Based on a science fiction manga set after an intergalactic war, the story follows of group of bounty hunters aboard the spacecraft Pink Dolphin as they take on jobs requested by the Galactic Federation police.

Production was helmed by Media.Vision co-founder Takashi Fukushima, who had established the company in 1993 upon learning of Sony's intent to release its debut console the following year.

Sony provided support through its own newly founded Japan Studio with development entailing a very short period to meet the console's launch.

[2] The game consists of a linear set of missions, each involving the exploration of maze-like, 3D corridors filled with useful items, environmental hazards, hostile enemies, and occasional end-stage bosses.

[3][4] The player has an inventory for items discovered throughout each mission such as key cards for unlocking doors and scarce health restoratives and ammunition refills.

They are led by protagonist Emilia F. Alkanet[c], a genius young woman from a prestigious family who is in search of her missing brother Cain and dreams of one day rising to the ranks of the legendary Cosmo Guardians.

He also acts as a storage unit for the final member, Potpourri Vamp[h], a computerized lifeform ("cyber elf") who aids the team in data purposes like electronic lockpicking.

[6] Media.Vision began producing Crime Crackers right after Golden Week of 1994 and aimed to release the game alongside the launch of the PlayStation on December 3 of that year.

[6] Development took a mere seven months, a fairly short time thanks to an already-established setting and characters, which were adapted from the manga Chō Hikari Seiki Star Crackers by Kokomahi.

[6] The game's music was composed by Noriyuki Asakura, who would gain notoriety through his work on the Rurouni Kenshin anime adaptation and the Tenchu series.

[17] A spin-off light novel titled Crime Crackers Gaiden was written by Norio Nakai and released in April 1996 as part of the "Famitsu Game Bunko" label from publisher Aspect.

[18] Crime Crackers never saw an international release, possibly due to Sony's lack of financial confidence in a game with such a short development time and a heavy anime-inspired aesthetic amidst the early days of the PlayStation.

[2] Prior to the console going to retail in North America and Europe, Sony executive director Phil Harrison specifically pointed to Crime Crackers as a launch underperformer and "not indicative of the products that are coming down the line.

Journalists focused on its anime aesthetic and its blend of light RPG gameplay mechanics with first-person shooter elements found in 1993's Doom.

[28][29][30][31][32] In a scoreless review, GameFan editor Dave Halverson (under the pseudonym "E. Storm") called the game "tight", "well thought-out" and "quite spectacular" for a launch title.

[5] The game also received some positive remarks from Nourdine "Trazom" Nini of Joypad and Maxime Roure of Consoles +, two French magazines that scored it 90% and 68% respectively.

[4] Roure disliked the truncated movement while shooting enemies and felt the game would do little to help 32-bit consoles reach new heights, contrasting Harvelson's opinion.

Computer and Video Games (CVG) offered a below average score of 53%, complaining that the choice of its three characters added little variety to its perceived dull gameplay.

[24] A later issue of Next Generation decreased the rating to one star, considered it a potential waste of time, and reiterated it as "a Doom-clone/RPG that manages to capture the worst elements of both genres, with few redeeming qualities.