Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time review code provided by Activision so, special thanks to them.

Reviving a past franchise is always a complicated endeavor, to say the least. One must acknowledge that they’re working with a property that already has passionate fans that await its return. There is a pressure to live up to the legacy that has been built up for however many years the franchise has laid dormant. An added concern comes with modernizing the mechanics and gameplay of this franchise while still maintaining what fans loved about the originals. While many series have found themselves in this predicament, none had as many eyes on them as Crash Bandicoot.

Crash Bandicoot is a franchise that needs no introduction. An iconic staple of the 90s era of Sony’s PlayStation, a rival to Super Mario and, pioneer of the 3D-platformer, the original Crash trilogy, initially developed by Naughty Dog are legendary titles that follow the never-ending battles between Crash Bandicoot and the nefarious Dr. Neocrtex. They were great titles that carved a name for themselves in fans’ hearts up until the Crash Bandicoot series hit a sharpened point. 

Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time is developed by Toys for Bob and published by Activision. Severing as a direct follow up to Crash Bandicoot Warped, the story sees Dr. Neocortex and N.Tropey escape the eternal prison they were sentenced to in Warped. Seizing the opportunity, the two scientists set out to conquer all dimensions, and it’s up to Crash and his sister Coco to save the day.

Crash’s Insane Gameplay

Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time features a return to the classic formula in the original trilogy. Players will jump, slide and spin their way through linear obstacle courses as they smash crates and defeat enemies. Crash controls fantastically in this title. His movements are incredibly tight and responsive, with a satisfying amount of polish put into it. From the precise arc of his jumps to the snap of his run, Crash has a clearly defined weight that makes players utterly aware of what he is capable of.

In any type of platformer, it’s imperative that players trust the controls of the character they’re guiding around. Toy for Bob understands this and has created a Crash who feels better than he ever has. Crash’s jumps, as an example, have an apparent height in which he will be able to reach. This causes a player to be immediately aware of which jump and how much momentum they’ll need to clear an obstacle or get a hidden secret.

Crash has also been given some new moves this time around. Players will now be able to swing on vines, grind or hang from rails, and dash along walls. Each of the abilities feels just as responsive as his core movement abilities. Crash’s jump from vine to vine has a clearly defined arc, similar to his grounded jumps. Rail grinding has clear build-ups to the obstacles players will need to avoid while also having the switching of rails and positions on rails, be quick. Similarly, there is an uncomfortable amount of motion blur when viewing the bandicoot in 2D grinding sections that, while never causing deaths, does irritate the eyes. 

Crash Bandicoot jumping

Friends from across dimensions

Crash isn’t the only playable character this time around. The entire game can be played as the younger sister, Coco Bandicoot. She controls identically to Crash; thus, feels just as great to handle. However, there are sections in which players will take control of one of three characters. Tawna Bandicoot, Dingodile, and Dr. Neocortex are all playable characters controlled during unique areas of the game. Each of their movements feels somewhat similar to Crash with a few different abilities to shake things up.

Tawna and Dingodile do this very well. Both have the same jumping and spin abilities as Crash, while bringing new gimmicks to their levels. Tawna can’t’ slide but uses a grappling hook to grab at crates or defeat enemies from a distance. This changes her gameplay up in a relatively smart way as while Crash and Coco blaze through boxes while timing attacks against mobs, Tawna has crates that are riskier to get but make enemies easier to beat. 

Dingodile makes use of a leaf sucker/blower to deal his damage. His levels effectively become third-person shooters where players need to make use of the crates they find in each level to defeat enemies. Despite the mild genre transition, it doesn’t feel intrusive and is instead done in a smooth way by still incorporating some platforming; though nothing as difficult as the bandicoots. 

Cortex, however, plays quite differently from the others. He lacks a second jump, slide, or any spin moves. Instead, Cortex relies on his blaster to turn enemies into platforms, allowing him to traverse the levels. Cortex’s levels play with a much slower and methodical pace. This works quite well, as he isn’t an action hero like the others but rather a scientist who uses his brain over brawn. The only issue is that Cortex’s levels do begin to drag due to the slower pace, especially compared with the other characters.

Coco Bandicoot gameplay

Level design

Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time tasks players with exploring the courses that make up the dimensions Crash and Coco visit. Each world has increasingly unique themes that let each dimension stand as memorable. From the familiar jungles to N.Sanity Island, players travel through pirate fleets, frozen factories, carnivals on roofs, and even alien planets. The variety here is staggering, and it really uses the time and space bending nature of this title’s setting well. 

The actual courses Crash and Coco navigate are constructed incredibly well. Levels do a great job of communicating what exactly the player will need to do before the game has a chance to explain it. The difficulty of Crash 4 is quite smooth as well, while levels slowly but noticeably get more challenging. The platforming becomes more demanding of players but, only after it has prepared them for what they’ll need to do. Crash 4 is overall a difficult title but that is handled well due to the steady teaching done to prepare its audience. 

