The arcade version of Smash T.V. does have a crushing difficulty that can really only be overcome with repeated lives and many quarters. The SNES version, which is the version that I played the most as a kid, is very similar but less punishing due to a few factors. While there are still probably 40-60 enemies on screen at the same time in the SNES version, the arcade version has many many more. The SNES version has 1 or 2 land mines in a room, the arcade version will have 4-5. The SNES version will have 2 of those shrapnel guy that walk around the perimeter of the room and explode. In the arcade version there doesn't seem to be a limit. There are a lot of other examples, especially when you get into the later levels. The 3rd studio is a lot harder in the arcade version than the SNES version.
One thing that I always used to get through the game in the SNES version was the secret prize rooms that would warp you right to the boss. I don't think these worked in the arcade version, and if they do, they aren't in the same places. In the bigger parts of stage 2 and 3, there are rooms that you will have to survive waves of enemies for upwards of 10 to 12 minutes at a time before you finally killed everyone and can move on. But as hard as the game is, I always always was having fun while playing it. Honestly, I think the SNES version had the balance of fun and challenging just perfect, while the arcade version, which was a lot louder, bloodier, looked better, was just too hard for the sake of drawing more quarters.
One thing that I always used to get through the game in the SNES version was the secret prize rooms that would warp you right to the boss. I don't think these worked in the arcade version, and if they do, they aren't in the same places. In the bigger parts of stage 2 and 3, there are rooms that you will have to survive waves of enemies for upwards of 10 to 12 minutes at a time before you finally killed everyone and can move on. But as hard as the game is, I always always was having fun while playing it. Honestly, I think the SNES version had the balance of fun and challenging just perfect, while the arcade version, which was a lot louder, bloodier, looked better, was just too hard for the sake of drawing more quarters.
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