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Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! Beginner’s Guide: Tips, Cheats & Strategies to Complete All Levels and Unlock Everything

If you have played a lot of games across web, social, and mobile platforms, then London-based company, King, should no longer be a stranger to you. Home to a number of hit titles on mobile, the company has amassed over 200 million active users across various gaming platforms. Candy Crush Saga, Farm Heroes Saga, and Pet Rescue Saga are just some of King’s most successful titles, with Candy Crush earning well over a billion downloads from the Google Play Store alone.

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! is King’s brand new game on iOS and Android platforms. While being an absolute treat for fans of franchise and its main protagonist who is a former mascot of the Sony PlayStation, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! will certainly catch the interest of endless runner enthusiasts and platformer game lovers alike.

This game, however, is not an endless runner game entirely and offers a progressive, action-packed adventure filled with a variety of challenges. Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! currently stands as the top game on the Apple App Store under the adventure category and the top free game in several countries on the Google Play Store as well.

crash bandicoot on the run leveling up

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! lets you enjoy the funny antics of the titular character as well as smart and witty sister, Coco on an adventure that takes place after the events of the other Crash Bandicoot games. This time, Dr. Neo Cortex unleashed various enemies across the multiverse to steal power gems and it is up to you to send each one back to their own universe and collect the power gems to save the multiverse.

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! provides players with the simplest of controls and game mechanics. The initial dive into its world is greeted with an immersive tutorial session that more than aptly covers all the basics. In truth, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! is designed in such a way that even total beginners to the genre will have little to no trouble at all learning everything they need to know to play the game.

If you have just started playing the game and would want a faster and more efficient way of clearing all the levels and unlocking everything, then check out our Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! beginner’s guide below as it’s jam-packed with tips and strategies!

1. Master All The Basics

Much of Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!’s gameplay is similar to conventional endless runner games like Temple Run and Subway Surfers. The perspective is set behind the runner and you dash through a level comprised of 3 lanes. Swiping left or right makes your runner switch across the lanes.

Swiping up makes your character jump and swiping down initiates a slide. In contrast, however, Crash is not completely defenseless as tapping on the screen lets him do his signature move, which makes him spin like a top to crush crates along the way.

crash bandicoot on the run tricks

At the end of each campaign level run, a minion or boss battle ensues and you will need to use serums or bombs to send the enemies back to their respective dimensions. These items are actually needed on hand before you can attempt to take on the boss run. Each one can be crafted back at base although crafting takes a while to complete. The resources you need to craft each item needs to be farmed, making it necessary to go on endless runs in specific locations where you can obtain the needed crafting materials.

The usual level comes with its own set of perks and obstacles. The crates themselves are often more beneficial than the typical impediment as some contain resources you need to gather to perform better within the run itself or as extra resources for crafting and so.

There is little to no monotony as far as the level’s layout is concerned as Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! often provides different routes to take along the path. Even the collection run game mode offers exit points at certain areas for you to safely end the run once you have secured the resources you need.

2. Prioritize Progression Through Battle Mode

The Battle Mode in Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! serves as its main game mode and is the primary basis of your progression in your adventure. Instead of chapters, this game mode takes you from one gang to the next with the entirety of the first one covered by the tutorial session. Each gang consists of 4 minions you need to challenge and take out first before ultimately engaging the gang’s boss.

Of the 4 available minions in each gang, you can choose to take on each one in any order. The only requisite is that you have the necessary materials to take on the challenge, making it a necessity to craft items and search for ingredients a regular part of the routine between each battle run.

In this sense, the ideal course to take is take on an available minion as soon as you have the materials to challenge them and then subsequently work on gathering materials and crafting for your next target.

crash bandicoot on the run battle mode

Minion levels are essentially easier than the boss levels as each minion can be sent back to their dimension as soon as you reach the end of the level. You actually do not even need to time your throw as they will be hit even if you run out of time. Clicking on the serum at the precise moment earns you extra rewards, though.

When it comes to boss battles, things become a little more challenging as each gang leader has a health bar that you need to extinguish before finally being able to throw the item that send them back to their dimension. It can be tricky at times but practice and patience is a standard requirement in every endless runner game and these same principles apply to Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! As you beat more enemies, you will earn power gems needed to unlock new areas as well as upgrade Coco Bandicoot’s base.

