Crash is back with his first numbered entry in 20 years!
What Is It? Crash 4 is a platforming game from Toys For Bob, released in 2020 and available on every modern console. The game is the first numbered entry in the series since the original PlayStation trilogy, a series that is among my favorites of all time.
You play primarily as the titular marsupial as you try to take out Neo Cortex and N. Tropy. The game follows the style of the originals, maintaining a “2.5D” style platforming experience. You will alternate between running “into” or “out of” the screen with more traditional side-facing sections as well. Each of them allow 3D movement, but one of the directions is always tightly constrained. Call this 3D, call it 2D, call it 2.5D, doesn’t really matter: it’s a Crash game and if you’re reading this, you probably understand what that means.
The game mostly fits right in with the original trilogy. The most obvious change from Crash 3 is that it completely ditches the vehicle-based levels. I had some gripes with how often Crash 3 used those levels, but I did like them in smaller doses. Crash 4 replaces those with levels that have you playing as different characters with different abilities than Crash. One character moves around with a giant vacuum/blower which allows him to perform long jumps, another has a grapple, and so on. Functionally, these characters serve the same purpose as the old vehicle-based levels of providing a break in the typical Crash action. The animal riding courses, an old favorite, still show up in this entry.
The game adds a few other new tricks such as rail riding and masks which trigger different environmental effects. One of these phase shifts so one platform becomes invisible while another appears, while a different mask slows down time. Another inverts gravity while the fourth turns Crash into a tornado. These all serve to add a different spin to the sections they are featured in, and once the game starts combining them at the very end, it’s basically an entirely different game.
Boss fights return as well, and true to Crash games of the ‘90s, they are a mixed bag. None of them are bad by any means, but it’s genuinely tough to come up with a half dozen or so fun boss fights with the limited move set Crash employs.
The game takes about ten hours to beat which is significantly longer than the original trilogy. The majority of this time is added by way of considerably longer levels. The game leans into having many different level layouts smashed together into one, the result is often that of feeling like you finished a level a few times before actually hitting the end podium. This is reflected in the number of boxes, as Crash staple, most of these levels have. Many levels have over 400 boxes, which is the equivalent of four or five levels from the first game, for reference. The other main source of length in this game is the absolutely wild difficulty spikes near the end. Some of the stuff this game requires of you feels directly out of a Metroidvania.
The game looks great, it is what you would want and expect out of a modern Crash game. It runs smoothly on both Switch and a PS5. Speaking of the latter, the game features one of the most notoriously difficult platinum trophies you will find. Consider it an ode to the original trilogy which features difficult-to-earn gems and a bit of replaying to hit 100%, but they take it to a wild new level here. The HowLongToBeat time for completion is currently sitting at 86 hours.
The Best Part: This is, for the vast majority of the game, simply more Crash Bandicoot and that is fantastic in my book. The levels are well designed and the tight controls allow you to breeze through them, or at least try to anyway. If you thought the PS2 games went off in unnecessary directions, you will find a lot to like in It’s About Time (a pun on the plot of the game, by the way.)
The Worst Part: I could do without the specific type of difficulty this game forces upon players. I don’t mind layering on the ridiculous 100% requirements, that’s fine for the true diehards, but the last few levels in this game are extremely difficult. The original trilogy certainly had its share of notoriously difficult levels, but those were mostly difficult within the confines of traditional Crash levels. This game forces you to pull off crazy platforming combinations that would feel right at home in a Metroidvania. Jump, grab a mask in-air, use that mask’s ability to jump and reach the next mask, use its ability, etc… It’s a type of difficulty you don’t expect here and I found it more frustrating than fun on each of my playthroughs. This is coming from someone who is attempting to 100% the first game as I type this which requires getting every box in every level without dying. I can tolerate some difficulty, but what this game requires simply to hit the credits is a step or two higher than the series has done in the past.
The Verdict: It’s great to have a Crash Bandicoot game from the current century which doesn’t try to stray too far from the original formula. The level setups are similar, with enough new twists thrown in to stay fun and interesting.
That there are a ridiculous amount of optional features in the game, for those who really want to dive in, is a nice bonus on top. Fans have been waiting decades for a more faithful sequel to the original trilogy, why not give the true diehards 80+ hours of content?
The over-reliance on the mask abilities late in the game is the only real downside for me, but that’s mostly relegated to a handful of levels near the end. Completely ditching the vehicle-based levels was an interesting choice, but I am happy with the character-specific levels that took their place. Overall, I’m a big fan of the game and have had a great time playing through it twice over the last few years.
How to Play: PlayStation 4/5*, Xbox One/Series, Switch, PC
*console played on for this review
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