Stage
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- Game Over screen
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- A Boss Battle
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- Information bar
This Super Alloy Crush Review on PC is thanks to JF Games Marketing and Communications.
