A Human’s Thoughts On A Bandicoot’s Upcoming Mobile Game

After some wild racing in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled in 2019 [3] [13], early 2020 is the time when we witnessed some spillage of a mobile game advertisement based on the life of Willie the Wombat [8]. Oops! I meant Crash Bandicoot! Strangely enough, the app is being developed by King, the company that simulated the fingertips and taste buds of many casual players with the Candy Crush Saga franchise [21] [28] [29] [30] [31]. Ah, the way I matched those sweets in the original Candy Crush game on my fourth-generation iPod Touch when I was in college. Good times. Anyway, this is not the first time Crash has been playable on mobile devices of course [7]. Crash has been there for mobile gamers in:

•       Crash Nitro Kart [7]
•       The mobile version of Crash Twinsanity [7]
•       Crash Racing [7]
•       The mobile version of Crash of the Titans [7]
•       Crash Nitro Kart 2 [7]
•       Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D [7]

The first signs of advertising for the upcoming app have occurred in Brazil and have been leaked during some beta testing [25] [27], so there must have been planning to release it later this year. As someone interested in another expansion on the bandicoot’s legacy, I shall state my thoughts on his upcoming mobile game.

I really would not expect the company that brought us Candy Crush Saga to bring us a Crash Bandicoot mobile game [28]. [4]

2019 was the year for Crash returning to racing. As for 2020, I suppose he can give a different type of game a try. [3]

Aside from how its name has been theorised to be “Crash Bandicoot: On The Run” [4], the supposed genre of the app appears to be an endless runner that involves swiping your finger across the screen to make a character switch lanes. I am aware that the following franchises have done the same genre too:

•       Tomb Raider [39]
•       Sonic the Hedgehog [34] [35]
•       Looney Tunes [46]
•       Despicable Me [22]

Despite the majority of disappointment towards the upcoming mobile game, I can say it at least does not look like it has been heavily recycled from another instalment. I am looking at you, Rayman Mini [42]. As a modern mobile app user and game player, I have nothing against endless runners, but I suppose they might have been a bit done to death to plenty of us. Furthermore, the aspects of an endless runner would suit Crash’s ways of running, gathering wumpa fruit and breaking crates with his spin attack [4] [26]. And let us not forget that the TNT boxes to avoid will be a hazard that will increase the gameplay’s challenge [27]. Even though an endless runner may not be every gamer’s favourite genre, plenty of recognisable elements ought to make the app faithful to the Crash Bandicoot franchise.

A screenshot of Lara Croft: Relic Run I took on my iPad before engaging in its gameplay back in 2015. [39]

An endless runner may not be every hardcore gamer’s can of fizzy pop, but this sure looks promising. [4]

Will appearances of other characters and a decent reward system make the app worth playing? There also seems to be a base for the player to build with Crash and his younger sister Coco [4] [21]. I can see that the player can receive steady progression for each aspect shown in the map if they keep playing the game, thus accomplishing various small lists of tasks. There will need to be some satisfying results for doing a list of tasks as part of a motivating reward system because that will make the app more likely to be fairly popular among modern mobile gamers who are either into Crash or have only just been introduced to him. Dr. Cortex will also be appearing in the app as our usual antagonist [4] [21]. Hopefully, he will not be seen smacking Crash’s bum like how he did Crash Twinsanity [43]. Speaking of Dr. Cortex, the way the player can make different combinations of potions after harvesting some crops to serve justice against him could lead to another reward system [26]. Aside from appearances of other characters, including Aku Aku, let us look into the new design of the main star.

