CRASH BANDICOOT 4: IT’S ABOUT TIME
Accept this invitation to the masked platforming ball
This isn’t the first time a beloved series has been brought back with a return to its old numbering system, but it’s still a bold statement (and for those of us burned by Sonic The Hedgehog 4, a serious one). Helped by the team’s work on Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, though, no revival feels as natural as Crash Bandicoot 4’s.
Even the four in the title is explained, in a fashion, as time is shattered, worlds ripped apart, when villains Crash has faced previously escape from the dimensional prison they were trapped in. This also unleashes the doom-prophesying Quantum Masks. Crash has to run from time period to time period to save the masks and stop his old foes wreaking havoc throughout history.
WORLDS APART
There are enough themed worlds to ensure quite a bit of variety, from pirate coves to NewOrleans-inspired musical floats, and it rarely feels like they tread on their own trainered toes. It’s a more distinct set of stages than in the previous games (you’ll be relieved when we tell you not to expect multiple bridge levels), and it feels all the fresher for it – aided by fantastically colourful visuals that create some beautiful environments.
If you’ve played classic Crash you’ll be familiar with the core of what you do: run away from the screen while platforming; spin enemies; smash crates; sometimes do it all from a side-on perspective; and occasionally run towards the
camera as you flee something coming towards you. It’s tremendously smooth, and little qualityof-life improvements go a long way. Those include an extra-clear glowing shadow beneath your jumps, clearly telegraphed enemy attacks, and the option to have infinite retries (you can use the classic ‘lives’ system if you prefer).
MASK OFF
The Quantum Masks have a bigger effect on the action, arming Crash or Coco (you can play as either, as functionally they’re the same) with a special power. One zaps glowing blue objects in and out of existence with i so you have to balance summoning platforms with removing objects; another lets you flip gravity; another has you slow time down to a crawl so you can run on falling platforms or even bounce off nitro crates; and the final one allows you to whirl in place like a spinning top, falling slowly through the air and able to propel yourself higher than normal.
You can’t access them at will. Instead, specific portions of a stage dictate the power for that section. They’re more level gimmicks than power-ups, then, but you get used to using them quickly. Every time you don a mask you feel like you’re facing a purposeful, clearly designed challenge, and by enhancing the Bandicoot’s pre-existing platforming abilities they fit easily into the classic Crash gameplay. Some of the most satisfying platforming challenges revolve around them, and they’re a great addition.
Conversely, the new abilities are weaker. Wall running feels needless and overly fiddly for a game that takes place mainly on fixed pathways, while grinding segments end up feeling like annoying autoscroller sections where it’s easy to mistime hitting a single crate (they’re not always preceded immediately by checkpoints either). They don’t fit in with the rewarding platforming precision of the core gameplay.
While Crash and Coco play the same, different characters are also playable: Tawna Bandicoot from an alternate future; a reformed, diner-owning Dingodile; and nefarious villain Neo Cortex. Aside from their introductory levels their Timeline stages are optional, in the chronology taking place at the same time as other storyline missions. Tawna handles similarly to Crash, with an additional grapple hook. Dingodile and Cortex are clunkier, armed with a vacuum cannon and a laser that turns enemies into solid or bouncy platforms respectively.
Mechanically they’re nice additions, though almost every level switches back to Crash midway through, after the new character is revealed to be responsible for something that happened in that stage. Then you have to play that portion of the original level onwards, but the difficulty’s higher. While we like having harder versions of levels, this takes away the fun of being able to tackle
“SOME OF THE MOST DEMANDING PLATFORMING WE’VE SEEN IN YEARS.”
missions as different characters, and switching back to Crash feels like padding.
There’s reason enough to keep playing without padding being needed. A lot, in fact. On most levels, if you get far enough without dying there’s a Flashback tape to collect. These unlock challenge stages. On top of that, every level has a set of gems, which you’re awarded for obtaining enough wumpa fruit, smashing all crates, finding secret locations, and finishing with fewer than three deaths. Then there are zero-death challenges and intense time trial runs to complete.
A HIDDEN GEM
If all that’s not enough, every stage has an N.Verted form with gems to collect, with unique effects for each world. For example, in one you need to spin to highlight your surroundings with echolocation, while in another everything’s underwater. The game’s loaded with challenge. Finishing a level might be easy enough, but don’t you want to try to reach the bonus area to collect all the crates that require serious puzzle platforming?
As you get towards the end of the game, difficulty ramps up. Infinite lives, additional checkpoints, and Aku-Aku shields help but can only get you so far. The final couple of worlds involve some of the most demanding platforming we’ve seen in years. It had me fuming, but it never felt unfair. And it felt really good when I finally made it through. The road to the full 106% clear, though? Now that’s a challenge that will keep me playing for a long time to come.