Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1444 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,182 out of 1444
  2. Mixed: 130 out of 1444
  3. Negative: 132 out of 1444
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  1. ManOfChap
    Jul 2, 2017
    5
    This game is more frustrating than fun. It's rougher around the edges than I remember the originals. Definitely funner as a kid. If you want a fun not frustrating platformer, look elsewhere.
  2. EmilyMonster
    Jul 2, 2017
    5
    The original Crash Bandicoot was my first video game ever. I was so looking forward to reliving the originals in HD even though I play the originals semi frequently. This game is an absolute mess. The jumping feels off, any level with a vehicle is difficult to control, hit dectetions are horrid, it is a PSOne game that some how can't run at 60 fps, playing as Coco feels half assed since atThe original Crash Bandicoot was my first video game ever. I was so looking forward to reliving the originals in HD even though I play the originals semi frequently. This game is an absolute mess. The jumping feels off, any level with a vehicle is difficult to control, hit dectetions are horrid, it is a PSOne game that some how can't run at 60 fps, playing as Coco feels half assed since at least 1/3 of the levels it forces you to play as Crash so why even give is the option, and it is super frustrating. The PSOne originals hold up pretty well and are $6 each on PS3/PSP/Vita. Go play thoes instead.… Expand
  3. manic23
    Jul 1, 2017
    7
    There was no doubt in my mind as soon as I head this was coming out that I was going to buy a PS4, in fact this game and the Wipeout Omega Collection was the only reason I did buy one. Now don't get this wrong this is a great game and it's great to be able to play these 3 classic games in HD and have all the lovely graphics, but I have to say I am disappointed that it only runs at 30fps, IThere was no doubt in my mind as soon as I head this was coming out that I was going to buy a PS4, in fact this game and the Wipeout Omega Collection was the only reason I did buy one. Now don't get this wrong this is a great game and it's great to be able to play these 3 classic games in HD and have all the lovely graphics, but I have to say I am disappointed that it only runs at 30fps, I mean for goodness sake in 2017 we have games like Wipeout Omega collection and Project Cars that run at 60fps (on the Pro) so why can this? It's just laziness on the part of the developers, there are far too many games on the PS4 that should run at 60fps that don't and it's a real shame.… Expand
  4. negativeions
    Nov 10, 2018
    7
    Vicarious Visions' re-master of the original Crash bandicoot trilogy is one nice looking game. The graphics are great. It would've been nice if it ran at 60fps but, as it is, I didn't get any eye strain. The music and sounds are fairly spot on as well. It sounds good for the most part.

    The gameplay, however, has some kinks. The gameplay should be such that as soon as crash lands on    Vicarious Visions' re-master of the original Crash bandicoot trilogy is one nice looking game. The graphics are great. It would've been nice if it ran at 60fps but, as it is, I didn't get any eye strain. The music and sounds are fairly spot on as well. It sounds good for the most part.

    The gameplay, however, has some kinks. The gameplay should be such that as soon as crash lands on something he stops dead in his tracks. Whether that means changing the default pill shape hitbox or programming it so crash stops, it should have been addressed. Especially for a game like this that requires precise timing of jumps and such and it would be more authentic to the original. Pretty amateurish fail.

    Another typical amateur move, especially back in the day, is that the joystick has a huge dead zone. Not only that but the difference in joystick position between when crash walks and runs is way too small. So what ends up happening is that you move the joystick a bit, nothing. A bit more nothing. More still, nothing. Then a bit more and crash walks then a bit more and he's running. This game is how NOT to program analog movement controls 101. I never understood the joystick dead zone. To prevent accidental movement? I don't recall this ever being a problem. So you're going to botch gameplay for everyone for the rare case scenario when someone has to scratch their nose in the middle of gameplay? Ridiculous. I mean, look at A Link Between Worlds (most devs should look to Nintendo on how to do things right). That game out 4 years before crash trilogy. Perfect analog movement, with no dead zone, and a much wider range of speeds than a binary walk/run.

