Reviews of cool games: Crash Team Rumble

In the 1990s, Crash Bandicoot was one of the biggest and most popular franchises in the gaming industry. His colorful style and colorful characters gave him a lot of personality. His main installments were platformers, and in later years he experimented with other styles of cool games such as karting and mini-games.

After a lethargy, the IP returned with a remake of its original trilogy. Soon after, the Friv5Online studio embarked on a difficult task: to create a totally original fourth installment. The experiment was a complete success, and the game won over both new players and long-time fans. The most famous marsupial was more alive than ever.

The natural step seemed to create a new title that followed the trend of platforms and adventure. However, the developers chose to make a spin-off: Crash Team Rumble, a competitive experience that has a game-as-a-service structure.

Friv5Online is aware that this new game is a spin-off of Crash Bandicoot, so it embraces the platform roots of the franchise. Moving around the stage, jumping from one structure to another and chaining special abilities to move faster, attack or dodge dangers is very satisfying. The sum of these elements and the precision of the control immediately reminded me of the greatness of the classic cool games.

I liked that even agile characters like Tawna and Catbat handled great thanks to the perfect calibration of the controllers. In short, missing a jump and falling into the void will always be our fault. Without a doubt, the developers hit the mark in this section.

Although the platforming is still very present, Crash Team Rumble is a competitive 4vs4 video game. To win the cool games, the participants must collect the Wumpa Fruits from the map and deposit them in their base before the rival team. It's a very simple and fun concept, so even inexperienced players will be able to jump into the action and have a good time right away.

Despite the simplicity of the concept, I liked that there is room for improvement and strategizing. Taking advantage of stage power-ups, working as a team, and countering opposing players' moves are vital to gaining victory, making the experience feel deeper. Of course, communication with colleagues is very important.

Much of the strategy revolves around the characters, which offer different play styles. Friv5Online knew how to adapt the heroes and villains of the classic titles to this new competitive game scheme. There are those that are more difficult to master, but in general, they are all fun and useful.

Characters are divided into 3 classes: Marker, who specializes in collecting and depositing Wumpa Fruits; Blocker, in charge of preventing rivals from scoring points; and Enhancer, whose mission is to activate multipliers and obtain the relics that are used to obtain the special powers of the maps.

I liked that the classes are flexible and adapt to almost any style of play. For example, a Booster can be in charge of collecting Wumpa Fruits and a Scorer can take advantage of its mobility to annoy enemies and prevent them from scoring. Of course, it is advisable to fulfill the specific role of each character to charge faster the special power that is chosen before the game.

The other great protagonists of the experience are the maps, which are varied in design and structure. A nice bonus is that each one offers special power ups, which makes the cool games feel different. For example, in Calamity Canyon we can call a UFO that attacks rivals, while in N. Sanity Caverns it is possible to summon a guardian spirit that makes us giants. While far from game changing, these powers present unique dynamics and encourage teamwork.

Crash Team Rumble is a very stylish game. All the settings are colorful, while the characters exude personality thanks to their cartoonish animations. The audio also shines, as many sound effects from the original cool games have returned. The music is catchy and in tune with the experience, and we can even unlock classic tunes. Unfortunately, to get certain songs from retro cool games we must progress in the Battle Pass.

Crash Team Rumble is a game as a service, with the good and bad that that implies. While the promise of new characters, stages, and more cosmetics in the coming months is alluring, the unfortunate reality is that progression from the base game is bland and the most attractive rewards come from the Battle Pass, which will expire when it's over. the season.

The progression of this system is far from the slowest I've seen, but it's also far from fast. Luckily, we can complete challenges to get a little extra experience. The general rewards are varied: from skins and emotes for the characters to banners and retro music.

While we get items simply by playing the game and completing character challenges, it's a shame that unlocking many of the flashier cosmetic items is associated with the Battle Pass. Luckily, the rewards are purely aesthetic and do not break the balance of the cool games; otherwise the tone of this review would be very different.

Of course, I am concerned that monetization will change in the future and that the only way to get cosmetics or characters is through micropayments or the Battle Pass. The uncertainty of cool games as a service is present in Crash Team Rumble.

The game also presents minor problems in the playable section. As I mentioned, we can choose a special power at the beginning of each game; however, I think the Gasmoxian Guard, an alien that produces electricity, is unbalanced and overshadows all other abilities. It is possible to defeat him, but it is essential to coordinate with teammates.

And yes, the cool games can turn into chaos if we are unable to communicate with our allies. Although there is a pin system, it is very simple and we can only make basic indications.

Crash Team Rumble is a lot of fun and offers quick, action-packed matches; however, it is a one-note game, which makes it quickly repetitive. It only took a couple of hours for me to start to feel exhausted, which is a bad sign for a title that aims to hook you for a long time.

This is because, at launch, there are only 8 characters and one game mode. The variety of the maps is unable to mitigate the feeling of monotony. Friv5Online promised to add new heroes, limited time modes, and more customization items in the coming months. However, right now it's a package that has a hard time justifying its reduced price of $30 USD.

Crash Bandicoot leaves his comfort zone and delivers with Crash Team Rumble a solid experience in its playable sections. The platforming is on par with what's expected of the franchise, while the combat works well and is satisfying. The study knew how to adapt the concepts of classic cool games to a competitive multiplayer proposal.

Unfortunately, the title offers sparse content at launch and the game-as-a-service structure is unoriginal. In an increasingly competitive and saturated market, there is little that makes it stand out beyond being the latest release of a much-loved IP.

Crash Team Rumble is a lot of fun and has potential, and I think it can become a comfort game for many players due to its simple and entertaining concept that goes straight to the point. Also, seeing Crash and company return is always a hit of nostalgia. If it were in a free-to-play format it would be an exciting release, but as a paid game it's hard to recommend it at this point. Can it survive more than a handful of seasons? Only time will tell.

Crash Team Rumble will be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 starting June 20. Click here to read more related news.