The Crash Bandicoot series isn't exactly known for its major plot developments and story twists, but Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time makes a more concerted effort to tell a compelling story. It's still fairly lowkey, even when compared to other games in the platforming genre, but there are certain story developments in Crash Bandicoot 4 that potentially have major implications for the franchise's future.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time also has multiple endings. There is the standard ending that players will unlock by simply beating the main story mode, and then there are endings players unlock by fully completing the game. Since fully completing Crash Bandicoot 4 is an incredibly challenging task that it's safe to say the vast majority of players won't bother doing, they may still want to know what happens and what it means for potential future games.
Please note that in order to discuss Crash Bandicoot 4's endings and what they may mean for the future of the franchise, we will have to delve into MAJOR SPOILERS for Crash Bandicoot 4, so proceed with caution.
Regular Ending
The standard ending that Crash Bandicoot 4 players unlock will come just by completing the story mode levels. Players manage to defeat N. Tropy and his female alternate-dimension version, and then Crash, