Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time was the sequel that diehard fans of the original PlayStation games and Crash Bandicoot: The N-Sane Trilogy finally got their hands on. With a brand new story involving time and dimensional travel, new power-ups to change the classic platforming gameplay, and colorful HD visuals, this was the sequel that gamers finally wanted.
But by far one of the best elements were the individual unique levels, and it seems that everyone has their favorites. Reddit users then and now shared their thoughts, and these are the best levels according to their reviews and discussions of this wacky title.
Out For Launch
Despite the fun and challenging obstacles throughout the game, the soundtrack is one of the many highlights too. And while 'Out For Launch' used its space-themed setting and the Gravity Mask Ika Ika to make this a memorable stage, the music appears to be the cherry on top of this gorgeous cake.
CrashFan1000 noted many great things about the quality of this game and among them, the music for "Out For Launch or even the main theme". The beats and rhythm create a fun and upbeat track that fits very well with the level's design.
Toxic Tunnels
When the game was originally released, many critics and streamers commented on how tough the game was not just to complete, but also how hard it was just to beat the levels alone. From 'Cortex Castle' to 'Crate Escape', this was probably seen as one of the hardest entries in the series to date.
In a poll by papermario332, they were aware of this and wanted to know "what is the hardest level." Taking the lead with 66 votes out of 162, was 'Toxic Tunnels' and it's not hard to see why. Sliding platforms over a poisonous river, electric traps, and explosive flames are just some examples of why many voted for this in the top spot.
Bears Repeating
Fans of Crash Bandicoot 2 will undoubtedly develop nostalgic feelings when it came to this level in particular. Not also do Crash and Coco find themselves on a snowy mountain, but there is also the return of the polar bear cub riding sequences that made the second game memorable to many people.
Difficulty plays a big part in why gamers love this title, and zZSkyNinjaZz states that "I can appreciate the challenge." While other levels were mentioned in their post, 'Bears Repeating' remained in their memory as a good example of balancing challenge and gameplay. The depth in the challenge may be an unpopular Crash Bandicoot opinion to some, but not to this Reddit user.
Draggin' On
With time travel and exploring other dimensions throughout the game, there have been many inspirations to create visually stunning and unique levels. Among them is the 'Draggin' On' level inspired by ancient China, and it looks as though it's one of forever_a10ne's favorites.
"The dragons looping around your path and creating obstacles was super neat and reminiscent of the Pura levels from Warped." For those that haven't played the third game in the series, Pura is a tiger cub that Coco rides on while continuously running on top of the Great Wall of China from Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. And it looks as though the nostalgic feel hit this Reddit user particularly hard.
Crash Landed
Interestinggold_8753 made their own top ten list last year and 'Crash Landed' is "favorite levels in any Crash game they played." While 'Cortex Castle' and 'Food Run' were mentioned on their lists, 'Crash Landed' was the only other level from Crash 4 featured, and it's not hard to see why.
Set on an alien world, Crash and Coco must cross the world to find the hidden base of N. Tropy and his alternative dimensional counterpart. But fans of the original games will be able to relive their favorite experiences throughout this stage alone, with the platforming switching from 3D to 2D and the opportunity to ride animals continuously running to the end. The variety on offer in levels like these is certainly one of the reasons this is recognized as one of the best modern 3D platformers.
4th Time's A Charm
Among the boss fights in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, both of the levels starring Crash and Coco's greatest enemy, Doctor Neo Cortex, seemed to be praised by Reddit user CatalystComet. While they did like the second encounter on the stage 'The Past Unmasked,' it just "felt way too easy and repeated the gimmick of hitting enemy/break machine."
But the first encounter with Doctor Neo Cortex in '4th Time's A Charm' was their favorite out of the two. They said that it "was really fun in my opinion and challenging, plus the music was a banger." The bosses certainly seem to be a highlight for some of the fans out there and it looks like this person feels the same.
Stage Dive
Another boss fight takes a spot in this top ten, and this is by far one of the most unique in presentation alone. Neo Cortex's assistant, N. Gin, operates a giant robot playing a large drum set, sending out weapons and projectiles for the player to avoid while trying to stop him at the same time.
A perspective piece to mark the game's first anniversary by MisterGrey3000 explains the many reasons why it was a brilliant stage a year later. Among the many things mentioned, they did state that "Stage Dive is legitimately one of the best 1st bosses in any game." Not just one of the most memorable boss fights, but also one of the most enjoyable levels featured in this title.
Off-Beat
This New Orleans-inspired musical stage has a lot of great features and visual Easter eggs that experts and fans of Spyro the Dragon and Toys for Bob (who developed both Spyro: The Reignited Trilogy and Crash 4) will catch throughout. With spirits playing the trumpets, floats of iconic Skylanders and Spyro characters, and platforms smiling as they float up and down, the visuals alone are worth playing this level for.
And it looks like superwildejellyfish enjoyed the challenge on offer in this particular level too, and its completion criteria. They state that "world 5's Off Beat is the best level" and was enough to encourage them to "try and get the perfect relic. What a fantastic level!" With the upbeat music and a uniquely designed environment, 'Off-Beat' seems to be a lot of fans' favorites from this title.
Food Run
One of the most colorful levels throughout Crash 4, 'Food Run' is set in the future as Crash and Coco take on robots and jump over flying vehicles to reach the end of the course. This level looks like something from the Star Wars movies, and it does a great job at giving players the chance to flex their skills with the Quantum Masks.
It looks like 'Food Run' is Echerongravitas_3737's favorite level as "words cannot describe how euphoric I felt while playing Food Run for the first time." They enjoyed it so much that they "played it again IMMEDIATELY."
Cortex Castle
In their own top ten list, Ifxfa put 'Cortex Castle' in the number one spot and while 'Off-Beat' was a close second, 'Cortex Castle' did just make it into their top spot. But what was it about this level that put it into the number one position?
According to them, it is "the one that puts all the skills you learned to the ultimate test and nothing is more satisfying than pulling off the final gauntlet at the end of the level flawlessly." This level seems to be one of the most difficult in any Crash title, especially as the death count in their playthrough went up to "triple digits."