Numerous platform heroes have gone under in the past few decades. Only a few have proudly survived and thanks to the great remake of the original trilogy that Activision released a few years ago, Crash Bandicoot is one of them. Creating a completely new game around the foolish pouch is a completely different story, however. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time does it, and how!
Who knew the developer of the Skylanders games could make such a good platformer? Of course, Toys for Bob was able to practice with the Switch version of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy was also a great job. But It’s About Time is proud of its own feet and is one of the best mascot platformers in years.
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The foundation for a rock-solid platforming adventure was laid by Naughty Dog years ago in the original trilogy. Provide super smooth controls and focused level design, slowly but surely increase the difficulty and change the camera angle every now and then in one and the same level to make the whole feel dynamic. Hey presto, you have a good Crash Bandicoot game! Fans of this particular series as well as platformers in themselves don’t need dizzying innovations; they just want to jump through cool environments while being challenged on a regular basis. Exactly what Crash 4 offers.
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New…
That’s not to say It’s About Time doesn’t introduce new elements. Because Crash and his sister Coco are behind Dr. Neo Cortex and thanks to the wafer-thin plot travel through different dimensions this time, we are introduced to four so-called Quantum Masks. These masks appear in different predetermined locations in levels and give you special powers, such as slowing down time or making certain platforms and items disappear and reappear.
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Of course the developer makes eager use of the powers that these masks offer in terms of level design – especially in later areas this demands the utmost of your responsiveness. The powers are initially introduced during fairly simple challenges, but towards the end of the game you sometimes even switch between masks during the same jump. One moment you jump through an obstacle, while a few seconds later you change gravity and fall towards the ceiling.
As if that didn’t promote the variety in gameplay and challenges enough, this time there are also different characters to control. In addition to Crash and Coco, you will unlock various familiar faces that have their own levels during the game. After these levels are cleared, variations of previous levels are added to the game that – with the unlocked character – give a new perspective on previously experienced adventures. Especially nice is how differently these characters control. For example, Neo Cortex can turn enemies into inflatables and Crash ‘girlfriend Tawna has a handy grappling hook. There is even a character who has a vacuum cleaner à la Luigi’s Mansion!
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Platform fans just want to jump through cool environments while being challenged on a regular basis
There are also secret video tapes in levels that open bonus levels. These levels show how Crash was once used as a test animal by Neo Cortex and are extra spicy. Regular levels can also be passed through mirrored after finishing. The levels then get a unique graphic filter, which makes them even more challenging. This supplements the already considerably large range of levels with more than enough activities, making It’s About Time a substantial total package. Perhaps more importantly, all the additions mentioned above are nice enough not to disturb – the pure Crash gameplay remains intact.
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… But very familiar
Furthermore, It’s About Time feels like one ‘best of’ from Crash Bandicoot, but with completely new levels. From musical cities where you walk on giant pianos to the traditional beaches and jungles, the environments of Crash Bandicoot 4 are varied and finished with great attention to detail. The many colors and details that splash off the screen at any given moment are a clear upgrade from the remasters. Yet you often find yourself in the original trilogy when you slide over an ice rink on the back of a polar bear or try to avoid floating bombs with a jet ski. They are also often very long levels with varying perspectives, environments and activities, so that no level feels like nothing.
The progression system has also been adjusted. In the original games, you have to be careful not to run out of lives, or you will be thrown back to your last savepoint. Crash 4 has a modern mode where you always start at the most recent checkpoint. That fits much better with the contemporary platform genre and actually also with the Crash series in itself: after all, you die many dozens of times over time. Due to the infinite amount of lives and the generous amount of checkpoints, that never feels very frustrating, while the passing of a tough platform section continues to give the same satisfaction. And yes, a classic mode with lives is also available.
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The best Crash
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time does almost nothing wrong. Even the boss fights disturb less by a few original inserts than in the original, although in our opinion they could have been omitted so that the flow of the wonderful platforming is not interrupted. The game, like its predecessors, balances on the border between 2D and 3D platformer, making it unique in its kind. Combined with the well thought out level design, new elements that add instead of disturb and the truly beautiful graphics, Toys for Bob delivers the best Crash Bandicoot game ever.
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Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is available for purchase next Friday for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For this review, the game was played on a PlayStation 4 Pro.
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