Product Info

Platform

Switch

Publisher

Raw Thrills

Developer

GameMill Entertainment

Series

Cruis’n

Genre

Arcade, Multiplayer, Party, Racing

Players

1-4

File Size (Minimum)

3.6 GB

Release Date (NA)

Sep 14, 2021

Purchase From

Amazon

eShop

Cruis’n Blast, developed by Raw Thrills, is a multiplayer, arcade racing game that’s a throwback to the Cruis’n series with a modern, wacky twist. Instead of zooming around interpretations of areas around the world, Cruis’n Blast has 30 high-speed levels with over-the-top designs, UFOs, and even dinosaurs. Grab the wheel and race these wild tracks by yourself or with a couple of friends.

Strictly Racing

There is no storyline to this game – it’s straight pedal to the medal from the start. Driving in the game feels quite intuitive and easy to learn with little need for a training course. There are tips in the loading screens if you are looking for those extra racing advantages, but they’re not necessary for most players. While the game runs reasonably well in handheld mode, the game is best played while docked. You really need the bigger screen to be able make sense of the action and ensure you’re able to hit as many of the boost pads as possible.

Controls are pretty straightforward: blast (three temporary boosts per race), drifting, gas, and brake. While braking is limited in use, it can be double tapped to perform a 180 degree spin, which can earn extra cash when performed on jumps. Double tapping the gas causes the vehicle to ‘pop a wheelie,’ which can help when performing tricks over jumps for cash or when ramping opponents to overtake that car. Drifting has similar mechanics to other games, where holding the drift down longer fills a gauge to deliver a temporary boost in speed. While any speed boost gives an advantage, the player can go fast enough to sideswipe opponents and cause them to spin out momentarily. This earns you more cash per race and also gives you an advantage by slowing down opponents.

Wacky Races

Courses are quite over-the-top in terms of both color and design. For example, the level Prehistoric Peril is a dirt track through a lush green jungle with extremely large dinosaurs and a volcano spewing lava throughout. Meanwhile, Neon Tsunami takes you down paved streets, in and out of tunnels, through a large city with neon signs and lights. Each of the levels has 2-3 hidden paths to take, which may provide access to a quicker route, extra cash, or a key. There are three keys hidden in each of the 30 race courses, and they can be used to unlock new vehicles. Sometimes, keys can be tricky to get as it may require hitting a boost jump while ‘popping a wheelie’ to perform a flip through a spot in the air. Still, the incentives are worth it.

The races themselves are fairly straightforward and generally range from 45 seconds to 2 minutes in duration. Unfortunately, there is no indicator to gauge how much of the race is left, which makes it hard to determine when to use the three temporary boosts. For example, using a boost at the end can help secure the 1st place spot, while using it too early risks you being passed by a boosting car. Also, it is difficult to gauge the spread and location of opposing cars on the course. When many races are determined by a mere few seconds, every little bit of information helps.

There are several modes to explore such as Cruis’n Tour (four races per category of the tour), classic arcade (a handful of retro courses to try out), time trials, and single race. There are also many difficulty levels: easy, normal, hard, and extreme (a smaller margin of error for boosts and steering). While each level looks uniquely different and there are an impressive number to pick from, they do feel too similar over time in regards to the turns, duration, jumps, boosts, and short optional side paths. Many levels even have a section where cars fall through the ground down an invisible ramp (it feels like falling), which gets cheesy after the third or fourth time. Plus, with the same strategy needed on each level (drive over boost pad, powerslide to a boost, and use 1-2 boosts in the last ten seconds of the race), the gameplay tempo can feel a little repetitive. Still, racing overall is fun and challenging enough for both casual players and the more serious gamer.

Sharks, Copters, and UFOs, Oh My!

The game starts you out with a handful of cars, but you can quickly unlock a bunch of crazier options such as a hammerhead shark, a UFO, and a lambo police cruiser. Each of the unlocked cars has an initial purchase price, ranging from 10,000 to 80,000 cash. (Each race can earn anywhere from a few thousand up to 8,000 cash, depending upon final placement, cash pickups, and the number of cars sideswiped and flips performed.) After that, you get the car and numerous coloring options, like a shiny metallic finish or one- and two-tone selections. In addition to the array of coloring choices, you can unlock add-on cosmetic features for each vehicle such as neon lights, decals (only for earlier cars), a body kit, and an engine. Sometimes, the body kit and engine is underwhelming (e.g., small fins on the wings of the copter), but they can also be more dramatic, like ‘frickin’ laser beams’ attached to the hammerhead shark’s head (clearly a nod to Dr. Evil from the popular film, Austin Powers).

The other vehicles require an initial number of keys to be found. The monster truck needs 70 keys and the tank needs all 87. Each vehicle comes with its own baseline stat profile (i.e., speed, acceleration, weight, and offroad), but it can be leveled up to a max level of 5, increasing those stats to make using it easier. Leveling up requires increasingly higher thresholds of XP per level, which is earned from racing. (Fully leveling a vehicle may take about 20-30 races.) There are subtle differences overall to performance while at max level, but at baseline stats, some vehicles tend to be easier to use than others. For example, the UFO is quite clunky and difficult to maneuver even after leveling up a few times. As such, you might want to let someone else choose it.

Share the Road

The game supports local play with up to 4 players, and everything runs pretty smoothly in docked mode despite how busy the action is on screen. With controls fairly easy to learn, it makes for an enjoyable gaming session with friends. The game does allow for split-screen play as well as play with nearby friends on their own Nintendo Switch systems. Strangely, though, it does not have an online multiplayer option. While it would be great to have the option to play with friends from afar, the arcade style mode seems quite enjoyable and low stress as it stands.

Let’s Go Cruis’n ♫♪

One cannot play Cruis’n Blast without considering the infectious and catchy theme song “Let’s go cruising…♫♪.” This theme song is one of the cheesiest songs ever heard since the days of Rebecca Black’s “Friday.” Thankfully, this song is limited to the start menu and to the medal presentation after tours. During races, the game allows the player to change the theme song being played (similar to previous Cruis’n’ games). These songs are electronic dubstep-like themes which match the crazy courses and the vivid splashes of neon colors within them. 

Blast from the Past!

Overall, Cruis’n Blast is a fantastic spin on the classic Cruis’n arcade series. While it would be great to have online play and more complex race track layouts, the game has a great selection of wacky vehicles and is well made, easy to pick up and play, and full of low-stress fun. What are you waiting for – come on, go Cruis’n ♫♪!

A Nintendo Switch code was provided for this review and gameplay footage.