The release of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time on October 2, 2020 has been fascinated by many players especially the fans of Crash series all over the world. This time Crash Bandicoot 4 comes from Toys for Bob, the team behind the Spyro remakes. As a direct sequel to Naughty Dog’s original trilogy which had been concluded in 1998, Toys for Bob has applied that same spirit to this Crash sequel. Using the same formula from the Crash Bandicoot trilogy, It’s About Time is a simple 3D platformer just like the original games.
As the popular Crash Bandicoot series always provides supercool interfaces; Crash has always been about the action and amazing script with a funny & personable story. The levels are both readable and fascinating to explore as in Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, developer Toys for Bob actually pulls off the half-reboot together with the half-continuation idea.
If you must know, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a direct sequel to the third game, Crash Bandicoot: Warped. As Uka Uka, Doctors Neo Cortex and Nefarious Tropy were trapped in the past after they have been defeated, the game opens with Uka Uka disburisng the last of his energy to rip a hole through time and space. Neo Cortex and Nefarious Tropy then use this opportunity to promptly escape and begin unleashing havoc throughout the time once again.
One of Crash Bandicoot 4’s biggest revelations is the set of playable characters including Dingodile, Tawna & Cortex. These characters featured to assist both main characters; and when you play the levels with the new characters, the game will reveals what’s happening behind the scenes of the adventure. For most levels, you can control either Crash or his sister, Coco as each character have the same abilities from the original games.
There are 2 kinds of gameplay modes in Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time which are Retro and Modern. Retro mode works exactly like the previous life system while the Modern mode removes lives completely. Instead of one, there are now a total of 6 gems that you can earn per level. You get one for collecting 40% of the Wumpa fruit and two others for collecting 60% and 80% in a level. The other 3 gems can be obtained by collecting all of the boxes, finding the hidden gem within the level and completing the level within 3 lives. As you play through the adventure, you come across 4 Quantum Masks which serve as powerups that give you special abilities and access to powers like gravity bending, time slowdown, and more. One mask slows down time for short bit while another reverses gravity which can let you flip yourself onto the roof.
The original Crash games were criticized as it was always difficult to tell where you were going to land. A good news is – The developers have addressed that issue as the jumping feels smoother, more precise as the bold yellow circle helps you to indicate where you’re going to land as opposed to a rough shadow previously. You can also finally restart a level & move the camera around with the right thumbstick. In addition the boss battles are amazing and full of surprises. We can say at this point that Crash Bandicoot 4 has a more realistic gameplay without affecting the core of the game.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is by no means perfect but fixes those limiting issues and adds a bunch of new flavors to the mix as the level design and precision makes it a great 3D platformer. Through the creative new mechanics, new playable characters, amazing world design and gameplay improvements, Crash Bandicoot 4 revitalizes the series by modernizing the formula for both new and old audiences. It delivers an enjoyable, deviously challenging and occasionally genius sequel.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time has been released on October 2 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
GAME PROFILE
Title: Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Toys for Bob
Genre: Platform
Players: Single player, Multiplayer
