Speedrun N. Sane Trilogy

Master Crash Bandicoot’s movement tricks

STEp 1 LEARN HOW AND WHEN TO USE THE SPIN MOVE

This brings back memories of my junior doctor days, hours in A&E spent hooched up on Modafinil, slashing and dashing between patients. Good times.

Much like your Doc in her younger years, speedrunning Crash Bandicoot is key to really enjoying the old-school platformer. Top of the list to master is spinning. It’s faster to spin than it is to run, so hammering r is essential if you’re to complete a level quickly. But like all good things, including the Doc’s use of caffeine pills, you’ll need to use spin in moderation as Crash can only perform the move in spurts. Spin management is essential too, as to 100% a level you’ll need to smash every box, and doing that means you need to remember when and where to spin for speed or for crate crashing. Even more important in N. Sane Trilogy, as some crates offer time bonuses.

STEp 2 USING ZIGZAG AND THE D-PAD ARE ESSENTIAL

Now we need to have a serious conversation. One of those one-to-ones only the Doc can offer. Let’s talk zig-zagging. Like my surgical stitches, you’ll need to zigzag the D-pad furiously to gain a little extra speed. That’s right, it’s hard to take, but to speedrun like a pro you’re going to need to take your thumb off the analogue stick and go back to basics on the D-pad.

When Crash jumps he moves faster. When he jumps and spins simultaneously he moves even quicker. But as we’ve learned, there’s a hidden limiter on spinning. So when jumping, juggle the D-pad diagonally to give Crash a few extra moments of air time. This gives you milliseconds of extra ‘glide’ time, which means more speed. I can do a lot in a millisecond with a scalpel and a caffeine buzz. Look at what Crash can manage in that time.

STEp 3 LEARN TO JUMP – IT’S HARDER THAN YOU THINK

The final, and most effective way, to pick up speed is jumping, but unlike medicine it’s best to understand how it works before diving in. Naturally, you can jump and double-jump, and Crash moves faster when jumping (don’t try this when operating – I once pulled a patient’s colon out trying to jump in surgery. He was in for a tattoo removal). But what we’re interested in is a more skilful leap.

You have to learn to jump into ‘dead spaces’. If you jump from a ledge you have a chance to jump again and then spin for extra distance. This means you can effectively hop gaps that look too far to make, often on diagonals, and against all better judgement (words I’m used to hearing), avoiding the obvious routes. Taking diagonal shortcuts across gaps between platforms and the main pathways will carve seconds off your overall time.