Hold my Wumpas
Introduction
Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back was the first video game that I have ever played on the PSone, and I fondly remember replaying it continuously for six months straight before getting its sequel…which I played for another six months.
When Naughty Dog sold the rights to Crash Bandicoot, I was ten years old and could not understand the significance of what had occurred. However, I still found Eurocom’s Crash Bash to be a relatively fun party game and did not pay much attention to it. It wasn’t until Wrath of Cortex that I started to feel a disturbance in the force, and from then I decided to give the bandicoot a break.
Let’s move on to 2017, where the rights to the orange marsupial were bought by Activision. That year, they announced the remake of the Crash Bandicoot trilogy. They went on to release it in 2018. Adding more to the remade nostalgia, they remade Crash Team Racing and released it in 2019.
Now, on to the present day, in the year 2020, Activision, in a bold move, not only published a new Crash Bandicoot game but with the help of Toys for Bob, developers of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, created new a mainline Crash Bandicoot game. This brand new entry retcons everything that came after the original trilogy. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is the first numbered entry since the original trilogy, and I have to admit it is worthy of that number.
Setting and Plot
Taking place directly after Warped, Crash’s arch-nemesis, Dr. Neo Cortex, and self-proclaimed master of time, Dr. Neferious Tropy, have managed to escape their time prison by creating a rift into the multiverse. With their newfound power over time and reality, this evil dynamic duo set out on their new mission to conquer it all. However, the Bandicoots quickly discover their scheme and are now in hot pursuit to stop the rogue scientists and retrieve the quantum masks so that they can restore the fabric of reality.
Overall, the narrative structure has improved significantly since Crash’s early ventures in the 90s, with its twists and turns to give this adventure a grander scope than its predecessors. The larger than life levels also add to the appeal, from the classic Wumpa Islands of old to a planet bursting with alien life. The Bandicoots have their Wumpa fruit cut out for them in this multidimensional road trip where the stakes have never been higher.
The villains get a much larger presence in this game than any of the previous titles, with the exception of Crash Twinsanity. Villains appear on speakers to taunt crash and friends as they traverse the levels, leading up to their respected boss fight, and sometimes try to personally off the bandicoot, but are abruptly stopped by Crash’s allies.
Speaking of allies, our favourite marsupial has earned quite a few of them in this new iteration, including an alternate version of his old girlfriend, Tawna, from another dimension, and the former villain, now turned chef and restaurant owner, Dingodile. Each of the new characters gets their levels, during which the player can view other perspectives of certain events. Even the villainous Doctor Neo Cortex gets in on some of the playable character action.
Performances
I still have not been able to get used to Cortex’s voice actor. My mind thinks of the more sinister interpretation by Clancy Brown from the Naughty Dog trilogy as the default voice for the character. I find Lex Lang’s interpretation to be a bit bumbling to be honest. This could be a matter of personal taste rather than anything to do with his performance.
On the other end of the villain spectrum, N Tropy, voiced by John Paul Karliak, sounds menacing. For the first time since his introduction in Warped, the Master of Time feels like an actual threat.
Another noticeable performance is that of Dingodile’s, who is probably the liveliest of the playable characters. Fred Tatasciore does a superb job with his character, stealing every moment he is on screen. Admittingly, it did catch me off guard to hear him swear.
Gameplay
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time has an insane amount of challenging levels, all of which can compete with some of the most formidable stages from the original Crash games but on steroids. For those who want to take the plunge to earn that platinum trophy, you have my respect. Controlling Crash and Coco feels pretty much the same as they did in the original trilogy. With the inclusion of the double jump mechanic from the third game, Crash also has a new move called the slide spin, which combines the spin and slide skills, giving Crash a boost in his speed. This is the perfect ability to have at your disposal if you are planning to speedrun this game.
Crash Bandicoot 4 introduces some new mechanics to the formula, such as wall-running, rope swinging, and rail grinding. When combined with the reality-altering quantum masks, these new mechanics make up a plethora of cool and almost sadistic platforming level designs.
Assistance and Accessibility
I decided to try out Crash Bandicoot 4 using its classical retro-mode, which incorporates a life counter, yet admittingly watching my lives dwindle during the third level made me feel uneasy. I can understand why players would opt to go for the modern mode, which eliminates the lives system.
The game also includes a targeting shadow for precision jumping, which is relief as perspective was always an issue in this franchise. The amount of times I fell to my death due to a miscalculation in previous games was shameful. The platforming in this entry is even more demanding, which make that extra assistance feel welcomed.
Toys for Bob also incorporated several mechanics taken from the original games. These include the classic Aku Aku mask that provide characters with an extra layer of protection. If a player is having problems traversing the level, the game will aid them by giving the player a mask to use, along with an increased number of checkpoints scattered across the level.
Masks
Masks have always been a big thing in the Crash Bandicoot universe, and this entry is no different. Each of the four quantum masks grants Crash and Coco special abilities to aid them in traversing near-impossible locations.
