Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!
Developer(s)	King
Publisher(s)	Activision
Platform(s)	Mobile Phones
Release date(s)	April 22, 2020 (Soft test launch) March 24, 2021 (Official launch - iOS) March 25, 2021 (Official launch - other platforms)
Genre	Endless Runner
Rating(s)	9+
Mode(s)	Singleplayer Online Interactivity

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! (stylized as Crash: On the Run!) is a mobile game developed by King and is available on the Google Play Store and the App Store. It revolves around Crash Bandicoot and Coco Bandicoot roaming various locations in an endless runner style in order to collect ingredients to construct weapons and defeat villains such as Nitrus Brio, Dingodile, Tiny Tiger, Koala Kong, Scorporilla, Nina Cortex and Mr. Crumb.

Development

Initially, King wanted to develop a game with a new take on the runner genre. They later approached Activision with the intent of using those ideas for a new Crash Bandicoot game.

The game was first soft-launched in select countries on April 22nd, 2020.

A dedicated Twitter account for the game was registered in May, 2020 but wasn't discovered until July 2020 when a teaser video of a TNT crate and the word "Loading..." was posted.

On the 9th of July, 2020, the official announcement trailer was uploaded to the Twitter account, and the game was fully added to the Apple App Store, being made available for pre-registration on both platforms. A Blue Hyena skin for Crash, like the one from Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, was billed as a bonus for pre-registering.

On the 27th of October, 2020, a new trailer was released announcing the game would come out in Spring 2021. The release date was confirmed to March 25th, 2021, in a second trailer released on March 2nd, 2021.

Story

In the intro, Crash is seen in Turtle Woods, having a meal of Wumpa Fruit, when he is about to bite into a power gem. Coco tells him that power gems are quantum energy sources, not Wumpa Fruit, and so Crash tosses it away, just so that it can land into the grasp of Dr. Cortex. Cortex announces his evil plan, saying that he will use the power gems to create a bandicoot-free dimension, and put an end to all other dimensions. Crash chases him through the level, and obtains the power gem after Cortex's hoverboard goes down. Cortex orders his goons to attack Crash, and at the same time Coco sets up a warp pad for Crash to go through and warp to her base before the goons can harm him. Crash gets the gem, and as soon as he gets to Coco's base, she finds out that Cortex's goons are attacking Turtle Woods, and that they have to protect that place.

The game takes place after all existing Crash Bandicoot games, so that any past character or event may collide with it.

Seasons

See: Seasons

• Season 0 - Launch Party! (started on the 25th of March, 2021; ended on the 29th of March, 2021)
• Season 1 - The Return of Nitros Oxide! (started on the 29th of March, 2021; ended on the 3rd of May, 2021)
• Season 2 - Running Outta Time! (started on the 6th of May, 2021; ended on the 7th of June, 2021)
• Season 3 - Battle of the Dragons (started on the 10th of June, 2021; ended on the 12th of July, 2021)
• Season 4 - Survival of the Fastest (started on the 15th of July, 2021; ended on the 16th of August, 2021)
• Season 5 - 25th Anniversary! (started on the 19th of August, 2021; ended on the 20th of September, 2021)
• Season 6 - Mr. Crumb's Dimension of Screams (started on the 23rd of September, 2021; ended on the 25th of October, 2021)
• Season 7 - Madame Amberley's Evil Exam (postponed indefinitely )

Team Tournaments

Team Tournaments are weekly events featuring only Survival Runs and Team Leaderboards. They replaced Seasons following a decision by the developers to cut down on the development of new content to work on fixes and improvements. The first Team Tournament started on October 27th 2021 and ended on the 1st of November. Every other Tournaments start on Mondays and last 6 days and a half.

Gameplay

Basics

The base gameplay is similar to other endless running games like Temple Run, Subway Surfers or Sonic Dash. Crash or Coco run forward automatically, but the player can control them by swiping their finger left or right to dodge in that direction, swipe upwards to Jump, swipe downwards to Slide, swipe up then down to Body Slam and tap to Spin.

The main objective is to defeat Cortex's minions to earn Power Gems, which is done by throwing portal weapons at them after a short boss fight. Weapons must be crafted at Coco's Base before fighting, which requires specific materials to create, which are earned by completing Collection Runs. Additionally, the player must wait a certain amount in real time before they can collect a created item. Power Gems unlock new levels and their associated game modes, new gangs to battle against and new stations in Coco's Base.