    One other thing that was annoying was the loading times. The PS4 has like, what, 8GB of RAM right? For example, in Crash 1, why couldn't the main map stay in memory? What level in any of these games is larger than a fraction of total memory? I find it hard to believe that all that loading was really necessary.

    Having said all that, the game is still pretty fun even with the pad (although hair-pullingly difficult at times). It's good but could have been better. Vicarious Visions haven't really redeemed themselves here. Whether it was a decision at Activision (wouldn't surprise me in the least) or incompetence by the designers and/or programmers, the fact is that gameplay is king. Always has been. Always will be. And, although serviceable, it seems like gameplay was a paltry second to sound and visuals.    … Expand
  5. Sixpackonmyd
    Aug 4, 2017
    6
    This is one of the best franchises and a favorite of mine for years but this one isn't that good sadly. I really wish it did more to evolve bandicoot instead of regurgitating the same stuff.
  6. BlakDak666
    Jul 2, 2017
    7
    I do not understand why people are raving this like it's a outstanding ordeal. Is Crash Bandicoot's remastered trilogy good? Well yes it is. It has a pretty great graphic engine, a price tag of $40 and plenty of content that can keep you entertained. The problem however lies in not just Crash's gameplay, but its history too. People giving this a 10/10, or a 9/10 are likely omitting hugeI do not understand why people are raving this like it's a outstanding ordeal. Is Crash Bandicoot's remastered trilogy good? Well yes it is. It has a pretty great graphic engine, a price tag of $40 and plenty of content that can keep you entertained. The problem however lies in not just Crash's gameplay, but its history too. People giving this a 10/10, or a 9/10 are likely omitting huge and important issues with the game that seems to give the impression that rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia is clouding their judgments. I liked Crash Warped when it first came out, but I was a drooling little kid that wasn't analyzing games and critiquing them like now. That's where this trilogy is in currently: Critiqueland.

    The first major issue of the trilogy is the controls. The D-pad on the PSX controller was very hard to play Crash and Coco across levels. Jumping to the analog usage (including the originals already built in on the PS4 dpad) does alleviate some of the issues that had. Considering in platforming games you need responsive controls above all things to make sure you can make jumps is crucial, and this trilogy doesn't allow this. On the contrary, it worsens it. The vehicle missions (in warped in particular) is very cumbersome and annoying to maneuver in. The fact I repeat certain parts because the controls kept killing me or causing problems isn't a good thing to have. Even spinning and miss my timings for jumping on enemies for even a brief second would be far more unfair than what's allowed.

    The next issue is the running away levels usually under DASH or Run. They stay true to the original but the main problems with those levels were the unpredictable obstacles Crash or Coco would run into that you had very little time to react or else the thing behind you would kill you. I would have much preferred the level to have a optional camera control where you can at least see where youre going at all times, something Spyro did as a contemporary and proved to be a better game trilogy.

    The camera is a huge issue for this game because if you ever want to backtrack to areas, you won't be able to see or instantly remember the next area and have you killed because you couldn't see it based on the camera not allowing you. Especially for a game that was designed for kids, you want them to be able to see where they are going and not be upset that the game won't let them move the camera that Ratchet and Clank and Mario games do very well.

    Repetition and the mundane level design also shows as well. Beating a level and yielding a crystal is standard most will get over the three games, but if you wish to achieve more gems you have to do absolutely insane and stupid things that would easily frustrate you. Gems require ALL boxes to be smashed, so miss a single box and you have to repeat the whole level (especially if you miss a single box on a bonus round) to get that one gem. Obviously on early levels this is not so bad but on later levels they can be extremely tedious and annoying rather than fun and enjoyable. Relics are even more stupid because they require the player to beat the level under a time limit that they never specify. If you don't succeed or die at any point in the level (as checkpoints are turned off) you have to repeat the whole level again, which can be irritating to ludicrous depending on the map.