Lani Loli, for example, has the power to shift objects between dimensions. Think of it as an off and on switch for items across the stage. I found this mask to be one of the most demanding to get a handle on initially. Switching off and on platforms and obstacles, mid-jump, or wall-run was a difficult task and would often require some extra effort and concentration to achieve. I would say the bulk of my deaths were due to accidentally making Crash fall through a platform or accidentally getting crushed inside of one.
Akano, on the other hand, grants Crash the power of the dark matter spin. Similar to the tornado spin from Warped, but with a lot more power and little control to guide it. This spin gives Crash and Coco the ability to glide between the ledges, along with the passive trait of being able to deflect lasers and magical projectiles.
Kapuna Wa gives the Bandicoots the ability to slow time down to a crawl, making platforming a tad easier. I enjoy running on Nitro crates and watching them explode in slow motion behind me. Remember, cool guys don’t look at explosions.
Finally, there is the Ika Ika mask granting our little orange heroes the ability to switch gravity, allowing them to run and jump on ceilings. This disorienting mask will take some time to adapt to. While I did not die using this mask as much as I did getting squished inside platforms, it still forced me to traverse the level at a snail’s pace until I was able to get used to it.
New Characters
Another aspect that changes the game is the inclusion of multiple player characters, who take up some of the screen time along with the Bandicoots. Each character has a unique style of gameplay. For example, Tawna uses a grappling hook to help sling herself across the level and get hard to reach crates and boxes.
Dingodile trades his traditional flamethrower for a vacuum cannon to suck up crates and Wumpa fruit. Alternatively, he can use it to fire TNT crates and barrels at his enemies. He can also use the vacuum cannon to hover and double jump across platforms.
Cortex does not have a close-range melee attack like the other characters, but instead uses his laser pistol to change enemies into platforms. Also unlike other characters, he lacks a double jump. Instead, he relies on his trusty jet jack to shoot him from place to place.
Of all the characters, I found Cortex to be the least enjoyable. Cortex’s pistol is inaccurate, and unlike characters such as Dingodile and Tawna, who also have projectile abilities, he does not come with a melee attack.
While the other characters have their specific sections, Coco appears as an alternative character to her brother and accompanies Crash on their trip. That means that players can alternate between the siblings with no real difference to their moveset. Both Bandicoots are customizable and have their unique skins and outfits that can be unlocked by completing levels and collecting gems.
Level Structure
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s about time has an enormous amount of content, from its story campaign starring Crash and Coco to the side levels, that show other playable characters’ perspectives of particular events. Just like the old games, gems are also collected through either completing specific criteria or by searching for them. Collecting enough of them unlocks a lot of sweet costumes for the Bandicoots.
These levels come included with time trails, and just like previous titles, one has to beat the clock to acquire the relic. In addition to hunting for relics and gems, the player can also opt to collect the flashback tapes, which unlock bonus flashback levels set before the events of Crash Bandicoot 1.
There are also inverted levels. These levels are unlocked once the player completes any of the main story or side levels. Here one plays a mirrored version of that level. Also, so that nobody gets confused, the levels are inverted from left to right and not reversed like CTR: Nitro mirrored tracks. If a box starts off on the right side of your screen normally, it will appear on the left side of the screen during inverted mode.
These levels come with their own set of gems with some slightly different parameters to collect them. They also come with a unique filter that alters the aesthetic and feel of a level, making the player adapt to this whimsical and sometimes jarring style of gaming.
Music
Crash Bandicoot 4 has several new themes unique to the game, along with a lot of the old score mixed in. The earlier levels, for example, bring out a sense of nostalgia from the first game, emulating similar melodies. Rude Awakening incorporates a lot of N Sanity Beach’s tunes with its theme as an example but still manages to feel unique. However, the softer piano notes do more to remind me of the Spyro games. I guess that should be expected; Toys for Bob did remake Spyro The Dragon trilogy a couple of years prior after all.
Graphics and Presentation
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time has gone through some major aesthetic alterations from the N. Sane Trilogy remake, giving the game a more Saturday morning cartoon feel. While the change is quite striking, it still feels like a Crash Bandicoot game.
Toys for Bob goes the extra mile with their artistic approach, including partnering up with Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions creators, Beenox, to develop the gameplay and filters for each of the inverted levels.
One of the most intriguing approaches occurs during the pirate-themed segment of the game, where the stages are drained from their colour, and only through attacks and slams could Crash and friends spill colour back into that world like pouring paint on to a canvas.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time removes the concept of warp rooms from the later entries of the Naughty Dog trilogy, going back to the island map approach from the first game, with alternative pathways outside of the main quest leading to other characters’ levels.
Conclusion
If the remakes were there to test the waters, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About time was there to dive headfirst into them with some of the most complicated and slick platforming that I have ever seen in any video game. It’s all put together with a variety of advancements to make them feel and act like a true sequel to the much beloved original series.
