'Crash Bandicoot: On the Run' Season 4 Brings Back Nitros Oxide

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run has begun its fourth season Thursday, entitled "Survival of the Fastest," which ushers in the return of the classic villain Nitros Oxide.

What Is 'Crash Bandicoot: On the Run'?

Developed by King Digital Entertainment (of Candy Crush fame) the mobile title is a free-to-play auto-runner, in the vein of Temple Run, Sonic Dash or Super Mario Run. As in those games, your character will constantly be sprinting towards a finish line without you being able to put on the breaks. Your job is to make sure that they dodge any obstacles in their path. As per genre tradition, you do this via a combination of screen taps and swiping motions on your mobile device.

In the case of Crash Bandicoot: On the Run, everything is themed around PlayStation's marsupial mascot, with iconic characters and items from the series making an appearance. For example, Aku Aku is present and accounted for, as are the infamous nitro crates and the authentic Crash Bandicoot sound effects.

Controlling either Crash or his sister Coco as they hurtle down three-lane courses, you will have the traditional move set at your disposal. You can jump over barriers, perform spin attacks, skid under obstacles, and even throw wumpa fruit to detonate explosives at a safe distance. The challenge is whether or not you can do all these things quickly enough without getting overwhelmed by the more hectic levels.

What Is New for 'Crash Bandicoot: On the Run' Season 4?

Like Fortnite or Apex Legends, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run has committed to seasonal updates that introduce new courses, new unlockable skins, and new enemy types every few weeks. For instance, the most recent expansion saw Crash team up with fellow platforming legend, Spyro the Dragon.

Despite only launching in western markets as recently as March 2021, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run is already on its fourth season. The main draw for "Survival of the Fastest" is that it reintroduces the antagonist from the original Crash Team Racing, Nitros Oxide, who has largely been absent from the franchise since the early 2000s.

Aside from a few cameo appearances here and there, the alien overlord has mainly been relegated to racing spinoffs. For On the Run's fourth season, he is finally being granted the opportunity to reclaim his status as a major villain within the universe and you will even get to fight him as a limited-time boss encounter.

The basic premise is that Nitros has recruited other versions of himself from parallel dimensions and is threatening to take over the entire world. In order to vanquish these doppelgangers, you will need to explore uncharted lands, defeat various minions, and even unlock a few sports-themed costumes along the way.

In addition to this, players can also complete weekly missions to earn trophies and vie for a spot on the new seasonal leaderboard.

The new content is available now. Crash Bandicoot: On the Run can be downloaded for free on iOS and Android.