    A few other issues I have is more of Crash's animations. I get they wanna make him goofy and silly, but having him do the exact same animation everytime he gets a gem or relic is really boring and loses its charm quickly. Coco can now be selected to do missions alongside Crash (aside from a few exceptions), but they don't change anything to the formula; it's just a gender format to appease both sexes. Bosses are a joke to kill and only a few are even worth a challenge. Autosaving seems unnecessary because most levels are short and can be completed in a matter of seconds. Load times are a tad bit too long for me when booting up the game AND going to levels. Considering the length of the levels, the tedium to getting gems and mixing the camera and controls in, you can easily backfire players who havent played the games ever easily and prove immensely frustrating.

    This doesn't mean the game sucks. I like the graphics, Warped allows abilities and vehicle missions and 2 jumped from the first with better levels and creativity. 1 wasn't that good originally and it only worsens now.

    Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a good deal for three games. Fans will buy this with no issue, but newcomers might turn away after a few hours. Nostalgia is a dangerous thing to have and people should focus on the games and their structures more than graphics or seeing Crash do stupid things on screen. I enjoyed them as a kid, but as an adult I know platformers are "dead" for a reason. Crash reminds me of good times, but bad times too.    … Expand
  7. atakanovski
    Jul 1, 2017
    7
    I trust and bought the game based on past gamer comments. My first play the game, it is annoying to repeat all over the level from start. Must be more checkpoint or save/load point, or merge checkpoint and load point, we have get used to this last 10 years! Please update it!
  8. blakehaas
    Jul 14, 2017
    6
    IT looks the same, IT sounds the same, but it doesn't FEEL the same.
    I've been a huge fan of crash since i was in grade school. I frequently go back and play the originals and I was very excited for this to come out on PS4. Unfortunately i think when they re-made the game, they used some new technology for the hitboxes and the physics. Crash doesn't land on edges the same way he did in    IT looks the same, IT sounds the same, but it doesn't FEEL the same.
    I've been a huge fan of crash since i was in grade school. I frequently go back and play the originals and I was very excited for this to come out on PS4. Unfortunately i think when they re-made the game, they used some new technology for the hitboxes and the physics. Crash doesn't land on edges the same way he did in the original ps1 release. This is CRITICAL to get right. Levels where I breeze through on the ps1 are filled with deaths on the ps4. Crash falls off of edges like he's stepping in oil.

    I appreciate the effort that was put into trying to bring this series back for fans, but the game mechanics are the single most important thing to get right and they aren't exactly how they were on the originals.    … Expand
  9. aradimis
    Jul 13, 2017
    5
    As a first time play it's a strong average, the colors are pale and the low fps is masked by annoying motion blur even on a ps4pro. Even with such simple graphics they can't make a game run properly on a ps4pro, and this motion blur trick to hide it is a shame. These blurred games are only sharp while you are stationary, if the camera moves its blurrier than an SD rendering, dynamicAs a first time play it's a strong average, the colors are pale and the low fps is masked by annoying motion blur even on a ps4pro. Even with such simple graphics they can't make a game run properly on a ps4pro, and this motion blur trick to hide it is a shame. These blurred games are only sharp while you are stationary, if the camera moves its blurrier than an SD rendering, dynamic resolution and motion blur are the biggest cheat on the consoles to lie about the low real resolution. And the control inaccuracy is also a an issue that ruins fun.… Expand
  10. TheRealOne
    Jul 25, 2017
    7
    I will be honest about this. The trilogy suffers from 1 fatal flaw from the first 2 games. The difficuilty, and alot of it is unfair. There will be times where depth perceptions screws you,where you see that Crash landed on a platform but slips of,and where when you see the fire go out on a firebreathing gorilla statue but you still die. some of the hitboxes are wonky to. But the generalI will be honest about this. The trilogy suffers from 1 fatal flaw from the first 2 games. The difficuilty, and alot of it is unfair. There will be times where depth perceptions screws you,where you see that Crash landed on a platform but slips of,and where when you see the fire go out on a firebreathing gorilla statue but you still die. some of the hitboxes are wonky to. But the general problem with this trilogy is that I felt the first game was too difficuilt to enjoy (I beat it,but I didn't really enjoy it much) he second game is good with it's difficuilty until you get to Room 4. and that is the problems with this game.