During gameplay, if Crash or Coco get hit by either an enemy, a hazard, or fall off the level, the player loses. They'll respawn from either the beginning, or at the last Checkpoint Crate they broke, and must pay 9 crystals, or watch an ad to resume play and keep the materials and steps they had collected so far. However, if they have a Aku Aku mask, they can be shielded by any damage. And if all 3 masks are collected, they will be invincible from all dangers for a short time.

Game Modes

• Collection Run: Run indefinitely to collect ingredients, which vary with levels. Exits are placed at junctions.
• Gem Run: A more challenging run with no checkpoint to earn a colored gem. Some requires to break all crates before reaching the end, destroy all spiders or collect all Wumpa Fruits. Each island has 4 colored gems, one per level. After the gem has been earned, these challenges may be re-attempted every 24 hours to earn 2 crystals.
• Challenge Run: A mode in which you are required to perform certain tasks (breaking crates or defeating spiders) to collect certain ingredients used in the crafting.
• Time Trial: Race against the clock for a Sapphire, Gold or Platinum Time Relic. Breaking Time Crates will freeze the clock for up to 3 seconds.
• Battle Run: Run through a level to defeat a Henchman or Boss, and earn a Power Gem with each successful run.
• Survival Run: Run alongside 2 bots as long as possible before dying. Trophies are awarded every 10 seconds. As time passes, the game accelerates and a multiplier (up to 1.8) is added to the trophy count. The last surviving runner earns a bonus of 50 trophies to their score, while the second get just 10 bonus trophies. The only available levels are Turtle Woods, Dino Might! and Bear It, which cycle in and out of availability, only two being available at a time.

Coco's Base

See: Coco's Base

Coco's Base is the location and menu where players go in-between runs. From there, they can select Battle Runs against Henchmen and Bosses, Collection Runs and challenges. They can also craft Portal Weapons at the Labs, collect eggs at the Chicken Coops, or buy ingredients, weapons, skins, and Crystals at the Vending Machine.

Elements

All Portal Weapons, Ingredients, Chickens and Eggs, Berries, Bosses and most Henchmen are defined by a mutagen Element:

• Nitro: "Green, sticky, glowy goo full of power!", an Element present throughout the Crash Bandicoot series and filling Nitro Crates.
• Frosty: "The bluest frost crystals.", an Element representing extreme cold temperatures.
• Inferno: "Flaming hot!", an Element representing extreme hot temperatures.
• Oxide: "Smelly, purple gas.", a gaseous Element with electromagnetic properties.

Skins obtained in the game can have bonuses against bosses of a specific Element.

Characters

Playable

• Crash Bandicoot
• Coco Bandicoot

Henchmen

In Battle Runs, Crash and Coco have to defeat gangs of villains consisting each of four henchmen and one boss. Henchmen can appear either as Nitro, Frosty, Inferno or Oxide. There are currently 15 different henchmen discovered, listed in order of appearance, with icons indicating what types they can currently appear as:

