Crash is back! This time Coco is along to help in the third entry in the iconic early PlayStation series.
What Is It? The third entry into the classic PlayStation series, Crash Bandicoot Warped picks up where the last game left off and is often considered one of the best games on the console.
The core gameplay is the same Crash we all know and love. A “2.5-D” style platformer where you can move in three dimensions but one of them is always limited.
The big change in Warped is how many levels don’t follow that basic formula. The main game is spread out over five hubs, each with five levels and a boss fight. Out of those 25 non-boss levels, ten(ish) of them have you riding on something. There are levels riding motorcycles, dinosaurs, jet skis, and fighter planes. As these make up a large chunk of the game, it is good news that they are all pretty well done.
The fighter plane is my favorite with solid controls and fun missions. Next up are the animal riding levels which are tough but fair, they control really well and have some fun hidden areas. The motorcycle controls are pretty good but the races are tough, requiring minimal mistakes. The jet ski is fine, it controls well enough but gets a bit too cramped at times which requires you to slow to a crawl to avoid getting hit.
All in all, these diversions are a success and a big reason why Warped is often considered the pinnacle of the series. I don’t totally agree with that take as I think there are a few too many. Maybe just cut the two jet ski levels completely and drop one of the motorcycle levels?
The normal levels are great, some of them change perspectives during the levels which is a fun experience. Nothing is too difficult, I had probably 75% of my deaths on the motorcycle levels and one standard stage in the last area. This is a far cry from the first two games which had many life-sapping levels. The main game took me about 4 hours to complete on this playthrough, but there are extra levels and completionist goals to chase which will add many hours to that total.
The game does present some new mechanics as well. A double jump, float, and even a fruit bazooka are the headliners here. There are a lot of fun and play a big role in why this entry is a bit more forgiving than the first two.
Finally, I have to mention the boss fights. The first and last are the worst, but the three in between are all great and a highlight of Warped.
The Best Part: The N. Gin boss fight. This is a Starfox-style shooter level and it is fantastic. The challenging fight is spread over two phases and is easily my favorite non-standard level in the original Crash trilogy.
The Worst Part: The final boss fight. This version of the Neo Cortex fight isn’t bad by any means, it just does not scream “final boss” at all. It is a fairly mundane three-stage fight that does not stand out and is easily eclipsed by three of the other four bosses in the game. If they had taken the mechanics of this fight and put them into the first boss of the game, I would not have thought twice about it.
The Verdict: Releasing three games in a series in three years is unheard of today and could not have been easy at any point. The first Crash game had a great idea implemented well. The second perfected the idea and implementation. The third, the subject of this review, tried to inject new life into the formula by way of a few different level styles. It is purely a matter of personal opinion, but I think Warped went a bit too far in mixing up the gameplay. I would have liked to see more pure Crash levels and a few less jet ski and motorcycle levels. That’s not to say those levels are bad, just that cutting down on them might have led to a perfect Crash Bandicoot game for my tastes. Despite that, you can expect some wonderful Crash platforming with a few twists thrown in, Warped is an easy game to recommend decades after its release.
How to Play: PlayStation. Remastered N-Sane Trilogy: PS4, Xbox One, Switch
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