    Other than the difficuilty the games are pretty solid    … Expand
  11. sonlinkin
    Jul 3, 2017
    5
    It's like controlling a concrete block. The game 20 years ago with the graphs redone, but they do not have the work to even clear the bugs of the original version. In fairness, games 2 and 3 are better than the first. It's like a journey back in time and see the evolution of the original trilogy.
  12. STARTtheREACTOR
    Jul 19, 2017
    6
    A great platformer is all about precise controls Which this game sorely lacks. The visuals are great but the gameplay isn't. There is an ongoing meme about it being dark souls level difficult, but that's incorrect as dark souls is fair. This games difficulty comes purely from terrible hit detection and controls.
  13. TatsMcGee
    Sep 8, 2018
    5
    Growing up, my family didn’t have a lot of money so i didn’t play a ton of games. So when I look back at the original PlayStation I think of the Spyro trilogy. I never played Crash Bandicoot. So when I heard about the remake, it was something that I eventually wanted to check out but it wasn’t high on my list of games to play.

    Finally I got around to picking up the trilogy and I must    Growing up, my family didn’t have a lot of money so i didn’t play a ton of games. So when I look back at the original PlayStation I think of the Spyro trilogy. I never played Crash Bandicoot. So when I heard about the remake, it was something that I eventually wanted to check out but it wasn’t high on my list of games to play.

    Finally I got around to picking up the trilogy and I must say that I didn’t love it. It just didn’t feel right to me for some reason. I am very picky and peculiar about my Platformers and this just didn’t feel right.

    After a couple hours, I was done with the game and was ready to move onto to something else. Now if the rumors are true and they remake a Spyro Trilogy, that will be up my alley.    … Expand
  14. seiftahan
    Oct 29, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I like this game very much but thee glitches and the lower crash jump from Activision
    and vicarious visions and the road to nowhere and the high road and the lab and the
    graphics is superb and the unbalanced difficulty this is all my review    … Expand
  15. MemoryMuff
    Jul 19, 2017
    6
    I wasn't very impressed with this game. It's a good remaster, it sticks to it's roots. It was a great trip to nostalgia land. The visuals are beautiful and clean but the gameplay is very sloppy. The difficulty curve is very steep. I went through more "Game Over" screens than most of the games that I have completed. I remember having the same issues when I first played crash bandicoot onI wasn't very impressed with this game. It's a good remaster, it sticks to it's roots. It was a great trip to nostalgia land. The visuals are beautiful and clean but the gameplay is very sloppy. The difficulty curve is very steep. I went through more "Game Over" screens than most of the games that I have completed. I remember having the same issues when I first played crash bandicoot on the Playstation. After all theses years I thought that these problems we're going to be solved, but it's still a pain in the butt. I feel sorry that Crash Bandicoot is on a same level as Sonic the Hedgehog: Really great at first but after a lot of games and spinoffs, it's boring and old. I can now understand why Naughty Dog left this project and invested on games like Uncharted and The Last of Us. It was a very smart move.… Expand
  16. PunishMeDaddy
    Jul 4, 2017
    7
    The Crash trilogy were great platformers so a remake was definitely coming. This remake did a great job enhancing the graphics and sounds. The facial expressions that were good on the PS1 are amazing on the PS4. But... I'm looking at this game as it is a remake. Not as a new game. There were some issues not fixed that should have be fixed like the difficulty spikes and the camera.

    The    The Crash trilogy were great platformers so a remake was definitely coming. This remake did a great job enhancing the graphics and sounds. The facial expressions that were good on the PS1 are amazing on the PS4. But... I'm looking at this game as it is a remake. Not as a new game. There were some issues not fixed that should have be fixed like the difficulty spikes and the camera.

