Cruis'n Blast

 (Image Source: Gamingbolt dot com)

Today is a good day for some high octane, arcade style racing! A good go to series to do that is the Cruis'n series from USA and World in the arcade as well as on N64 back in the day, to the latest entry Cruis'n Blast. This can be found in arcades, and on your Nintendo Switch, with the arcade game also being published by Nintendo.  Recently, at my local movie theater I discovered there was a machine for Cruis'n Blast, and I just had to try it, and since I got the game as a Christmas present last year. So, let's rev up our engines or in some cases our unicorns and see if this is an arcade racer worth adding to your Switch's library.

The arcade machine was pretty fun to play, it had four tracks and cost one dollar to play, with a few customizations option, a couple vehicles to choose, and adding a couple extra boosts to your car. It was a ton of fun, controlled well and brought me back to the arcade racers of my childhood. The game looked great, had great sound design, a fun theme song, and was a fun time. Though short, it was super fun from start to finish. It was still unreal to me seeing the Nintendo logo on an arcade machine, but how did this transfer over to the Switch?

As for the home console release we have over ten vehicles, more than sixteen tracks, unlockable, multiplayer, different difficulties, and at some point, in the future, online play. I was able to play multiplayer with one of my best friends, and it was great. It was super fun, classic style, split screen gameplay. I really enjoyed it, and I hope the upcoming online works great as well.

In terms of single player, there are the Grand Prix's where you race through four tracks back-to-back. Although some of the tracks are basically the same with a different theme or aesthetic, there are also time trials, and racing through the tracks from the arcade machine. The Grand Prix's also have multiple difficulties and a gold ranking to earn in each, beating a set of races unlocks them at a higher difficulty. The keys can be grabbed in normal play or the races in the Grand Prix, as well as in multiplayer which is great. Every track contains three keys and money to pick up, as well as bonus cash rewarded at the end of each race, these are used to unlock more amazing vehicles, including a unicorn. You can also customize your vehicle and purchase additional boosts, every race gives you XP to unlock more for the vehicle, each one having its own EXP meter.

I will say in terms of presentation it is a mixed bag, the music during the racetracks is great but the load times are a tad long and in every menu is the same song. I like the song, but it wears on you after a while. Graphics are bright and really pop and the game runs great. This game is like the arcade machine when played on Switch, great in short bursts and really fun, since some of the tracks are just reskins, and there is so much to level up and unlock, this game offers a ton of content at twenty-five dollars, with online play one the way. Though the presentation is hit or miss, and the load times are long, the gameplay is stellar. With so many unlockable and leveling up to do, the game can feel like a grind at time, as well as going for gold and the best times in the tracks, so going in short bursts is the way to play.

With tons of content for the single and multiplayer, this game is a fantastic time, the music in the tracks themselves is great, the game runs well, and has that high octane arcade racing action. If you want a racer that is great in short bursts and want a break from Mario Kart, with a ton of content, this game is a must. 

Overall Thoughts: Hit and miss presentation, some tracks are just repeats, long load times, fun gameplay, tons of unlockable and ways to get them, great in short bursts, a good time in single or multiplayer, a great arcade racer with a ton of content.