I’m not going to lie, I fully expected for Crash Team Rumble, a multiplayer-only, MOBA take on what has pretty much always been a franchise associated with linear, single player platforming, to be an utter disaster. Who the hell had asked for a Crash Bandicoot MOBA? One that’s console exclusive, and with an upfront price tag, as well as an additional payment requirement for a season pass? Whilst the pricing and monetization aspects of the game did end up being as egregious and stupid as I would have expected, I was shocked to find out that the core mechanics of the game were actually kinda good.

That doesn’t mean Crash Team Rumble is an otherwise good game. Sure, it features excellent controls (it’s Crash Bandicoot, of course the controls are good), and its presentation is decent, albeit far from jaw-dropping (it looks and sounds like the remake of the original trilogy, with a tad less detail), but as a game itself, boy oh boy, does this feel completely unnecessary. It’s a gameplay loop that’s fun in theory, and can entertain for a few minutes at a time, but features no lasting appeal whatsoever.

When people were talking about Crash Team Rumble being basically the Crash equivalent to League of Legends, I was skeptical, but there’s a (microscopic) bit of truth in that statement. It is, indeed, an online battle arena, where you pick up a character and help out your team complete its task. Each character has their own moveset, stats, and so on, and you can freely equip skins and customize their looks. The difference lies in the fact Crash Team Rumble is still a platformer, and the winning conditions are simple: the first team to collect a set amount of Wumpa fruit, wins.

In essence, it feels like a small multiplayer mode that would have been added to an otherwise single player-focused Crash Bandicoot game, but with a bit of depth stemming from each character having different stats and abilities. And being a game of its own. That’s… not a wise decision. It’s not that Crash Team Rumble doesn’t feature solid mechanics. The problem is that you get bored after just a round or two. There is just one mode, therefore the novelty wears off quickly.

The biggest offender, however, is the inclusion of a paid season pass. A season pass by itself isn’t a big issue. Many free-to-play games have successfully used battle passes as the way to generate monetization. Emphasis on these words, though: FREE TO PLAY. Crash Team Rumble is not a free-to-play game. It costs a hefty upfront chunk, plus the money needed for a season pass. For a Crash game. Pointless cosmetics that just end up making your characters look silly, in a game whose pricing scheme will already drive people away in the first place. Great thinking.

Crash Team Rumble features the solid foundations for a neat gameplay loop, as well as excellent controls and decent visuals… but this is something that should have been a multiplayer mode in a mainline game, not its own thing. I actually think that this should have been the better approach with this idea, as it is fun… for a few minutes at a time. The fact it’s a paid game with an additional payment towards a season pass just adds insult to injury. Will this game retain a loyal player base for long? That remains to be seen. As of now, for as much as I like the idea behind it, I don’t think the game itself is worth picking up right now.

 

Graphics: 7.0 It looks as good as the PS4 and Xbox One Crash Bandicoot games. It’s not impressive, but it’s not bad, either.	Gameplay: 8.0 Simple and responsive controls. The game might have many flaws, but I can’t complain about how easy it is to pick it up and learn its mechanics in just a few minutes.
Sound: 7.5 As expected from a Crash game, a pretty good soundtrack. The match narrator never shuts up, but his voice didn’t annoy me as much as I thought it would.	Fun Factor: 5.5 This is something that should have been a mode in a mainline Crash Bandicoot game, not its own thing. It’s interesting, but its lasting appeal is minute. Being a paid game with extra season passes is insulting as well.
Final Verdict: 6.5

Crash Team Rumble is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Reviewed on Xbox Series S.

A copy of Crash Team Rumble was provided by the publisher.