    The game is amazing but the remake needs some more polishing.
    7/10    … Expand
  17. hideo2004
    Oct 1, 2017
    6
    O maior problema desse jogo é a movimentação, que te trola muito, além de que voce não consegue calcular o espaço entre as coisas. O jogo também tem um problema com o range dos ataques que muitas vezes pareceu bugado para mim.
  18. damaso7
    Mar 2, 2018
    7
    Crash bandicoot es un juego que supone un reto, uno dificil de verdad (sobre todo el primero), y una gran satisfacción cuando te das cuenta que dominas los movimientos de este torpe pero entrañable marsupial. El primero cojea un poco en la simpleza de su jugabilidad (algo que intentaron arreglar un poco en el segundo), sin embargo, tienen todos un apartado artístico brutal. El diseño deCrash bandicoot es un juego que supone un reto, uno dificil de verdad (sobre todo el primero), y una gran satisfacción cuando te das cuenta que dominas los movimientos de este torpe pero entrañable marsupial. El primero cojea un poco en la simpleza de su jugabilidad (algo que intentaron arreglar un poco en el segundo), sin embargo, tienen todos un apartado artístico brutal. El diseño de niveles en una temprana entrega era algo destartalado, unos bonus que más bien eran un castigo. Esto también lo intentaron arreglar en el segundo. Por último, la historia es ingeniosa, pero está muy mal tratada.… Expand
  19. JaySimpson
    Oct 9, 2018
    7
    I am a long time crash bandicoot fan. Crash bandicoot Cortex strikes back was the first game i ever played. The series has been dead for many years but it has been revived in the N.sane trilogy. I am happy and a bit disappointed. The games look and sound fantastic, but the biggest complaint is obvious, it's the controls. The controls feel awkward and clunky. The spin, slide and slide jumpI am a long time crash bandicoot fan. Crash bandicoot Cortex strikes back was the first game i ever played. The series has been dead for many years but it has been revived in the N.sane trilogy. I am happy and a bit disappointed. The games look and sound fantastic, but the biggest complaint is obvious, it's the controls. The controls feel awkward and clunky. The spin, slide and slide jump are great but the normal jump and air-time are bad. Your biggest enemy is not the hostile enemies but instead they are holes and pits because of the awkward jumping. The power-ups are good but the speed shoes feel a bit nerfed. Previously when you use the speed-shoes and jump, the momentum would carry over and resolved in a longer jump, but in this game that jump is shortened and is not very helpful anymore. The vehicle controls in Crash Warped is horrible. The bike is on exception. Plane levels are more difficult because it feels like the enemies have aim-bot. The Jet-ski is the worst thing in the game. They are slippery, hard to be precise and overall not fun at all. Coco's tiger levels are now more fast paced and usually end up falling in pits more often than previously. Crash Bandicoot is better in the N.sane version but Crash Bandicoot Cortex strikes back and Crash Bandicoot Warped are not. Not a bad game but a bit disappointing.… Expand
  20. AMasterpieceFan
    Jan 4, 2019
    7
    I liked the remaster of the first part but when I am already at the Crash Bandicoot 2 part, I easily get bored and just not continue. I bought the game a while back and I am still not done with Part 2. Maybe I will try it again and hopefully get into it. Buying it at the same time as Witcher 3 definitely is a reason though.
  21. IceCraigg
    Apr 1, 2019
    5
    So hard (i not casul , have platinum in all souls like (and souls) games), but camera in this game - poop...
    2D - poop
    5/10
  22. Descole
    Apr 6, 2020
    7
    Its fine, just enhanced graphics and soundtrack. Im not a fan of the Gameplay itself
  23. Haeder
    Jul 29, 2020
    7
    This trilogy has a special place in my heart but the remake didn’t bring it as it is, The remaster introduced new bugs and glitches which wasn’t welcomed by some ppl and I think I’m one of them
  24. Hechss
    Aug 2, 2021
    5
    The rebuilding of the stages is fantastic at an artistic level, bit sadly the developers decided to make the remake even more difficult than the original. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with challenging games, but this one just feels unforgiving and unfair. Before you know it, you’ll be entering and closing a level repeatedly to farm some lives to have a slight chance of going through theThe rebuilding of the stages is fantastic at an artistic level, bit sadly the developers decided to make the remake even more difficult than the original. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with challenging games, but this one just feels unforgiving and unfair. Before you know it, you’ll be entering and closing a level repeatedly to farm some lives to have a slight chance of going through the most challenging levels.