From collecting pods in a volcano to repairing a space rocket [26], you name it! [4]

What do I think of the proposed design of Crash for his modern mobile adventure [4] [26]? While I admire the vibrant choice of colours that can help him blend in the style of the 3D backgrounds excellently [4] [26], I can agree that its outcome can potentially balance all sides of the Crash fandom’s spectrum [6] [24]. The joggers, maroon sneakers, fingerless gloves, and roughly rendered hair make him resemble the modern interpretation of his classic design from N. Sane Trilogy [2]. However, I guess if Talking Tom and his friends can ditch the detailed textures they used to have [18] [19] [40] [41], Crash can too. The fur at his cheeks appears to be inspired by the face of the late 2000s Crash with tribal tattoos [3]. The shape of the ears reminds me of his guest appearance in Skylanders: Imaginators [23]. As for the sneakers, their style seems to be loosely based on the sneakers he wore in Crash Twinsanity, but without the “C” in the circle on each one [3] [4]. His pose and goofy facial expression in one of the renders show that he is still going to be the energetic adventurer we loved since 1996 [5]. Furthermore, I think the design is pretty cute.

“Pancakes!” [3] [4]

If the mobile app is also set to be released in Japan, the exclusive design for the loveable bandicoot that was there to help his franchise appeal to Japanese audiences ought to make a kawaii return [6]. If it does so, then it will need to once again consist of those beady Pac-Man eyes to make him look cuter and those black eyebrows that at least look better than the eyebrows Ratchet had for Ratchet and Clank players in Japan [10] [11]. Additionally, the Japanese Crash would still need to feature five-fingered hands in order to not offend those who were affected by distressing ways of losing a finger in Japan [14] [44] [45]. As much as I adore remarkable anime-like eyes, I completely understand how ethical it would be to give four-fingered characters an extra finger for each hand in Japan [14]. If there could be the cuter version of Crash of the Japanese release of the upcoming mobile game, chances of it being a success in Japan may increase [6] [10] [11]. Perhaps there could be an option to play as Japanese Crash for Western mobile game players who would ironically prefer that version of him.

Kon’nichiwa, Kurasshu Bandikuu-san! [6]

In all regional releases of the app, the premise and other features ought to stick to what has been revealed a little too early. Apparently, Dr. Cortex is planning to take over different dimensions [21] [27]. Could this mean Spyro the Dragon, a bunch of Skylanders or the previous incarnations of Crash could make brief cameos [3] [15] [16]? Probably not since Cortex’s evil plan will only happen in a mobile spin-off. Aside from Crash’s duty of stopping him, the ideas of finding secret hideouts during the gameplay and receiving new tracks for more challenges will not only make the game more interesting by disregarding some linearity, but they can be another way to make the player feel rewarded for finding secrets [27]. The ability to play as Fake Crash in any secret tracks would be priceless [1]. On second thought, I would be thrilled to team up with Coco who may use her machine to send dastardly minions back to their own universes [21] [27], which may be a somewhat rehash of how she was playable in the N-Sane Trilogy [2]. Even after an advertisement gets leaked, there should be no invalid excuse for anything hugely misleading for the actual release soon.

If there ought to be any updates in the future after the app’s official release, I think Baby Crash ought to be playable for fans of infant counterparts. [3]

And as previously mentioned, Crash’s Japanese counterpart could be an unlockable playable character for Western players who may prefer his design. [6]

Aside from a leaked advertisement of the upcoming Crash mobile game being developed by King during some testing with other mobile games in Brazil, there will be some hopes for a completely new main Crash Bandicoot game for the PlayStation 5 [20]. After all, he and Spyro the Dragon started fantastically on the first PlayStation [5] [38]. Speaking of the PlayStation 5, I am also hoping that there will be a brand new Ratchet and Clank game that could be a chronological sequel to the re-imagining of the first game from 2016 [36]. I also think Spyro could have another reboot that may combine aspects of the original, Legend of Spyro and Skylanders series to appeal to all sides of the Spyro fandom’s spectrum for the PlayStation 5 [32] [37]. But as for Crash Bandicoot in his upcoming mobile app with a design that could please plenty of Crash fans who adored more than one previous incarnation of him, should we let him speak in an upbeat Australian accent for the final outcome or not [15] [16] [17] [33]? Either way, it ought to briefly stick to what has been promised to avoid even more disapproval from a fraction of the Crash Bandicoot fanbase.

More about the upcoming mobile game that is likely to be titled “Crash Bandicoot: On The Run” is yet to be revealed later this year. Perhaps if an official trailer for it comes out, our thoughts on it could be expanded. [4]

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