CRASH BANDICOOT FUSION (GBA)

a.k.a. Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage
Publisher: Vivendi Universal Games.
Developer: Vicarious Visions. 
Released: June 2004.
​Genre: 2D Platformer.


Posted 12th August 2020.
By Tom Clare © 2020

​Crash Bandicoot’s storied gaming journey has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, with many citing the departure of creators Naughty Dog as the point at which the decline started. There’s certainly some truth to this. The quality of the series’ console outings would vary considerably throughout the first decade of the 21st Century. However, what’s often forgotten is that many of the manic marsupial’s handheld excursions, particularly those on the Game Boy Advance, were really good. Two richly enjoyable platformers, XS and N-Tranced, saw an effortless transitioning of the format used in the celebrated PlayStation trilogy, reworked in 2D to great effect on the small screen. Vicarious Visions impressed further with a highly impressive, Super Mario Kart-esque, portable version of Crash Nitro Kart.

Fusion marked Crash’s fourth appearance on the Advance. Vicarious Visions returned to the 2D platformer template, albeit with something of a concept outing. Released alongside Spyro Fusion, the two platforming heroes meet in a mash-up of each other’s worlds, with Crash having to contend with Spyro’s nemesis Ripto. There’s a clutch of platforming hub levels, each consisting of five main levels and some bonus games. Usual Crash Bandicoot rules apply: there’s a crystal up for grabs for completing each level, plus a gem for taking out all the crates.
Platforming meets mini-games - that's Crash Bandicoot Fusion in a nutshell
The main difference here (and it’s a fairly big one) is the platforming levels have been replaced by a host of mini-games, which cover all manner of quick-fire activities. The series gives its own take on classics such as Breakout and Tapper (albeit with sheep instead of thirsty customers), as well as some side-scrolling shooter sequences and amusing jet-pack shenanigans whereby the aim is to keep the bandicoot out of the scenery. Elsewhere, there are weightlifting button-masher challenges with Crunch, leaping levels on the back of the polar bear in a throwback to Cortex Strikes Back, and some typically irreverent sections that see Crash floating through hazardous waters on a lilo. The thing is, whilst many of these sound a little contrived, they’re mostly a good bit of fun, even if some (Crash driving a tank) are admittedly an odd fit.
FOCAL POINT: FAKING IT
Poor Fake Crash. What did he do to deserve this? Having first appeared in 1998’s Crash Bandicoot: Warped! as an Easter Egg, trolling Crash with his post-completion dance moves, he’s since featured as a playable character and even a boss. However, in Fusion, he’s to be found chained up, in a hidden area under the Dragon Castles level. Crash and his doppelgänger give each other the silent treatment, though finding him does at least reward the player with his trading card.
Vicarious Visions had long since honed the art of platforming on the GBA, so it’s no surprise that the hubs run super-smoothly and feature assured controls. The music is, as ever, jaunty and well-suited. Levels pop with colour, from the lush cartoon canopies of Wumpa Jungle that have become so synonymous with the series, to the surprisingly comfy fit of Spyro’s magic-sprinkled Dragon Castles, complete with fireflies. Fans of the two series will enjoy appearances from an extensive array of personalities from the two universes, even if most have little more than a couple of lines of dialogue to contribute. Only some slightly duff-looking enemy sprites let the side down, visually.
The much-vaunted crossover with the Spyro universe is never really taken advantage of. However, it could be argued that Crash Bandicoot’s earlier GBA platformers confirm he’s more at home in a 2D landscape than the purple dragon, who’s normally more used to expansive, exploration-lead environs. There’s a neat trading card arm that allows for the collecting of a sizeable number of illustrations, and the ability to trade with friends is really cool.

Even though its hub worlds are a little uninspired and it lacks the staying power of its GBA predecessors, Crash Bandicoot Fusion is decent fun. Mini-games offer more hits than misses, and even if it bears only passing relevance to Crash’s wider oeuvre, the series’ trademark humour and slick presentation will please fans. It’s a shame the crossover didn’t offer something of greater substance, but it’s still worth a look.
VERDICT
"...though its hub worlds are a little uninspired and it lacks the staying power of its GBA predecessors, Crash Bandicoot Fusion is decent fun. It’s a shame the crossover didn’t offer something of greater substance, but it’s still worth a look."



OVERALL: 6/10