    It’s sad, but the collision box of Crash seems to break the entire game.

    This is less of an issue on the third game, but very infuriating in the first one.    … Expand
  25. MelThorn
    Aug 22, 2018
    7
    Crash Bandicoot was Dark Souls before Dark Souls was a thing-- and by that I mean, the difficulty can be absurdly unrelenting. Crash Bandicoot is the epitome of "trial and error" gaming, and to get through most of the game's levels, you have to memorize them.

    Back when I was a kid, I managed to achieve acquiring every single gem, crystal and platinum ankh in the second and third games,    Crash Bandicoot was Dark Souls before Dark Souls was a thing-- and by that I mean, the difficulty can be absurdly unrelenting. Crash Bandicoot is the epitome of "trial and error" gaming, and to get through most of the game's levels, you have to memorize them.

    Back when I was a kid, I managed to achieve acquiring every single gem, crystal and platinum ankh in the second and third games, and when trying to do the same today, I marvel at the patience I must have had, because I had forgotten just how RIDICULOUSLY unfair the series was.

    Toe barely over a cliff edge?
    You fall and die.
    Didn't jump far enough?
    You die.
    Jumped too far?
    You die.
    Barely touch the edge of an enemy?
    You die.
    Run past one enemy only for another one to suddenly surprise you over the hill because of the horrendous camera angles?
    You die.
    Jump too soon?
    You die.
    Jump too late?
    You die.
    Spot an enemy on the screen as your sliding across a patch of ice, but you can't slow down in time?
    You die.
    All your lives are gone. Game over.

    And yet, somehow, Crash Bandicoot is still less forgiving than Dark Souls ever was. Gathering lives is a pain due to how many times you fall into pits. Gathering Aku masks is pointless for the same reason. Most of your deaths are due to falls, and this was always true in Crash Bandicoot games. When re-releasing the series, Vicarious Visions did nothing to update this, I imagine because they wanted to stay true to the original game's "spirit."

    Well, the spirit of Crash is definitely there, and for that I'm grateful... but I'm also this close to chucking my controller across the room whenever I play these. I remember them being annoyingly hard, but not this harsh.

    Still, a lot of the pain is worth reliving some of these games. The visuals are fantastic, and I never thought I'd see Crash updated to this level. And I'd be remiss if I didn't say I had a smile on my face when remembering myself as a kid, sitting on the floor with a Playstation controller in my hand and playing the hell out of these.

    Are they as fun as I remember? Eh... sadly, no. They're a LOT more painful than I recall them being, and I don't know if that's intended or not. Do they reignite my love for old Playstation games? Absolutely.

