After spending some hands-on time with Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, we're happy to report the long-awaited sequel is shaping up to be the best entry in the series since its glory days on the original PlayStation. Back in 2017, the long-dormant Crash Bandicoot brand was revived by publisher Activision, who tasked developer Vicarious Visions with creating a big-budget remaster of the platforming mascot's original three adventures. The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy was met with stellar critical and commercial reception, leading to a remaster of Crash Team Racing in 2019.
Rather than follow-up with remakes of Crash's decidedly lesser adventures on PlayStation 2, Activision has tasked Spyro developer Toys For Bob with crafting a brand new adventure, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Set in the direct aftermath of Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, the new title ignores everything after original developer Naughty Dog left the series, and seeks to build on the legacy of the original trilogy while updating the franchise with enough complexity for 2020's discerning audiences.
Developer Toys for Bob spent years working on the Skylanders series before earning significant acclaim for the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, a high-end remaster/remake of the original Insomniac games, which were always seen as something of a sister series to Crash. With Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, Toys for Bob is tasked with proving the viability of the Crash series in 2020. Courtesy of Activision, we were sent a PlayStation 4 demo of Crash 4 and came away impressed and excited by Crash's latest adventure. The demo featured a pair of levels that showcased a modernized version of classic Crash Bandicoot platforming action, as well as a third "Timelines" stage featuring a playable Dr. Neo Cortex, Crash's infamous nemesis. In addition, we participated in a group video conference with Toys for Bob producer Lou Studdert, who answered some of our questions regarding the highly-anticipated sequel.
Crash Bandicoot 4 Feels Familiar, But Different
The first two levels we played, Snow Way Out and Dino Dash, feel like textbook examples of how Toys for Bob is reimagining the series without losing sight of what made Crash Bandicoot so magical in the first place. Crash's moveset is based on that of Crash 3: Warped, with signature techniques like the body slam and slide jump feeling similar to those seen in the original games. That being said, Crash 4 certainly feels different in terms of its physics and movement, enough for die-hard Bandicoot fanatics (Fandicoots?) to have an initial hurdle to overcome. If there's one thing that feels "wrong" with Crash 4, it's how players can trigger a body slam or a double jump even while descending from a jump. Traditionally, these moves would be locked out after Crash finished his rising action. Hopefully, this is merely an oversight that will be corrected by the time the game releases on October 2.
The level designs themselves retain the classic Crash Bandicoot linearity, but there are now multiple gems hidden throughout the stages, as well as rewards for collecting all the boxes, all the wumpa fruit, and speed running. Since the demo we played was still a work-in-progress, we received no in-game reward from collecting all the boxes in Dino Dash, but hidden gems were cleverly placed and encouraged us to seek out hidden paths. To that end, levels are much wider than before, allowing for more 3D movement and exploration to break every crate. Just as in past titles, some parts of the stages are presented in an old-school 2D side-scrolling style, but the stages transition between the two modes seamlessly and without any camera cuts.
Yes, Crash Bandicoot Runs Towards The Screen in Crash 4
The opening portion of Snow Way Out contains slippery ice physics, but they feel much closer to the physics from the original Crash Bandicoot 2, rather than the more difficult-to-maneuver interpretation seen in the N. Sane Trilogy. It's still dangerously easy to slip, fall, and die, but it became significantly easier to survive after a few minutes of adjustment. It helps that platforms are placed in such a way so that Crash can nimbly jump from one to another without having to resort to his slide jump or double jump (a returning move from Crash 3). It's hard to dive into jump arcs and how they're different from the originals or the controversial changes seen in the N. Sane Trilogy; the easiest way to describe it is to say the levels are built around this game's specific jumping physics, something that was not always the case with Vicarious Visions' 2017 remaster of the classic Crash titles.
The second level in the demo, Dino Dash, features a staple of the Crash Bandicoot series: running towards the camera, away from an advancing obstacle. Over the history of the series, Crash has run away from rampant boulders, raging polar bears, and a stampeding Triceratops, but Crash 4 ups the ante with a T. Rex, and the player has to keep moving in order to avoid suffering the fate of the lawyer from Jurassic Park. The camera is pulled back a little bit further in these segments than in previous Crash titles, giving the player a precious extra moment to react before falling into a pit or being forced to slide under an obstacle.
