First Look: Bust-N-Rush
A satisfying smash-'em-up rush, once you figure out the scoring.
I recently had the chance to check out Techtonic Games’ new 3D arcade runner, Bust-N-Rush. The name is apt: you rush Kovo, a Juggernaut-like space miner, through mine shafts, factories and even into space, busting rocks, equipment, quests, special items and pretty much anything in your path for a high score. A handful of scoring mechanics multiply your total for picking up items or accepting certain quests, and I quickly found myself working out the best and fastest route to a new best.
There’s a quest mode, a survival mode, and even a Bust-a-Friend mode (which wasn’t ready in the alpha). The quest mode was the interesting one, as you complete quests the seemingly unending tunnel changes and expands. Bust-N-Rush gives you a satisfying rush from bashing anything in your way, and I think it’ll make a great casual game that keeps you coming back for more things to smash. I played the alpha press build on Mac and it ran like a champ; even with missing graphics and unfinished mechanics, it was easy to get into and easy to understand.
It’s not without rough edges. I had a hard time understanding what the score multipliers did and how the little blue orbs affected my score, and I never quite figured out the health system, plus it felt pretty difficult even on the easy setting. But beyond that I had a great time smashing it up with ol’ Kovo. “DOUBLE SPEED!!!” I’m looking forward to reviewing the retail release, keep up the good work, Techtonic.
Whether the score multipliers and health system get explained and tuned by retail, and whether the smash-everything loop has the legs to keep you coming back.