REVIEW - Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy - Orange Was The New Blue

Name: Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy

Developer: Vicarious Visions

Publisher: Activision

Platform: PlayStation 4

Well, look who it is. It's everyone's favourite spinning mascot. (Eh, the orange one, not the blue one) Yes, Crash Bandicoot is back and ready to relive his first three adventures. Time to game like it's 1996! And '97 and '98. (Jeez, yearly releases. Who did it think it was? Assassin's Creed?)

First off, the game looks lovely. The backgrounds and character designs have been remade shiny and new for our eyes to appreciate. (I did fiddle about with the buttons at one point to see if I could switch between old and new but alas no) New cutscenes add a bit more depth to the overall story and additional voice acting round off the experience nicely. The gameplay itself, however, seems to have remained much the same. This isn't a bad thing but when starting it up you have to remember that 3D platforming in the mid-90s was still in its early stages. For a 20-year-old set of games, they stand up pretty well. Some of the levels later in each of the games require the precision of a highly trained assassin to land specific jumps. The timing of certain obstacles becomes a memory game of trial and error. Crash Bandicoot does not hold your hand basically. You get a wee reminder in the corner of the screen telling you how to jump and spin at the start then your left to jump and spin your way through the rest of the game. While the levels can provide a steep challenge at times they remain fun and reminiscent of a time 3D platform games were the go-to genre for most gamers.

All the music is either the original or slightly modified version of the iconic soundtrack. (I've had the main menu music stuck in my head in work for the best part of a week now) All the sound effects from the "shwoop" of a wumpa fruit to the "aboogada" of an Aku Aku pick up are the originals. It's small touches like that that make the remaster feel like it was a passion project for those making it. (Vicarious Visions having been involved with various Crash related projects in the past this come as no surprise) Even Naughty Dog themselves have gone on record to say they are "very pleased and touched" by the efforts of Vicarious Vision on the CB remaster.

There are a few new features added to keep fans of the originals eager to play the series again. You can now play as Crash's sister, Coco, in most of the levels. (Excluding boss fights and a few select levels) She handles much the same as her brother with the spinning and the jumping. Rather inexplicably there are three gold trophies on offer for killing five enemies as her in each of the games. (I have no idea what makes her so special) For the most part, the character swap is just a fun cosmetic change. (Unless someone has experienced something different, let me know) While there were always checkpoints in the originals, this time the game will put a few extra in if you keep dying at a specific point. (It's probably one of the few times the game will extend an olive branch) On the world map you can save/load your game at the touch of a button and autosave has been added. (There's even a throwback that made me laugh until I remembered it made me feel old)

Time trials have been added to all the levels in the first and second games as well as returning to the third instalment. While some of the levels in Crash seem made for speed running, a lot of the later levels can have you waiting for openings and throw unexpected hazards at you that make the fun of beating the clock feel a little too much of a chore. Needless to say, as some of the game's trophies are tied into getting Gold times on all levels I won't be receiving "dat plat" anytime soon. (Or ever) Loading screens are long. A little too long for a game that came out 20 years ago and has essentially just had a facelift. During these screens, you'll be given a little hint for that level, either a tip for beating the boss or that beating the level without dying and breaking all the boxes gets you a special Gem. (These levels are mostly in the last third of the original game, making it some of the most frustrating gaming since I last picked up Bloodborne. No joke)

I want this on my tombstone

Maybe someday soon we'll get an announcement about a Crash Team Racing remaster. Oh, what a glorious day that would be. If you didn't play it the first time it was a pretty solid racing game akin to Diddy Kong Racing and Mario Kart. I Have my fingers crossed for that one. In the meantime, I still have my hog and my tiger. (I don't include the baby polar bear because I only really played the first and third Crash back in the day)

Would I recommend this game to you? Aye. It's hard as balls and doesn't reward you for your efforts like a lot of games do now but frankly, that's pretty refreshing. You have lives, you can get a game over and despite your best efforts you will still fail to get that collectable you've spent the best part of an hour trying to unlock. But in that process you hone your reaction times, you get a little more focused. (A cup fell off the counter the morning of writing this and I caught it without looking. Whispered a prayer to Saint Crash) Sticking on a few levels to pass the time is easy as you're not bogged down in a confusing narrative, you just run and spin and smash boxes until the level ends.

Most prices are at around the £30-£35 mark. Works out at roughly a tenner a game which I had no issue spending. Available for retail and download for Playstation 4.