3. Accomplish Aku Aku’s Quests

Your adventures in the world of Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! primarily revolves around defeating enemies in the battle run, crafting different items in the lab to throw at the enemies, and collecting ingredients that you need to continuously be able to craft the needed items. Although this cycle is easy to work with and requires little guidance, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! has a quest system that offers extra incentives to help your progress faster.

Aku Aku Quests can be accessed through its icon on the left side of the main screen. Quests are presented in a group of 3 and you need to accomplish each one to claim the rewards at the bottom of the page. Expectedly, these missions all fall in line with what you would normally do. In addition to the list serving as your extra guide to make good progress in your adventure, adhering to the stated objectives and earning the rewards sooner than later can help you tremendously. Note that purple gems, which is a premium currency, often forms part of the rewards.

crash bandicoot on the run aku aku's quests

What is good about these quests is that there are no time limits within which you must accomplish them. Once you have completed the trio of quest objectives and claimed the rewards, you may need to make progress in the battle run to unlock the next set of quests.

In any case, make it a habit to check for when the Aku Aku icon is present on your screen a you would want to align your activities to completing the set of quests and claiming those rewards at the soonest.

4. Keep Your Eyes Ahead Of The Track

Endless runner games are naturally filled with obstacles that challenge the player’s reflexes and composure. The simple idea of switching lanes one after another and jumping and sliding when necessary all sound so simple but can become increasingly difficult as the pace of the run and the complexity of the track increases over time.

In Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, it is highly likely that for most players, even those totally new to the genre, the runs within the tutorial session will offer very little challenge. However, once you start the other challenges all on your own, surprises here and there can get you if you are not prepared, so it is best to utilize some common tactics as soon as possible to become an advanced level player for the succeeding challenges.

crash bandicoot on the run strategies

As a staple trick for every endless runner game, one of the habits you need to develop early on is to keep your vision well ahead of the track. Surely enough, watching Crash Bandicoot’s animation with every swipe, jump, slide, and spin can be amusing and, for newbies, it is common to focus on the character to make sure that he or she is following your every command. Doing this, however, leaves little time for you to react to the obstacles ahead or make the right choice in terms of a fork in the road.

It may take a bit of time to adjust with every bit of movement while keeping your vision at the top of the screen. Once you master it, though, you will discover just how much easier every challenge on the path will become.

The extra challenge of every stage where this may not apply equally well are areas that curve the road and make it difficult or impossible to see what lies ahead. In these instances, you will have to ready yourself for quick reaction times more than the usual and simply revert back to looking ahead once the track straightens itself.

5. The Primary Goal Of Every Run Is Survival

For both battle runs and collection runs in Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, obstacles, enemies and bosses are not the only things to watch out for. There are naturally some items you need to or want to grab in addition to the Wumpa fruits that litter the track.

Again, it almost becomes as natural and instinctive to grab as much as you can every inch of the run and the tutorial session actually makes it very easy for you to do so. In some cases, however, these items can be placed strategically in that it becomes a bigger challenge for you to always go for them when there are safer options.

crash bandicoot on the run survival

In this regard, it becomes very important to keep in mind the goal of each run. For battle runs, your main goal is to beat the minion or boss at the end of the level while you set out to obtain specific items in collection runs. Although grabbing items is essential in the latter, the idea is that you should avoid unnecessary risks as much as you can.

To put it on a more extreme mindset, consider everything else other than the main goal itself as a distraction, for starters at the very least. On you get a better hang of things and feel that you can ace every run, then that should be the time to make each run a collection run in essence as well.

6. Spend Your Purple Gems Wisely

It comes as a basic necessity across almost every game to be very prudent when it comes to managing resources, most especially the ones that are the most challenging to obtain. As purple gems stand as a premium currency in Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, it is almost a given that you need to be careful when a thought about spending some of it comes to mind.

Purple gems do have a variety of uses that make a lot of activities faster and more convenient but then again, it does not come as easy as Wumpa fruits or even some crafting materials you can gather from collection runs.

For starters, you can spend purple gems to immediately zero out crafting time. Relatively, the third slot of every lab can be unlocked using purple gems as well and those are the only way for you to be able to craft 3 items at the same time. At the vending machine, you can even purchase some crafting materials and even serums and bombs to gain them instantly at the cost of purple gems.

crash bandicoot on the run purple gems

Now, while all of these purchases can make it easier for you, what you would rather spend those gems on are the skins that can help you throughout your adventure.

