Crash is back on the big screen, with the remaster/release of the Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy. The game features all three titles of late, and combines them into one neat and tidy package. Crash Bandicoot was probably the first game I played on the Playstation back in 1999. It gripped me then, and still holds a dear place now, due to the nostalgia I got from playing through again.
Crash Bandicoot is mutated bandicoot, created by the evil Dr. Cortex, who never realised what a slippery animal Crash could be. Crash escapes from Cortex’s lab and falls down to N. Sanity Beach, where your adventure begins.
Crash Bandicoot is a platform adventure title through and through, with running, jumping and spinning being the core of working your way through each level. From pits, hidden spike traps and scientists with electric hands, it’s your job to work your way through the game to defeat Cortex. And again with number 2 and 3, the same kind of thing. Cortex must go down every time.
This time around however, graphics have been improved an insane amount. Just search for comparisons on YouTube, you’ll notice it very quickly. That’s thanks to new gen hardware and a dedicated development team to put this game together, and it feels like it’s been rebuilt from scratch. This time the game is a lot slicker, and a lot nicer to control too now that you have analogue sticks rather than a D-Pad, something that I could never go back to using.
Everything you remember from the first three Crash games have made a reappearance, including the loading screens. Loading screens seem to be everywhere, like the originals. And although I wasn’t waiting too long on the PC Steam version, it still got quite tedious.
The original Crash Bandicoot game you can tell has aged the most. Of course it’s the oldest, but due to the mechanics of the third title Warped and the time travel which gave a great variation to levels as well as vehicle play, it just felt like a more complete game. Not to say that the original is bad, it’s totally worth revisiting even if it’s just for the nostalgia bump.
If you’re like me, in your late 20s, early 30s, then Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy will be a great blast from the past. However, for any newcomers to the series, sure you’ll have fun playing, but I’m not sure how much now that you’re used to more complex games being released in the modern age. For more information, head over to the Crash Bandicoot Steam page.