    Still... if you haven't played these games in the past, I actually wouldn't recommend them. They're at times insufferable and anger-inducing. Few games are as nonsensical as the Crash series nowadays, and there's a very good reason for that. Trial and error is really not any fun.    … Expand
  26. B-Bog
    Jul 19, 2021
    5
    Got this as part of the PS5 collection. It is very telling to me that all these glowing reviews mention "childhood memories" in one way or another, because you have to have massive nostalgia for these games to hand out such high scores for a title that feels incredibly archaic to play in this day and age. I guess they stayed very "true to the original" because releasing these as new gamesGot this as part of the PS5 collection. It is very telling to me that all these glowing reviews mention "childhood memories" in one way or another, because you have to have massive nostalgia for these games to hand out such high scores for a title that feels incredibly archaic to play in this day and age. I guess they stayed very "true to the original" because releasing these as new games nowadays with these controls and this camera absolutely would NOT fly at all. I never played the Crash games as a kid and I just find this game incredibly frustrating because you're supposed to make jumps with absolute pinpoint precision with less-than-stellar controls and a lack of depth perception (due to the fixed, zoomed-out camera) that is just absolutely infuriating.… Expand
  27. superpyro296
    Jun 2, 2023
    7
    I think overall this is a great trilogy for platformers fans ! I think however that you should skip the first game completely and only focus on crash 2 and crash warped. The first game is too clunky and outdated...but Crash 2 and Crash 3 are good remasters in my opinion. I completed the trilogy in around 17 hours by focusing on the main mission.
  28. giannis2001
    Nov 11, 2020
    7
    Good game, but even as a remake, you can feel it's age. The controls and gameplay feels sluggish sometimes and there are several hitbox and depth problems. Nonetheless, it's a good game with funny characters, great visuals as a remake and the platforming - although I said, aged - isn't bad. But it's challenging.. So if you don't like hard games, you won't have a good time with this.
  29. SebbyPlaysMusic
    Mar 25, 2021
    5
    As someone who was a huge fan of the original trilogy to the point of learning how to draw the characters when I was a kid, I have exactly one reason that my rating for this is so low: They changed the physics / hit box on Crash's jump (you know, the thing platformer protagonists do to win the game), and it doesn't mesh with the levels that were specifically designed for the previousAs someone who was a huge fan of the original trilogy to the point of learning how to draw the characters when I was a kid, I have exactly one reason that my rating for this is so low: They changed the physics / hit box on Crash's jump (you know, the thing platformer protagonists do to win the game), and it doesn't mesh with the levels that were specifically designed for the previous physics.

    This game is a better version of the originals in just about every other realm, which is what, sound and graphics? Any team of developers could've done that to a game that already exists and sold millions. But despite having a perfectly simple task to accomplish for an easy cash-in, they just couldn't help but tweak a linear platformer to have the physics of a non-linear platformer, essentially cutting Crash's jump short every time you try to control the direction he's going in mid-air (which is a HUGE difference in levels like Slippery Climb, one of the hardest levels from the first game). This one decision that they didn't have to make makes it's very apparent that they couldn't just let something perfect stay perfect because they felt the need to prove themselves in a context that was completely unnecessary; It's not like this choice made anyone trust the developers more. It's just an absolutely silly, non-sensical decision that emphasizes the jarring contrast between cartoonish-ness and realism.

    For anyone who hasn't played the originals: I can see why you wouldn't understand my complaint if you haven't played them, but the difference is definitely noticeable, and consistently leads to the scenario of "well, I guess the game didn't like me doing that, so let's just slide down the edge of this platform." Trial and error is supposed to be fun in games (no, it's not simply too hard; yes, I got the Plat trophies), but the style of Crash's gameplay regarding level design requires mid-air finagling; That was always a central gameplay mechanic. Here it's about tuning into a nuance that bares faulty indication of someone's mastery, as the game wasn't originally designed to accommodate it.

    Yes, you're supposed to be able to slide under an elevated Nitro crate from next to it without blowing up. There are areas where you specifically have to do that. And that's not even the jump physics, it's just expanding the character's hit detection.

    I still recommend the original games over this. Though perhaps the nostalgia of my imagination makes the old graphics still seem engaging, they truly do feel like finely tuned adventures. And credit where credit is due for the original developers making such a pivotal 3D platformer.