Skins are permanently yours once you unlock them and beyond the snazzy and cool exteriors, each one comes with a perk or several perks that can tremendously boost your performance in some runs. Naturally, it will take some time for you to be able to collect each available skin for both Crash and Coco Bandicoot which is why you should still exercise caution in choosing the first one to acquire.

Fortunately enough, you can check the bonuses that come with each skin for sale before you make a purchase. Skins for sale may either be of rare or epic quality and costs 100 or 200 purple gems, respectively. If you can, you should save up and go for one of the epic skins first as those come with 3 bonus perks instead of 2.

7. Take Advantage Of Ad Boosts

Video ads have been a part of many mobile games for a long time, especially free to play mobile games. While an overabundance of ads in some games can still be annoying for some players, it should be understood that the existence of these ads make it possible for such games to continue being available for everyone to play and enjoy for free.

There are some games that employ ads that pop up in-between your adventures and those types can certainly be annoying, if not momentum-breaking. There are no such ads in Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! and every bit of video ad you will play or watch is a product of voluntary action. First off, there are free rewards you can claim from the vending machine from time to time. These rewards vary across different items all at the cost of watching a 15 to 30-second video ad. This is separate and distinct from the free item you can claim daily just below it.

crash bandicoot on the run free rewards

An important video ad boost to take advantage of is when you fail to make it to the end of the run. By default, you will lose your steps and be transferred back to your last checkpoint or the start of the level in case you have yet to reach the first checkpoint. Steps are valuable as they can be converted into trophies and watching an ad every time you encounter an accident. We have yet to actually see if there is a limit to this incentive but it seems to be limitless.

Finally, you can also double your rewards for a collection run once per day through watching an ad. While our basic strategy dwells on just securing what we need from a collection run, crafting it, and progressing through the battle run mode, it is a helpful strategy as well to engage in a one record-breaking resource run each day.

This is the type of collection run where you go as far as you can collecting more resources to supply your next few rounds of crafting or so. This is likewise the best opportunity to play an ad boost at the end and double your earnings for your longest run for the day.

8. Pause And Quick Drops Are Part Of Your Arsenal

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! actually offers more than the usual tools of the trade to make each run in your adventure a little easier than most other endless runner games. Being able to spin your way through crates is certainly a big help and Aku Aku’s protection comes in very handy at all times. These, along with some stuff you can throw about however, do not make the entirety of your arsenal.

It may sound cheesy or even cheap but you can actually pause the game any time you want. If you have been running for quite some time and need a quick break to flex those fingers or rest those eyes, or if it is suddenly meal time or similar necessities, then simply pause the game and continue on your run later.

Another nifty trick that most beginners do not know about is that Crash and coco Bandicoot can both still control themselves while in the air. For starters, you can shift from one lane to another in mid-air, which can be very handy in some more challenging areas.

crash bandicoot on the run quick drop

More importantly, you can swipe down on your screen in mid-air to have Crash and Coco stomp down on the ground and shorten their jump. Now this is not just a move to prevent you from taking the high road through the mushroom when the default level is the better option. Stomping down on the ground lets you break crates along the way or even eliminate some enemies below you.

As a last tip, be sure to create a King Account under the settings menu of Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! to enable your progress to be saved online and be accessible if you switch devices or need to reinstall the game at a later time.

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! certainly still holds a lot of features to be explored but for now, this concludes our Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! beginner’s guide. We are equally excited to see more characters and locations from the franchise make their way into Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! in the succeeding updates. If you happen to stumble upon a neat trick or strategy in addition to the ones we shared, be sure to drop us a message down in the comment area!

Melissa Rauktis

Saturday 5th of June 2021

Is there some trick to beating Frosty Dingodile? No matter what I do, the icicles kill me. Can't slide or spin

Cyndee

Friday 21st of May 2021

I really want to know how to break crates on the left and right at the same time

Sarah

Thursday 29th of July 2021

@Mar’kell, @Cyndee... If you power drop (swipe up, then immediately swipe down) it will clear all 3 crates on the road.

Mar’kell

Tuesday 13th of July 2021

@Cyndee, Me too! 😩