On the Run in the Sun

Crash: On the Run, developed by King, has been out a while now. So, what do I think of it?

I've been particularly reserved on this game. I haven't celebrated its release so much, neither have I been singing its praises. That's all down to one simple fact - Crash: On the Run is a mobile game.

A Mobile Experience

Crash runs, jumps, spins and collects items in the obligatory sewer level

Mobile games are often simple affairs, with their gameplay designed around a pick-up-and-play mentality behind them. They are simply not designed for the long-haul and, as such, tend to be a bit cheap with how they want people to progress. That means they are repetitive in nature and often rely on microtransactions to speed the game up in some way.

Crash: On the Run takes the tried-and-tested mobile formula and, uh, runs with it. The formula is thus: Run in a corridor level and collect materials, make the items, use the items to take down henchmen, use the items to take down the henchmen's boss, rinse, repeat. It's not so bad at first, as you use a small amount of materials to make items, wait about 10 seconds, then you're ready to take on some enemies. But later on, the items need more and more materials, some of which are barely offered in levels at all, leading to a baffling amount of what the game calls 'Collection Runs' and immense wait times of several hours for items to be crafted.

The game is gets repetitive very quickly. What at first is satisfaction at beating one of the five-person gangs that waltzes up, becomes a chore as 'Nitro Scorporilla' becomes 'Frosty Scorporilla' and then 'Inferno Scorporilla', needing more materials and time to create the items needed to take them down. It's like this for every gang, too, so there's a real sense of deja-vu when tackling the enemies.

However, the game does at least have different mechanics for the boss stages. Whilst in Collection Runs, you will simply be smashing crates for materials, henchmen levels become more about getting to the end of the level to then launch your crafted items at them, whereas the boss level require throwing berries at their vehicle to stop them before you can use your take-down items. Throwing the berries makes for a nice change of pace, but I wish there was a bit more than that to make those levels stand out even more.

You can play as Coco to collect materials across the numerous levels

There are plenty of machines to turn materials into weaponised items, thanks to the events of Mind Over Mutant (2008)

Female N.Tropy, from Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, gets in on the running or, uh, floating backwards.

Getting A-Noid

Crash: On the Run is also doing these 'Seasons', where different enemies invade the game. One of the surprising entries has been Domino's Pizza's The Noid. It's fun and all, but I just want Domino's to make good pizza, not invade a Crash Bandicoot game, thank you very much. Taking on The Noid and other well-known Crash baddies will earn you some extra trophies - the game's collectible for bragging rights, really. They can be used to earn goodies such as extra skins that can grant additional materials during Collection Runs, however.

Domino's Pizza's very own The Noid cashes in on Crash: On the Run. Time for pizza!

Step 1: Collect materials, Step 2: Craft the items, Step 3: Throw them at The Noid

Nina Cortex appears as a boss, having accidentally choked a chicken to death

Boss fights involve throwing berries at the boss's vehicle and avoiding their hazards

There are also other challenges to take on, should you so feel inclined. Gem runs involve needing to smash every crate in a level. This sounds easy, but can actually get quite tricky. It's important to make use of the jump and then belly-flop to smash crates on either side of Crash for these, or slide beneath Nitro crates to smash the wooden ones beneath. Not that the game tells you this two important moves, though. You just have to figure it out.

There are also Survival Runs. These involve you running against two fake people online, with the speed increasing as you run. The aim is to survive the longest and nab yourself some trophies. As I didn't care about trophies, I think I only did this once and then never bothered again.

Undercover Transactions

This skin cost 200 crystals and only gives a slight boost to certain materials obtained

The game is abhorrent at trying to force you to purchase things with money, too. Want to grab a new skin so you can earn 20% more of those red-eye missiles that the game is in short supply of? That will be 200-400 crystals, please. How much are crystals? Oh, just £9.99 for 250... or a great deal of £99.99 for 3250 crystals!

The game tries to force you to purchase at every given opportunity, too. Even first loading up the game, you are bombarded with pop-ups showing you what you've earned and what you can purchase. Even after a Collection Run or henchmen battle, you will always receive a pop-up for one of King's other games and to purchase it.

You don't have to purchase anything - I certainly didn't. However, the game suddenly becomes very slow because of it. You want to speed up those item craft times? You'll have to spend a steep number of crystals to do so, all of which are paid. Sometimes, you can earn some crystals for free by watching a 30 second advert for some other game or something else that wants to buy it, but you're only getting 5 crystals at most. The same applies for if you die in a level. The game suddenly becomes a very sluggish affair and really does push hard to get you to pay to win.

All-in-all, I found myself really put off by the experience.

The Verdict

On the Run is a fun experience for about 10 minutes.

So, what's the point? Well, it's all right for about 10 minutes of entertainment. Beyond that, I find it difficult to recommend Crash: On the Run. It has some jaunty tunes that get stuck in my head, but like everything else in the game, it's just all so repetitive.

In the meantime, I'm sticking with some more entertaining Crash experiences. After all, there's a more fun version of this game that has deep mechanics, great tracks, a wonderful multiplayer experience, and never pushes in-game purchases at every turn. That, my friends, is Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled.

Watch out for my Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time verdict in the near future, too. I am a bit behind on that one. At least you can say, once it's done... It's about time!