    I don't mean to dissuade anyone from trying this, I just consider level design and gameplay correlation to be THE most important aspect of a game, just ahead of story. This took an L on that front. Still could be fun for the kids, and Warped seems to still work similarly to the original somehow.    … Expand
  30. E1ppa
    Oct 7, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For a person who's never played the previous three or at least the 3rd one, this is going to be an alright introduction to the franchise:
    Graphics look as they are expected to look -- they are great but nothing exceptional
    Gameplay mostly merged from the original trilogy but some features have been removed and quantum masks have been added as a substitution.
    Music doesn't make my ears bleed but I hardly ever noticed when I played it myself. When I watched someone play, I paid attention to it, and it was good enough.
    The game is pretty fun to play, the player is being introduced to new mechanics almost to the very end of the game with the final two worlds serving as an exam for what the player should have learned to that point.
    The story is there and it is okay, though I don't see anyone really paying attention to it.
    Timelines are pretty great and refreshing to play, though I didn't find myself engaged enough with them.
    The game's pretty difficult if you are for all the boxes, I would say, somewhere around Crash 2.
    Vehicles are one of my main complaints: they don't feel right to control, a visual clue of which boxes you are going to hit doesn't always correspond to reality, controls are pretty rigid at some points, and insanely loose at others.
    If you are for 100% or 106% completion, these vehicle levels are going to be your bane. As you have to gather all the boxes without dying and there is no way to backtrack boxes in the vehicle parts. Also, platinum relics seem to be pretty tight compared to golden ones. So for the completionist, this one can be a significant challenge.
    Now, let's make some comparisons with previous games. First of all, this one really likes to put a small number of boxes somewhere hidden from sight so unless you sniff around every corner you might end up missing one or two boxes very often. In the original ones there very little amounts of such levels and they were a great source of annoyance. This game has such a thing implemented in almost every level.
    There are no death routes anymore, flashback tapes are here instead, which are practically some jumping gauntlets. Their difficulty curve is non-existent -- one level can be a breeze and the other will make you want to commit suicide for the time being.
    There are no time gems that were in 3rd one neither their equivalents, which make level completion feel a tiny bit less rewarding. Having 6 clear gems per level feel overwhelming and some of them are almost always a completion reward (as you are unlikely to miss more than 60% wumpa fruits). This also spoils you the requirements for all clear gems (except for the hidden one, but it is mostly somewhere behind the wall). So there is no C2&3 charm of finding some secret parts of a level where you face some serious challenge and get the gem as a reward (there are some levels like this in C4 but far rarer).
    C2&3 used a formula of several level ideas like "underwater level", "race level", "egypt level", "ruins level", etc then developed them as harder versions of initial levels, usually, they had some "extra hard" version which gave the player extra feeling of progress. C4 instead uses several worlds, each level doesn't look alike any other decoration-wise, but it is not as distinct as it used to be in C3, so you feel like you have been playing 2 or 3 levels at best just with different decorations for the entirety of the game.
    Classic C2&3 abilities are now either removed, given initially, or provided with masks to some extent. This, again, weakens the sense of progression as finishing world now doesn't reward the play in any way. One may say that masks are unlocked gradually, but you don't get to use them anytime you want, only at given sections. This gives the gameplay less depth than in C2&3 for instance.
    Color gems don't seem to be something they used to be in C2&3: now they are more of some "do something extremely specific " puzzles like a blue gem in C2. They are no longer a reward for death routes for instance nor lying at the end of the secret levels, which, as far as I know, do not exist anymore.
    This game feels like it is a sequel to Crash 1 and not the other part of the trilogy. For me, C1 was the worst in the trilogy, and this game reminds me of it occasionally. Personally, I've enjoyed Crash 3 more than this one, even completed it. I'm not sure if I'm going 106% there, given the vehicle's quality and the idea of sniffing around every corner.

    So, if you haven't played anything for the franchise, then it is going to be a good game.
    If you wish to check out the best Crash game -- start with the original trilogy, 3rd game. For a crash fan, this one is alright, I guess.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

61
#61 Best PS4 Game of 2017
16
#16 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
30
#30 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 85 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 85
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 85
  3. Negative: 0 out of 85
  1. Jeuxvideo.com
    Jul 3, 2018
    85
    Quotation forthcoming.
    Read full review
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Feb 8, 2018
    90
    Forget all your fears. The 3D platforming games of PlayStation legend have never looked or played better. [September 2017, p83]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Sep 29, 2017
    80
    The trip to the past has been great and a famous reborn marsupial feels really good. Almost as good as you do when playing N. Sane Trilogy. [Issue#277]
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