Cruis'n Blast

Cruis'n Blast
Developer(s)Raw Thrills
Publisher(s)Raw Thrills
Nintendo
Director(s)Eugene Jarvis
Producer(s)Andrew Eloff
Programmer(s)John H. Scott
Artist(s)Nate VanderKamp
SeriesCruis'n
EngineUnity[1]
Platform(s)Arcade, Nintendo Switch
ReleaseArcade
  • NA: January 2017
Nintendo Switch
  • WW: September 14, 2021
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Cruis'n Blast is a racing video game developed and published by Raw Thrills. Originally released for arcades in 2017, it is the sixth and latest installment in Nintendo's Cruis'n series.[2][3][4] A version for the Nintendo Switch which includes additional modes, cars, and tracks, was released on September 14, 2021.[5]

Gameplay

Cruis'n Blast provides the same gameplay as its predecessors, where the player races on different tracks under a time limit to reach the goal, passing checkpoints along the way to help extend the time limit. The game includes the ability to upgrade the car in order to have an edge in the race. Unlike the other Cruis'n games, this version does not have an ending scene if the player wins all the stages.

The five courses available in the game include Death Valley and Madagascar as easy tracks, London and Rio de Janeiro as medium tracks, and Singapore as a hard track. While Cruis'n USA features a Death Valley track, and Cruis'n World features an England track based on London, the Cruis'n Blast tracks are different than their predecessors.

Development and release

Cruis'n Blast arcade machines: regular (red) and motion (white/blue)

The game was licensed by Nintendo, who owns the trademark for the game. It was first play-tested under the beta names Cruis'n Adventure and Cruis'n Redline, before eventually becoming Cruis'n Blast.[2] A trailer for the game was unveiled on October 24, 2016, on the Raw Thrills YouTube channel.[6]

The Nintendo Switch version was released on September 14, 2021.

Reception

Cruis'n Blast on Nintendo Switch garnered "mixed or average reviews", according to review aggregator site Metacritic.[7] Polygon compared the action and races in the game to the Fast and Furious franchise while noting that the game feels lacking in certain areas.[18] IGN's review described the game as a fun arcade experience that can get boring quickly.[19]

References

  1. ^ John Linneman [@dark1x] (2021-09-27). "Important to note - Cruis'n Blast from last week? Yeah, that's Unity as well. Much more impressive!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2022-08-23 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b Sam Machkovech (November 2, 2016). "You'll need to hit the arcades to play new Daytona USA, Cruis'n". ArsTechnica. Condé Nast. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  3. ^ "Buy Cruis'n Blast Arcade Online at $18999". The Pinball Company. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "IGCD.net:Vehicles/Cars list for Cruis'n Blast". IGCD.net. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Sarkar, Samit (2021-06-15). "Racing series Cruis'n arrives on Nintendo Switch this fall". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  6. ^ "Cruis'n Blast™". YouTube. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  7. ^ a b "Cruis'n Blast for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. September 14, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  8. ^ Handley, Zoey (September 18, 2021). "Review: Cruis'n Blast - It's like the '90s never ended". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  9. ^ Robinson, Martin (September 17, 2021). "Cruis'n Blast review - an arcade legend comes home (Platform: Played on Switch)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  10. ^ Tamburro, Paul (September 20, 2021). "Cruis'n Blast Review (for Nintendo Switch): 'Fast-paced action with glaring problems'". GameRevolution. Mandatory. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  11. ^ Peeples, Jeremy (September 22, 2021). "Review: Cruis'n Blast (Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch)". Hardcore Gamer. Hardcore Gamer LLC. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  12. ^ Etna, Biagio (September 20, 2021). "Cruis'n Blast - Recensione: Un gioco di automobili senza automobili (Switch)". IGN Italia (in Italian). Vusumo. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  13. ^ Scullion, Chris (September 14, 2021). "Cruis'n Blast Review (Switch) - A Blast from the past". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  14. ^ Zawodniak, Melanie (September 14, 2021). "Cruis'n Blast (Switch) Review - Set the cruise control to blasting speed". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  15. ^ Morse, Blake (September 14, 2021). "Cruis'n Blast review: Pedal to the meh-tal". Shacknews. Gamerhub. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  16. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (September 27, 2021). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Cruis'n Blast' and 'Rift Adventure', Plus the Latest Releases and Sales". TouchArcade. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  17. ^ Flynn, Neil (April 30, 2017). "Cruis'n Blast (Arcade) Review". Cubed3. Cubed3 Limited. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  18. ^ Plante, Chris (2021-09-20). "Cruis'n Blast is the Fast and the Furious game we've been waiting for". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  19. ^ Reilly, Luke (2021-10-12). "Cruis'n Blast Review". IGN. Retrieved 2022-06-09.