The world's most famous bandicoot returns with Crash Team Rumble, a multiplayer game that's closed beta showcased competitive collecting and a lot of the series' characteristic charm. Developer Toys for Bob is trying something new with Crash and the series wacky cast with an entirely new 4v4 multiplayer brawler, and for the most part, it's an exciting start.
Competitive multiplayer games like League of Legends and Pokémon Unite have a reputation for having steep learning curves. Crash Team Rumble's closed beta instantly dispelled that sort of anxiety with a simple and short tutorial that should prepare a player of any skill level to try its competitive modes. Two teams of four must race to collect more Wumpa fruits scattered across levels and hidden in boxes. While the game can still be enjoyable if that's all players attempt to do, there is enough depth in the gameplay for those who want to collect more or hinder others from doing so.
Crash Team Rumble Is Not A Bash Remake
Developers Toys From Bob have iterated that Crash Team Rumble is not a MOBA game, but more of a strategic platformer. The closed beta gave players a chance to try out a few of the game's levels and five playable characters. New characters, cosmetics, and abilities are earned by leveling up, and experience points were easy to gain whether your team won or lost. While losses can feel frustrating against overwhelming foes, matches were short, and the fun of the next game quickly wipes away the grief gained from a previous loss. The game is also packed full of goofy slapstick humor and catchy music that help melt frustration away like Crash games of the past.
Besides Wumpa fruits, Relics float around each map to be collected and deposited to make things easier for teammates and harder for the opposing team. Each map has several opportunities to trigger different boosts for teammates' points, mobility, and offensive abilities. One level in the beta featured a Relic pad containing the evil Uka Uka mask spirit, which devastated the enemy team with a level-spanning meteor shower after teammates deposited a considerable amount of relics. Such mayhem often causes enemy players to die and lose Wumpa fruits they had collected.
Each character's spirited personality also feels reflected in their roles and unique abilities. Crash is built to be a Scorer who excels in maneuverability and collecting points. His sister Coco is a Booster who can speed teammates up with a blue hologram that is on a cooldown, like most abilities in Crash Team Rumble. Blockers are another role whose job is to guard a team's base against attack or prevent enemies from scoring by disrupting opponents. Whichever role sounds more enjoyable, each character is easy to get the hang of and fluid to control, which dramatically helps Crash Team Rumble appeal to even players who have yet to enjoy the Bandicoot's series.
The closed beta only featured three different levels and five playable characters. However, the battle in the beta was full of profile and character customization options from the long-running series, including music tracks from almost every Crash game. It's safe to assume more characters, levels, and content will be revealed by Toys From Bob before the game launches on June 20, 2023. Hopefully, when Crash Team Rumble releases, it will enough gameplay variation and modes to keep players interested in collecting Wumpa Fruits years into the future.
Source: Crash Bandicoot/YouTube
Crash Team Rumble will be available June 20, 2023 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PS5. Screen Rant was provided a PS5 code for the closed beta for the purposes of this preview.