• Ant Drone : "Invented by Dr. Neo Cortex, these robotic insectoids are a formidable pest. Their Nitro, Frosty and Inferno mutations have infested the whole of Twinsanity Island."
• Crab : "Native to N. Sanity Island, this Crab henchman gets snippy with all who come near. Its dual pinchers and tough exoskeleton make it one dangerous crustacean to cross."
• Pink Elephant : ""This big, pink, jaunty hatted boss isn’t as huggable it looks — it’s 5 tons of bone-crushing mutant aggression. It stops everything in its path with stone walls and intimidating dance moves.""
• Mini Robot : "These sentient missile-launching henchmen aid Neo Cortex in his plans for multiversal domination. They come in Nitro, Frosty, Inferno and Oxide configurations... and with a lot of missiles."
• Araknid : "These wicked cyber-spiders are one of Dr. Neo Cortex’s most fearsome creations. Able to unleash eight-legged minions and balls of webbing, they’re tricky terrors to squash."
• Lab Assistant : "Cortex’s loyal, multipurpose henchmen who do his bidding across time and space. Whether lobbing Blob-spewing beakers or glowing shock orbs, they have a master’s degree in destruction."
• Iron Crate : "As its name suggests, it is a crate made of iron that is nearly indestructible. It’s the strong, stubborn type of villain, but a few well-placed power-ups will send this box packing."
• Electro Lab Assistant
• Zombot : "This zombie robot has a trick up its metallic sleeve: sending out undead minions while it waits to attack from beyond its gear-filled grave. Don’t underestimate this undead undertaker!"
• Thorn Thing : "A diabolic tree creature whose bark is worse than his bite, literally. He launches bouncing, bark-covered projectiles and summons spikey, twisted vines to bring on the pain, naturally."
• Rok-Ko: ""One of four Elemental Masks awakened by Neo Cortex to cause chaos. The Mask of Earth is as terrifying as an earthquake, as strong as a landslide, and as dumb as rocks.""
• Wa-Wa: "One of four Elemental Masks awakened by Neo Cortex to cause chaos. The Mask of Water summons monstrous waves to drown its enemies and wash the world clean once again."
• Py-Ro: "One of four Elemental Masks awakened by Neo Cortex to cause chaos. The Mask of Fire spits molten lava and scorches enemies whenever its fiery temper is triggered."
• Lo-Lo: "One of four Elemental Masks awakened by Neo Cortex to cause chaos. The Mask of Air is a blustery, mischievous elemental who enjoys pushing people around with its wind powers."
• Geary  :"A high-tech clean-freak robot with an atomic-powered chest vacuum for sucking up enemies. This robo-boss strives for perfection, but malfunctions at the first sign of dust."
• The Noid (cross-promotion, Running Outta Time! Seasonal Gangs only)
• Sharkbite : "Wielding fish skeletons like swords, this toothy pirate searches the seas for treasure — buried, sunken or plundered from ships. The only thing fouler than his attitude is his fishy breath."
• Grumbler : "This slow-paced mummy is one of Mr. Crumb's goons. If it weren't for those cozy blue slippers, it would be very easy to hear him coming."

Bosses

Bosses can appear either as Nitro, Frosty, Inferno or Oxide. There are currently 17 bosses discovered, listed by order of appearance, with icons indicating what types they currently can appear as:

• Scorporilla : "This half-gorilla, half-scorpion is all-trouble with her titanic strength and stinging, bionic tail. On land or in the trees, this great ape gives Crash a run for his money."
• Mutagen Nitrus Brio : "Mutating from mad-scientist to mad-monster, Nitrus Brio has become more brawn than brain. Instead of heady scientific pursuits, he prefers hurling heavy objects at people’s heads."
• Dingodile : "This genetically enhanced dingo-crocodile hybrid loves his steaks medium-rare, but his opponents flame-broiled. When things get hot, Neo Cortex is glad to have a pyromaniac on his crew."
• Fake Crash : "This knock-off doppelganger was created by Neo Cortex to copy and confuse the real Crash and his allies, but he’s often more funny than fearsome. It’s probably the teeth."
• Nina Cortex : "She is the smart, sadistic, stylish niece of Neo Cortex and if anyone says otherwise she will crush them with her bionic hands. Avoid her lightning strikes, explosive boxes and flying fists!"
• Robo Neo Cortex : "Neo Cortex literally “reinvented himself” as a high-tech robotic replica capable of firing off explosive rockets, powerful lasers and punishing insults. This metal mimic is the real deal."
• Dr. Neo Cortex : "A brilliant but disrespected scientist who creates super-intelligent animal minions with his gene mutating Evolvo-Ray. Due to his oversized ego, Cortex dreams of multiverse domination."
• Uka Uka : "This nefarious mask spirit is the true mastermind behind Cortex’s evil plans. Though he is Aku Aku’s twin brother, the psychopathic and egotistical Uka Uka couldn’t be more different."
• Mr. Crumb : "A greedy ghost with a cruel streak that followed him from life to death. All he thinks about are his hoarded treasures and how he can acquire more while inflicting the most suffering."
• Tiny Tiger : "Despite his name, he is actually a very large Tasmanian Tiger armed with a big trident, a bigger attitude, and massive animalistic rage. He is Neo Cortex’s most loyal, orange henchman."
• Fake Coco : "Whoever said “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” never met Fake Coco. She’s a deranged, hyperactive copy of the real Coco who wants to see her archrival embarrassed and defeated."
• Nefarious Tropy (female) (Running Outta Time! & 25th Anniversary! Seasonal Gangs only)
• Dark Spyro (Battle of the Dragons & Mr. Crumb's Dimension of Screams Seasonal Gangs only)
• Gnasty Gnorc (Battle of the Dragons & Mr. Crumb's Dimension of Screams Seasonal Gangs only)
• N. Gin : "After his missile invention veered off-course and into his brain, the world-renowned physicist went from insanely brilliant to just insane. Now, he creates devious devices for Neo Cortex."
• Koala Kong : "This self-absorbed koala loves only two things: his muscles and... his muscles. He believes brute strength and an overactive ego are the one-two punch to success. He also loves his muscles."
• Nitros Oxide (Survival of the Fastest Seasonal Gangs only)
• Pinstripe Potoroo : (25th Anniversary! Seasonal Gangs only) "Don Pinstripelli Potorotti is a Tommy gun-wielding potoroo who, like Ripper Roo and others, got zapped by Neo Cortex's Evolvo-Ray."

