The Crash Bandicoot IP has been through somewhat of an identity crisis over the last 24 years. The formula Naughty Dog used to concoct the first three Crash games was a veritable success. It made Crash an unofficial mascot of the PlayStation, an antithesis to Nintendo’s Mario; and it created a legacy of 3D platformers that few others could claim.
Crash had an awkward tween phase after leaving Naughty Dog’s hands. The Wrath of Cortex and Twinsanity, Crash’s fourth and fifth main installments respectively, were clearly molded in Naughty Dog’s image. Embedded in them were the same philosophies, rules, and mechanics as that original trio of games. But they were gluttonous, taking perhaps a bit too much from their predecessors, and rehashed by-then overused ideas. They were serviceable titles on their own merit, but they were disappointing entries to a franchise with a well-established legacy of remarkable gameplay.
Crash of the Titans and Mind over Mutant, both released in the mid- to late-2000s, brought Crash out of mundanity and placed him squarely in the territory of the bizarre. Crash Bandicoot was no longer made to compete with Mario: Instead, he’d go toe-to-toe with hack-n-slash icons like God of War’s Kratos and Devil May Cry’s Dante. He was clad in the hottest fashion of the epoch: jeans shorts and tribal tattoos; and rode on behemoths to accomplish his tasks. It was a forgettable era in the marsupial’s life. One that propelled his future into uncertainty.
The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, developed by Vicarious Visions, was a return to form. That was to be expected given that the 2018 title is a remaster of Naughty Dog’s trifecta of original classics. It ensured its status as a masterpiece, but it left a desire for an entirely new Crash game molded in the classical image Naughty Dog established. One where levels are self-contained and the fashion is less arrogant.
Crash 4: It’s About Time promises to be just that. That’s the impression I received, at least, after spending way too much time with a demo version of the game. Developed by Toys for Bob, who worked on the Switch port of the N. Sane Trilogy, Crash 4 also looks to bring the bandicoot into the 21st century (among others).
So far, there isn’t much to glean about the story. It seems to be your standard Crash affair in which the bandicoot and buddies are traveling across time. The game’s subtitle, “It’s About Time,” is as much a hint to the plot as it is a tongue-in-cheek jab about the current state of the franchise.
I think there’s another layer to it, though. The double entendre is the obvious joke it’s trying to make, but as I continued to experience the demo and all that it had to offer the franchise, I couldn’t help but mutter, “It’s about time.”
It’s about time that a Crash game finds a sensible method for visualizing depth. A cursor appears under airborne characters and enemies, brilliantly highlighting their position along the Z-axis. The diegetic shadow, barely visible at times in former titles, is no longer a complaint.
It’s about time that a Crash game extinguishes the concept of lives. They’re a tedious breed, being too plentiful at times to have real meaning or too scarce at others to make for fun gameplay. Lives are still a feature in Crash 4, but they’re optional, and I suspect the notion will be tossed aside by most players. Rather than the counting downward of lives, it’s the counting upward of deaths with which Crash 4 chooses to oppress its players. It’s another conceit I could do without, but I guess we’re not totally passed elitism in gaming yet.
It’s about time that the franchise recognizes and changes problematic tropes. This isn’t something I noticed in the demo, but it is in the marketing (the irony of this statement isn’t lost on me). Long forgotten character Tawna makes her first official appearance in a Crash game (excluding the remaster) since the first installment. Then a damsel-in-a-distress, Tawna enters It’s About Time a bonafide badass, saving Crash and crew in a satisfying role reversal. She’ll be playable in Crash 4, but none of her levels were in the demo.
There are a few areas where I fear that Toys for Bob may be taking too many liberties, like the death counter. Some character designs, like Cortex and Crash, are weirdly goofy and strictly inferior to their N. Sane Trilogy designs. But this is also a strictly superficial argument. For the most part, Crash 4 is looking to be an improvement on a tried and true formula. After being nearly forgotten, it looks like Crash might be making a comeback, and it’s about time.
