Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

The nostalgia is real, and this Wumpa fruit tastes so sweet!

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Systems: PS4
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Publisher: Activision
Players: 1

The Crash Bandicoot franchise has been somewhat neglected in recent years, so I was ecstatic to hear there was a new game in the works. I’m not going to lie though, I was a bit disappointed when I found out it was going to be a remake. But I was still excited that there was going to be another chance for Crash to be in the spotlight.

The game itself is a good deal in the sense that it’s only $40 (at release) for three games. The games include are the original Crash platformers from the PS1, Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot Warped. I decided to jump in head first and play in release order!

So I load up the game, and launch into the original. The game just looks great. This may be some nostalgia glasses kicking in, but it just looked good. The character model updates make sense and are still familiar, as are the animations and the way the game feels. So I start making my way through the game.

The first thing I started to really notice is that the controls are very precise. At first I shrugged this off thinking I am just out of practice with my platforming skills. But after playing for a few hours, I started becoming more and more frustrated with how perfect you had to land and make jumps. This isn’t as hard as I remember. Turns out, since the game was a complete ground up remake, the physics were different.

So I keep on trying, and trying, and I finally start getting better at my jumps. But there were many, MANY continues along the way. After finally adjusting, I just fell into a groove and burned through the games. They were everything I was hoping for in the remake and was absolutely pleased with the result.

I will say that the first game in the set was by far, the most challenging. The second and third games were a walk in the park by comparison. Still great, just not as difficult.

So where does this all leave me for an opinion on the game? Well first, even though it is a remake, the games do show their age. They were made for a different type of console and not all of the mechanics seem to fit on a modern system. But with that notion, you wouldn’t be able to please everybody. With where it is now it feels kind of dated, but if you were to change it to have a little more 3d platforming (think super mario 3d world) and it’s no longer the game you loved. So I can’t complain a whole lot about sticking to what made it great. So should you buy it? If you want to relive the Crash days and get a hit of that sweet nostalgia, then absolutely.

Pros:

• Great sense of nostalgia.
• True to the originals.
• Everything looks and feels good.
• 3 games for the price of 1.
• Each level is short (can pick up and play for shorter periods of time).
• Controls (while a bit dated) work well and feel responsive.

Cons:

• Difficulty between different games seems very unmatched.
• Controls/Mechanics feel a little out of place in the modern age.

 

Screenshots credit to the game’s official website.

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