The articlegameplay, story, development, reception
Gameplay
The goal of Crush Crush is for the protagonist "Marshmallow" to interact with and ultimately seduce all of the characters in the game. The base game has 20 romanceable characters, and over 50 additional characters can either be purchased as paid DLC, or unlocked for free during limited time events. To progress, the player must work at different jobs to earn money, practice various hobbies to improve their attributes, and use their money and skills to level up each character's affection for the player. Each of these activities require "time blocks" to perform.
Achievements award the player with additional time blocks, allowing them to perform more activities simultaneously. These activities progress in real time even when the game is closed. Like other incremental games, Crush Crush has a prestige mechanic. The player can reset their game progress at any time to unlock a permanent speed boost for future playthroughs.
Reception
The Crush Crush franchise has a received a universally positive critical reception.
Comic Book Resources called Crush Crush "the best example of how an idle and dating sim game can be both low-key and fun at the same time" which makes one "feel like relaxing after a long day". PC Gamer said "There's a sea of hentai junk games on Steam, and then there's Crush Crush", a game full of "crazy stuff [which is] fun and rewarding". In a 2021 article about Crush Crush, Gamesindustry.biz wrote that Sad Panda Studios is "Crush Crushing stereotypes" by providing "adult games about everyday people".