Crash Bandicoot 4 also features one more gameplay addition, the Quantum mask. Powerful beings with control over quantum forces, Crash and Coco will be able to make use of their powers to enhance their platforming. The masks are a phenomenal inclusion. Each mask has its own power and level section built around them. Thus, they’re tied into the design of levels far more than a simple power-up. Players will use them to slow down time, flip gravity or even phase objects in and out of existence. The levels that use the mask often have some of the most inventive platforming sections in the game with the timing you use the powers being just as important as which one players are given.

Crash platforming in the Festival dimension

Hunting for Collectables

Crash Bandicoot 4 is filled with content to keep the player busy long after they finish the main story. Time Trials make a return but the new additions are the FlashBack tapes and “N.Verted” levels. Completing levels will reward players with a gem for completing one of six different objectives. These gems will go towards not just a hundred percent completion but a unique costume Crash or Coco can wear during levels. These costumes are a great idea by Toys for Bob as not only do they all look very stylish and appealing but the costumes naturally incentivize players to explore levels again to earn more gems to get their favorite outfit. 

Flash Back Tapes can be found in a level within each world. The only way to collect them is for a player to avoid dying until the point in the level in which they appear. Once this is done, players are treated to the challenge of completing a level while only being able to jump on crates. This is a smart expansion of the crate bouncing sections in the regular levels, requiring more skills that the player will have built up through playing the game. There are even medals to collect from simply finishing the level or completing it while destroying every crate. This works well because it’s a unique challenge that builds on a fundamental part of the Crash Bandicoot formula.

The last addition is N.Verted levels. These act as a mirror mode with their own sets of gems to collect. The special thing about them is that each world has its own unique gimmick to alter the level. One level may require you to spin paint everywhere to reveal a path while another will have a level entirely underwater. The ways in which the N.Verted levels change both the gameplay and art style of each course are breath-taking. Almost every level feels entirely different from their original with a new gimmick to change the experience.

Crash in an N.Verted Level

Story

The story of Crash 4 is quite enjoyable. Picking up directly after Crash Warped, developers decided to make the theme simple while focusing on the dynamics of our characters to drive each scene. Crash is an absolute joy to watch during the cinematics as he’s just as wacky and animated as ever. With this to bounce off of, Coco takes the role of the “straight man”  to all the antics of the other characters, as well as the voice of our heroes. The rest of the characters are just as entertaining, for example, Cortex causes enough laughs on his own with his lively line reads yet Tawna, Dingodile, and even the Quantum mask all have charming and unique personalities.

Despite all the humor, Crash 4’s story does feature some genuine heart-tugging scenes. From Tawna reuniting with this universes Crash and Coco, to her attempting to leave them behind to fight the villains herself. There is a genuine bond built between the three bandicoots despite the small amount of screen time they all get together.

The voice acting is what truly brings these scenes to life. Everybody is giving it their best and this makes for a truly charming experience that will put a smile on anybody’s face. Special stand out for their performances are Lex Land as Dr. Neocortex and Richard Steven Horvitz as the Quantum mask, Lani Loli.

Crash looking over the Pirate Sea

Signature Style of Crash

The presentation in this title is absolutely fantastic. The colors are vibrant and bright, popping off the screen with a beautiful shine. Every world has distinct and memorable settings that are even further complimented by the visuals. The lush jungle of N.Sanity Island feels truly alive while the dark and foreboding Cortex Castle is filled with radioactive greens and harsh blacks. The additional art style of the N.Verted Levels received just as much attention. Each alternating visual design never sacrifices the gameplay but, instead enhances the experience through beautiful design.

The characters look better than ever, sporting more cartoonish designs and brighter colors. There is an expressiveness to the characters that emulate the animated styles of cartoons. The slapstick nature of the cutscenes in Crash 4 invokes the feeling of playing through an animated movie. From subtle changes like Crash’s face changing when being chased to his animations upon completing a stage or even standing idle on the world map. All the characters have a charm to the way they move and converse with each other.

The soundtrack for Crash Bandicoot 4 has an amazing set of tunes. The signature sound style of Crash is maintained while still adjusting to suit the setting of each world. Plenty of steel pan and horns are used but mixed with more modern instruments like electric basses to suit locations that have more modern settings. Each piece of music maintains the style of Crash Bandicoot’s island sound while not sacrificing variety. 

Overall, Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time is an absolutely amazing game that stays true to the Crash formula while modernizing the areas that were rough around the edges. Featuring amazing level design, tight controls, beautiful art, and a cast of characters so lovable, it will drive players to absolute fanaticism.

That’s all for this review, thank you for reading and until next time…

If you’re interested in more reviews, check out Nick’s review of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2