Crash Bandicoot: On The Run – Mobile version

The Crash Bandicoot franchise is a clear classic in the eyes of many gamers, so it is quite exciting to see the series going through a modern revival of sorts thanks to remakes like Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled and the N.Sane trilogy. As is the case with most classics that go through a renaissance, an adaptation for Android and IOS mobile devices was inevitable – this time Crash goes auto-runner.

That makes sense as the mobile segment of the gaming market has been booming in recent years and Crash Bandicoot seems the perfect fit for mobile platforms – more especially when in the endless runner format that developer King opted for with Crash Bandicoot: On The Run.

Auto-running and Crash Bandicoot

Thankfully, the idea of auto-running is not a completely novel one when it comes to the Crash Bandicoot franchise. If we exercise our memories a bit, we’ll remember that Crash 4 and even those old classics all had levels that were nothing but auto-running. The main difference between them and Crash Bandicoot: On The Run is that all levels are auto-running levels and that you won’t be running towards the screen as in some of the older games.

This makes Crash “On The Run” an easily playable game while still presenting an enjoyable challenge to a player’s reflexes as they’ll have to dodge enemies and do some manoeuvring in order to collect items like wumpa fruit.

Gameplay of Crash Bandicoot – On the Run

With Crash Bandicoot: On The Run, players have the choice of auto-running through the levels as Crash or his sister Coco on a mission to stop Neo Cortex and his henchman – spinning, jumping, and sliding your way around the obstacles to get to the next level. There are two kinds of levels in On The Run, One where players will face a boss fight in order to progress to the next level, and another where the only objective is to collect as many items as possible.

Item collecting is an important part of this mobile retake of Crash Bandicoot. Not only does the focus on collecting items, but it is also important to progress in the game as players will need to use collected items to craft bombs and serums in the “Nitro Lab” if they plan to win boss fights. This is a welcome addition of a little more depth which is much needed in the world of auto-runners.

The pros

Game developer, King, has done a great job of making a simple auto-running game that is a little bit more enjoyable with its well-thought-out approach to gameplay. Another positive is the nostalgic incorporation of wumpa fruit, Aku Aku masks, and the recognizable bosses that you face up with like, Dingodile and N.Brio.

The cons

On the downside, Crash Bandicoot: On The Run’s regular 300MB to 400MB downloads can be a real pain for players who don’t have ready access to free Wi-Fi or are bound by a limited data plan. Another issue is the lack of variety to the levels, which is not typical of the Crash Bandicoot Franchise.

Last but not least is the all too common complaint about the extortion-like approach of the free-to-play business model. Progress in Crash On The Run is so annoyingly sluggish that it damn near forces you to start making purchases.