Bust-N-Rush Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: Bust-N-Rush
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:

The classics never die and there are lots of examples from various genres that come into my mind. Arcade Runners have always been somewhat repetitive in nature, but Bust-n-Rush from Techtonic Games promises to bring a breath of fresh air for this gaming genre.

Played from a third-person perspective, Bust-n-Rush brings object smashing frenzy and addictive gameplay altogether into a fast-paced 3D arcade runner with a simple goal: get the highest score.

Story

Bust-n-Rush tells the story of Kovo, a peaceful juggernaut-like hero, genetically engineered to mine precious material from under his planet's surface. Once a respected orb miner on his home world, Thurl, and admired for his extraordinary power and relentless speed, Kovo has now settled down in the dark tunnels of the planet along with his lawn ornament and best friend, a plastic flamingo named Paco.

Unfortunately, the mining business on Thurl went down dramatically since Kovo decided to settle down and now his former boss, the dreaded Satellite of Wub, searches the labyrinth under the planet’s surface to get his best employee back.

In a desperate attempt to draw Kovo out from retirement, Wub smashes Kovo’s only friend, the pink plastic feathered flamingo suddenly ending their strange relationship and leaving Kovo with one thing in his mind: Revenge.

Gameplay

The action in Bust-n-Rush takes place in three different places around the planet. The adventure starts in the Depths of Thurl, one of the many mining tunnels under the planet's surface where Kovo spent most of his life. Here you’ll have to smash rocks, collect scorbs and avoid lava flows, red rocks and columns while looking for a chance to destroy Wub.

The second area, Gearmageddon, is an abandoned factory where you will have to bust hundreds of greasy gears and collect scorbs while avoiding red gears, electrified fences and other mechanical dangers. Finally, The Last Bound will take Kovo into space where he might have a chance to encounter Wub and quench his thirst for vengeance. Destroy meteors, defy the laws of gravity and bust through any space ship that might stand in your way.

From the moment your friend gets mercilessly crushed by a giant boulder, you have three options that will define the way you start your adventure: Quest Mode, Survival Mode and Bust-A-Friend.

If you want to track down Wub and destroy him for the pain he has caused, you should choose Quest Mode. Following this path, Kovo will have to complete a series of quests that will bring him closer and closer to his goal and avenge his plastic buddy.

The quests are procedurally generated and clearly explained, so you won't have to stop from your running madness and read bits of text to know what you have to do next. These quests are really simple in nature and they vary from busting a number of rocks, barrels or meteors, surviving a specific amount of time, jumping over pits, dodging various objects and collecting scorbs to busting in and out of space ships.

Survival Mode brings never ending busting madness to the table. How long you will be able to survive and push your skills to the very limit is up to you. This mode doesn't stop until you're dead, so give your best and improve your high score constantly.

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Destroy everything in your way
...and collect all the scorbs

Bust-A-Friend is just another title for Survival Mode with the addition of friend challenges. Through the in-game challenge system or your favorite social network, you will be able to constantly send and receive challenges from your friends. This offers you the possibility to beat their best scores and have something to brag about.

In his never ending run for vengeance, Kovo will have to collect multiple blue minerals (scorbs) that will increase your score multiplier and, at the same time, will replenish some of his health. Be careful though, because indestructible (red) objects might stand in your way and, if you happen to run into them, your journey might reach an abrupt and painful end.

Difficulty levels range from Easy to Insane and, along greater challenges and crazy speed, they also dictate how tough Kovo really is. While in Easy mode he can withstand the impact of three red objects, the latter makes Kovo so vulnerable that he can't survive even one, so you have to be extra-careful and avoid all the dangerous objects that might suddenly end his journey.

To gain an advantage and improve his chances of survival, Kovo will find in his insane running sessions four power-ups that will surely come in handy: Alpha Speed, Super Scorbs, Gravity Flipper and Ultra Busts. When using Alpha Speed, Kovo will gain an instant speed boost and will be able to bust indestructible objects for a brief period of time.

Super Scorbs is another power up you will encounter in your journey. Grabbing it will instantly spawn more precious scorbs to increase your score multiplier and heal your character. Gravity Flipper will immediately flip the gravity while Ultra Busts, turns every indestructible objects in your field of view into breakable ones.

Kovo's armor, besides its toughness, also has a special property: it can help this powerful giant slow down for a brief moment. When put to good use, this power can save you in many situations, especially when you reach top speed.

When you think you have mastered all levels, checkout the achievements list and try to nail all of them. There are 60 achievements that can be earned during gameplay.

Graphics and Audio

Powered by the Unity engine, Bust-n-Rush has some neatly designed levels. The lack of variety in their overall design can be easily overlooked due to insane speed at which you will run through them. While the developers have been very careful with the details in each level, the main character has a more comic-book style look.

For Alienware system owners, Bust-n-Rush has a surprise in the form of Alien Effects. Making use of the Alienware lightning SDK, it synchronizes events in the game to correspond with the lights on your system for a cool effect.

The sound is moody and creates an interesting atmosphere, but it doesn't really match the smashing frenzy in the game. When you're running like crazy, smashing almost anything that stands in your way, you need a soundtrack to really get your adrenaline going.

Conclusion

Bust-n-Rush might sound like another boring arcade runner for some of you, but after some test runs you will never get enough of this busting frenzy juggernaut. The game is sprinkled with awesome power-ups, insane busting combos and never ending levels on three difficulty modes that bring a challenge even for hardcore gamers. Bust-n-Rush makes a great fast-paced 3D arcade runner with addictive gameplay that offers a unique challenge each time you play it.

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story 6
gameplay 8
concept 6
graphics 8
audio 7
multiplayer 0
final rating 7.5
Editor's review
good