The Cortex Timeline
The third level is a change of pace that puts players in control of Dr. Neo Cortex, the main villain of the series. The location is the same as the first level, Snow Way Out. He cannot double jump, but has access to unique moves that allow for creative platforming opportunities. Cortex can shoot enemies with his blaster, transforming them into platforms onto which he can jump to access new areas. A second shot from the blaster turns the platform into a bouncy jelly, allowing Cortex to reach further areas. Finally, a third shot returns them to their normal state.
Cortex can't double jump, but hitting the slide button lets him dash through the air, letting the evil doctor cross a wide horizontal space; it's essentially a long jump maneuver, but with no verticality. Cortex's stage is deceptively difficult, and players need to make use of all his techniques to survive, such as dashing across a row of instant-death Nitro crates.
At the conclusion of Cortex's portion of the stage, the villainous scientist activates an explosive detonator that destroys a boat precariously balanced on a waterfall. This explosion was seen in Crash's portion of the level, and Cortex's stage reveals the cause of the explosion. Studdert calls these unique secret levels "Timelines," and they add special context to the various in-game events.
Crash 4 Will Kick Your Butt
Timelines effectively replace the "Death Routes" and colored gem paths from older titles, and the level doesn't end with Cortex destroying the stranded naval vessel. After the brief cutscene, the player is then given control over Crash, who must then complete a difficult and remixed version of Snow Way Out. There are many more crates to break in this version of the level, and they are precariously placed; only true experts will be able to smash them all to collect the gem.
When the N. Sane Trilogy first released in 2017, the difficulty of the games became something of a meme. While much of the perceived difficulty came from unfortunate changes to jumping physics and problematic hitboxes, there's no denying that Crash, especially the 1996 original, is a hard video game. Even so, hardcore Crash fans will surely be pleased to learn Crash 4 is shaping up to be the most challenging entry yet. In the demo version, at least, Aku Aku masks are in short supply, and the wooden witch doctor visage offers no protection from bottomless pits, lava, ice cold water, or the menacing jaws of a hungry dinosaur. Players can earn a reward for completing a level with fewer than three deaths, but it takes significant skill to earn it. On our first trip through the Timelines version of Snow Way Out, we racked out upwards of 30 deaths, and that's not taking into account the bonus rounds, which are easily tougher than anything from previous Crash games.
Quantum Masks
The biggest new addition to Crash 4 can be found with the Quantum Masks, a quartet of new allies who bestow unique abilities onto Crash, and we got to play with two of these special items in our time with the game. Snow Way Out features Kupuna-Wa, who allows Crash to slow down time. In this state, he can jump on falling blocks of ice. At normal speed, the blocks fall about as fast as Crash does, but in slow motion, Crash can gracefully leap across a string of platforms and reach the other side of an otherwise impassable gap. Unlike powerups from Super Mario, the Quantum Masks are given out at specific moments in the level, and are removed once their challenges have been completed.
Dino Dash features Lani-Loli, a mask that allows Crash to switch between two phases of existence, causing specially-marked objects to appear or disappear with a push of a button. Combined with Ratchet and Clank-inspired rail-grinding segments, and players will be tasked with using Lani-Loli to remove otherwise impassible obstacles and make sure boxes exist to be smashed before they're lost forever. These Quantum Masks add extra variety to the levels and make sure players are always doing something new. The levels shown in the demo are much larger than the ones seen in the original trilogy, and Dino Dash in particular even dwarfs most of the levels from 2001's Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, the franchise's previous attempt at a proper "Crash 4."
It's been a long time coming, but Crash Bandicoot is finally back in a brand new adventure. With Crash Bandicoot 4, Toys for Bob is not releasing a level pack based on the N. Sane Trilogy. According to Studdert, Crash 4 shares no code with the N. Sane Trilogy, and is built from scratch on Unreal Engine 4. It's a whole new beast, and based on our hands-on time with the game, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time marks the true evolution of the Crash Bandicoot series into the 21st century. Indeed, Crash's time will come on October 2, when Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time releases on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.