The following bosses are known to appear in-game at some point, but are not available to fight yet:

• N. Trance
• Madame Amberley: "This headmistress of the Academy of Evil is a force to be reckoned with."

Supporting

• Aku Aku
• Spyro the Dragon

Cameos

• Ajax
• Bentley
• Bianca
• Crunch Bandicoot
• Cyrus
• Elora
• Emperor Velo XXVII
• Evil Crash
• Hunter
• Komodo Brothers
• Megumi
• Moneybags
• Nefarious Tropy
• Pasadena O'Possum
• Penta Penguin
• Polar
• Pura
• Ripper Roo
• Ripto
• Sorceress
• Yaya Panda

Enemies & Hazards

• Rolling Stones
• Boulders
• Blobs
• TNT Crates
• Nitro Crates
• Turtles
• Scrubbers
• Spiders
• Spitter Plants
• Penguins
• Mummies
• Seals
• Flying Fish

Battle Runs

See: Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!/Battle Runs

Levels

The game features various areas inspired from previous levels of the first three original games. They are separated in islands (listed here by order of unlock):

Island	Level	Recharge Time	Collectible Items	Gem	Relic Times
Wumpa Island	Turtle Woods	2 hours	21 30 56 (60) 30		1:11:00 57:00 48:00
	Lost City	3 hours	37 26 25		1:16:00 1:09:00 59:00
	Temple Ruins	5 hours	18 37 45 28		1:17:00 1:09:00 59:00
	Dino Might!	6 hours	23 32 17 42		1:04:00 55:00 47:00
Ice Warp Island	Sewer or Later	3 hours	40 39 42		1:04:00 50:00 32:00
	The Lab	3 hours	25 54 49 22		1:10:00 55:00 43:00
	Snow Go	5 hours	31 20 16 37 34		1:10:00 57:00 45:00
	Bear It	6 hours	30 25 8 26		1:05:00 52:00 41:00
N. Sanity Island	The Great Gate	3 hours	37 20 13 31		3:00:00 58:00 49:00
	Road to Ruin	5 hours	17 30 19 13		3:00:00 59:00 48:00
	Beach Jungle	5 hours	26 10 45 19		3:00:00 59:00 48:00
	Upstream	5 hours 30 minutes	37 (38) 9 14 27		3:00:00 59:00 48:00

Items

See: Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!/Items

Items in the game are mainly used to engage in battle with Bosses and Henchmen or to repair and upgrade Coco's Base.

Skins

See: Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!/Skins

Gallery

See: Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!/Gallery

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	クラッシュ・バンディクー ブッとび！マルチワールド Kurasshu bandikū buttobi! Maruchiwārudo	Crash Bandicoot! Multi-World
Russian	Crash Bandicoot: со всех ног! Crash Bandicoot: so vsekh nog!	Crash Bandicoot: at full speed!
Korean	크래쉬 밴디쿳: 온더런 keulaeswi baendikus: ondeoleon	(Same as English)
Chinese	古惑狼：全速冲锋 Gǔ huò láng: Quánsù chōngfēng	Crash Wolf: Charge at Full Speed
Thai	แครช แบนดิคู้ต: ออน เดอะ รัน! Khærch bæn di khū̂ t: Xxn dexa rạn!	(Same as English)

This game was developed in English and was officially localised into Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish and Vietnamese.

Trivia

• The original prototype game called "Mylo" was created by King and was re-skinned with Crash Bandicoot and presented to Activision by King. They then signed off the early production of the game.
• During early production, the game went by the working title Crash Bandicoot Mobile, before being officially named Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! for the soft launch.
• This is the first time in the series where the Elementals are solo bosses.
• Many of On the Run!'s voicelines are recycled from Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. The game also reuses sounds such as when collecting Wumpas.
• This game contains a direct reference to Bandipedia in the description of the It's About Time skins. It is the only piece of official media to do so.