by: Gen/Esis
As a massive Crash Bandicoot fan, I was thrilled to find out a new Crash game was in the works. After the phenomenal Crash 4: It’s About Time, I was less hesitant about Toys for Bob working on a brand-new game in the series. While I was pretty out of the loop this time around when it came to knowing what the game was about, I recently got a chance to try it out during the Crash Team Rumble closed beta, and here are my thoughts:
Crash Team Rumble is an online competitive 4v4 game with the goal of capturing more wumpa fruit than the other team. Each team has to attack and defend simultaneously, strategizing and working together to capture key points around the map as they battle to collect the wumpa fruit. With plenty of heroes and villains from the Crash universe, each with their own special skills, it’s up to the players to pick and choose how they’ll tackle their next match.
Review:
While keeping in mind that it’s a beta, it’s obvious that more content will be added upon release. However, as it is now, the game is definitely a fun experience, and each character gives their own flavor to the gameplay. But while that is the case, there isn’t enough here that warrants this being an entire game.
As someone who’s played most of the available Crash games, the only other game I can compare this one to in the franchise is Crash Bash. As a kid, I enjoyed playing the many variety of fun, although at some point repetitive, mini-games. To me, Crash Team Rumble feels like a mini-game out of Crash Bash. By itself, the game isn’t bad, but when it’s the only thing the entire game has to offer, it gets repetitive rather quickly.
The beta has five playable characters: Crash, Tawna, Coco, Dingodile, and Neo Cortex. Each one targets a specific playstyle that will become essential in every match. As a team, it’s your job to make sure you’re picking the right characters for the job—or everyone will just go as Coco or Dingodile as in many of my matches.
The few maps available each vary in difficulty, some involving more parkour than others. By using relics, you can summon things like Uka Uka, Oxide’s ship, a beach ball, and bouncing pads that help to either attack or defend against the enemy. Unfortunately, although the mix of characters and maps gives the game some sort of variety, the main game is still the same old loop of collecting wumpa fruit and bringing it to your side.
To add to that, the game also has its own progression system and battle pass, which of course, probably means there will be microtransactions in the midst.
At the end of the day, while the game is fun for a while, it quickly gets repetitive, and the charm of the game fades away. It would’ve been a better game if it were a series of mini-games, like Crash Bash, and Team Rumble was one of many that could be played, but since it’s not, it ends up being more disappointing than anything else.
