Wumpa wumpa burning dud
Given the franchise’s origins, it’s surprising that Activision took Blizzard so long to create something like Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! I know the PlayStation original wasn’t much of an auto-runner, but as mobile platformers like to see Sonic Dash and Spider-Man unlimited has copied its rear view perspective to great financial success, I’m just a little shocked that King didn’t work on this in 2016 right after it bought the mobile developer. If it had released this in 2017 or 2018, it might not feel as dated as it did in 2021.
That is not to say that there is no fun with it On the run! I have to admit I enjoyed some of the more difficult modes. Unfortunately, said modes are a miniscule part of a game with a shocking amount of pressure.
Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! does not have a standard energy meter like comparable games in the genre. Rather, it uses a crafting system to make you wait or pay to speed things up. To advance the actual story of the game and stop Doctor Neo Cortex, you’ll need to unlock courses with items you craft in the hub world labs. The ingredients for those items can be found on several endless runner stages that you can play repeatedly, picking up all the collectibles you come across. Just don’t overuse them as those ingredients will take time to refill after you grab them.
Once you have those ingredients, it’s time to wait. Every makeable item has a timer attached to it. Those timers start at just a minute, but late-stage items can take six or more hours to create. And yes, you will have to make items to use as ingredients in making other times. Now you can speed up the process by spending purple crystals you earn or buy, but I would never recommend doing that. Certainly not for a game that is so decidedly average.
It doesn’t take long for the monotony to set in On the run! The endless runner stages and narrative courses haven’t provided much variety or challenge in the few hours I’ve spent with the game. This could change as I log in more hours and unlock new islands, but why the hell would I waste my time doing that? Do I really believe this game will improve significantly after working on it for a week? Because that seems like a silly message to me.
Of course, this doesn’t really surprise me. When On the run! was first announced, I think we all saw that this was the direction it was going to be going. If you’re adding crafting and basic building elements to a free-to-play auto runner, it’s not because they’ll make the game better.
And it’s a real shame too, because Crash Bandicoot in an auto-runner didn’t have to be that boring. The game is bright and colorful, and the controls work just as they should. We know Activision Blizzard has the money and the capacity to perform well Crash titles. But to do that, you have to invest in creating dynamic and diverse handcrafted stages, not these mundane levels made up of mix-and-match track pieces.
The only real pleasure I’ve found so far On the run! is in Challenges and Survival Runs modes. Both offer a drastically increased difficulty, with stages really going all out to try and trip you up. It throws more enemies, more pillars, more Nitro blocks, and more tricky jumps your way in tighter configurations. I’d say these modes make the default stages feel like a walk in the park, but those stages basically do that to themselves.
It’s just another disappointment and frankly, games like this are the reason why I still subscribe to Apple Arcade.
