HHW Gaming Review: ‘Crash Team Rumble’ Is Surprisingly Fun, But Does It Have Staying Power?

Crash Bandicoot was once considered PlayStation’s official mascot in 1996 while he was under the Naughty Dog umbrella. Fast Forward, our favorite Wumpa Fruit collecting hero has seen many different variations, and current developer Toys For Bob is spearheading the character’s continued evolution and hopes Crash, his friends, and foes can thrive as MOBA/ Live-Service game in Crash Team Rumble.

Crash Bandicoot fans are chomping at the bits for a new Crash Bandicoot platformer, but for now, they will have to settle for Crash Team Rumble, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The game, which was a shock to everyone when it was first announced, is billed as a MOBA and puts two teams of four against each other in a battle of who can bank the most the Wumpa Fruit. The first team who hits the score of 2,000 earn the right to brag until the next match.

The premise is pretty simple, but is this game a clear winner for Toys For Bob? Yes and no.

Where Crash Team Rumble Wins

Crash Team Rumble is also a good-looking game, and it feels great, giving fans of the video franchise a taste of how a future game platformer starring Crash Bandicoot and his friends would feel like.

Simplicity is a strong suit for this game because it does not take long for players to find their stride in Crash Team Rumble. There are three classes, Scorer, Blocker, and Booster, comprised of the characters from the Crash Bandicoot video game lore.

Characters like Crash are in the Scorer class and are mainly responsible for collecting Wumpa Fruit because they move faster and can carry more Wumpa Fruit. Scorers also have a decent set of defensive moves to ward off attackers.

If you’re into dealing damage and either preventing the other team from banking Wumpa Fruit or protecting the home base, Blockers are the way to go. I also found it more fun using characters like Dingodile or Ripper Roo.

Last but not least, support roles are always important, and that’s where the Booster class comes in. Characters like Coco Bandicoot help the team by providing help wherever they can by either triggering Gem Clusters, activating boost pads, or retrieving relics.

Also, each character has different skills, so no match plays the same, and it ends relatively quickly, keeping you engaged and ready to choose another role for another game.

Crash Team Rumble is also a good-looking game, and it feels great, giving fans of the video franchise a taste of how a future game platformer starring Crash Bandicoot and his friends would feel like.

An Unsure Future

It’s understandable if gamers will be hesitant to invest in a game with an unsure future.

Toys For Bob promises constant support for the game, which is good, but will the $29.99 Live-Service not suffer the same fate as many games like Knockout City or Rumbleverse?

For one, Crash Team Rumble is different because purchasers are getting a premium product at launch due to it not being free-to-play like the other titles listed above. But, with the price tag attached, the first season pass is nothing to boast about, and it takes some grinding to unlock some rather lackluster awards like skins or other cosmetics for putting in work with the game.

Also, there is this other Activision Blizzard game out right now called Diablo IV, plus other titles like Apex Legends, Fortnite, Sea of Thieves, and Destiny 2, which have the live-service genre on lock.

It’s understandable if gamers will be hesitant to invest in a game with an unsure future.

Final Verdict

Crash Team Rumble is an experiment for the Crash franchise with some bright spots, but a massive cloud of uncertainty can block them out.

The game is fun to play with friends or competitively online with others. It’s easy to pick up and provides a blueprint for future Crash Bandicoot games in terms of how it feels and how Crash will handle going forward.

But with a lackluster season pass that takes entirely long to progress, a $29.99 price tag, and no promises that it will keep its player base locked in, it should be no surprise that there are gamers out there hesitant to hit the purchase button on Crash Team Rumble.

Crash Team Rumble would have significantly benefited from the start as a free-to-play title, allowing more players to jump in and give it a chance. There is still an opportunity for Toys For Bob and Activision to go the free-to-play route later on, but the question remains if and when that happens, will it be too late for Crash Team Rumble?

Will the game be on its way to joining those other titles in the live-service games graveyard? We hope not.

Crash Team Rumble is available now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Seris S|X, and Xbox One, costing $29.99 for the Standard Edition and $39.99 for the Deluxe Edition.

*Crash Team Rumble PS5 Key Provided By Activision*

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Photo: Activision / Toys For Bob / Crash Team Rumble