Crash Boom Bang!
| Company type | Video game publisher |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Products | Crash Boom Bang! |
| Parent | Vivendi |
Crash Boom Bang!, known in Japan as Crash Bandicoot Festival, is a Party video game created by Dimps and released by Vivendi Universal Games for the Nintendo DS. Launching in Japan in July 2006 and later internationally between October and November 2006 under the Sierra Entertainment label, it marks the first Crash installment on the Nintendo DS platform and is the franchise’s second party-style game following Crash Bash. The storyline centers on a wealthy entrepreneur who enlists series characters to locate the "Super Big Power Crystal". The title was met with predominantly unfavorable critiques, primarily due to its uninspired gameplay mechanics and substandard control scheme.
Gameplay
In Crash Boom Bang!, gameplay revolves around board game mechanics where players navigate stages segmented into squares. Four participants move simultaneously, advancing based on dice rolls. Landing on different squares can result in gaining or losing Wumpa Fruit (used as scoring points), obtaining items, triggering events, or initiating mini-games. When approaching forks in the path, players decide their direction using either the stylus or control pad.
The Adventure Mode challenges players to compete across six stages featuring sub-maps, where they must complete objectives assigned by the Viscount to advance. Victory in each stage—and ultimately the entire race—is awarded to the player with the highest point total. Festival Mode mirrors this gameplay but permits players to select stages freely. Meanwhile, My Room mode provides access to unlocked mini-games, collected items, and the Motion Panel—a communication feature enabling players to send personalized messages during matches to support allies or disrupt rivals. Each character’s personal room showcases distinct decorations.
The game boasts forty mini-games that demand balance, precision timing, and strategic thinking. These can be enjoyed solo or via wireless multiplayer with friends. Spectators not participating in a mini-game have the option to wager Wumpa Fruit on outcomes and influence gameplay through the Motion Panel. Additionally, players possessing special items may trade them through an in-game Shop accessible from the betting interface.
Characters
A selection of familiar faces from earlier Crash Bandicoot titles return in Crash Boom Bang!, with eight playable characters: Crash Bandicoot, Coco Bandicoot, Crunch Bandicoot, Pura, Doctor Neo Cortex, Tawna, Pinstripe Potoroo, and Fake Crash. These characters appear based on their official Japanese artwork—a distinctive choice within Sierra Entertainment’s releases—though Crash’s model was modified for versions outside Japan to resemble his appearance in Crash Twinsanity. The game introduces an original host character called the Viscount, known as "Viscount Devil" in Japan, inspired by the Australian Tasmanian devil.
Story
While constructing a resort in Tasmania, the Viscount uncovers a map pointing to an ancient city that conceals the legendary Super Big Power Crystal. Unable to solve its complex puzzles himself, he deceives some of the world’s most intelligent and powerful characters into searching for the Crystal on his behalf. He invites Coco and Crash to participate in the World Cannonball Race with a $100 million prize at stake.
The race kicks off at Port Town; victors travel onward by boat to a desert rumored to hold four stone tablets buried beneath its sands. Competitors must locate these tablets and deliver them back to the Viscount. The tablets reveal where the Crystal lies on the ancient map. However, Doctor Neo Cortex steals and tears this map apart, sending his Lab Assistants throughout a sprawling city to retrieve its scattered fragments.
The Viscount discloses that the Crystal grants a single wish and offers lucrative rewards for those who assist him. Finding it requires a Final Key, prompting him to fly northward over the Atlantic Ocean aboard an explosive volcano-powered plane. Only select contestants are permitted on this aircraft.
During the flight, the Viscount recounts how his grandfather—an explorer who found the Final Key but never located the Crystal—died when his ship collided with an iceberg and sank. The group is tasked with diving into icy waters to recover the Final Key from this wreckage. They succeed and return having collected all necessary puzzle components.
With all elements assembled, the Viscount enters an ancient tower housing the Super Big Power Crystal. Just as he prepares to claim it, Crash wishes instead for a massive pile of Wumpa Fruit, much to the Viscount’s disappointment. Coco closes with an optimistic wish: "May peace prevail on Earth."
Development and release
Crash Boom Bang was created by Dimps with Takeshi Narita serving as the creative director, and Shinji Yoshikawa from Vivendi Universal Games acting as producer. The design team comprised Yuka Niijima, Maiko Azaki, and Shiina Suzuki, while programming leadership was provided by Kazuteru Suzuki, assisted by Takeshi Kobayashi and Michitoshi Momose. The soundtrack was composed and arranged by Kuniyuki Morohashi, featuring a main theme composed by Nigorō. Yutaka Shioya fulfilled the role of art director. Voice talents included Makoto Ishii portraying both Crash and Fake Crash, Risa Tsubaki as Coco, and Yōsuke Akimoto voicing Cortex, among others.
Vivendi announced Crash Boom Bang! during preparations for E3 2006 and officially unveiled it at the event. The title debuted first in Japan under the name Crash Bandicoot Festival on July 20, 2006. It was subsequently released in North America on October 10, followed by Europe on October 27, and Australia on November 2, 2006. In Australia, the game achieved seventh place in sales during the week spanning June 4–10, 2007.
A mobile adaptation was developed by Vivendi Games Mobile. Producer Elodie Larre highlighted the difficulty of transforming a party game into a mobile format without relying solely on conventional multiplayer pass-and-play features. To engage both longtime fans and newcomers, the team innovated by incorporating the physical phone into gameplay mechanics—examples include minigames played with one hand behind the back or with one eye closed. The project faced significant memory limitations akin to those found in early PlayStation systems. The design of this mobile version drew inspiration from the WarioWare series. Released as Crash Bandicoot MiniGames in March 2007, it sought to replicate the party game atmosphere on mobile devices.
Reception
According to review aggregator Metacritic, Crash Boom Bang! garnered "generally unfavorable" critiques. Andy Myers from Nintendo Power remarked that the game lacked freshness when compared to Dimps' well-received title Sonic Rush. Lesley Smith of Eurogamer criticized its quality control issues, warning that it might "destroy a child's love of videogames." Craig Harris of IGN labeled it among the worst titles available on the Nintendo DS, downgrading what was once a premier mascot franchise to budget-tier status.
The minigames were broadly considered uninspired and overly simple, primarily aimed at younger audiences. Only a limited number were deemed somewhat entertaining due to reduced simplicity. Jon Jordan of Pocket Gamer described the artificial intelligence of opponents as unpredictable, which resulted in an unrewarding gameplay experience. The touch screen functionality was often viewed as a gimmick; some reviewers argued that traditional control schemes would have been more effective. Complaints included poor stylus responsiveness and occasional touch screen glitches. The betting feature was regarded as momentarily amusing but ultimately insignificant, while off-screen AI competition was criticized as "absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable."
Board game elements faced criticism for uneven pacing that could extend play sessions excessively—an issue aggravated by the absence of a save option. Gameplay suffered from unclear mechanics and insufficient guidance, especially concerning item usage. The selection of items was seen as lacking creativity. Suggestions were made to replace board games with a stage selection system accompanied by a greater variety of minigames. Inconsistent application of touch controls—such as rolling dice via button presses—further underscored flawed design decisions.
Opinions on graphics and sound were mixed. Some reviewers appreciated character animations and detail work; however, others felt that the use of the Crash Bandicoot license was superficial, with minimal resemblance to earlier series entries beyond character presence. While the 3D engine was considered competent, animations appeared mechanical. Character models and introductory scroll sequences received negative remarks. The audio design was described as generic, monotonous, off-putting, and repetitive.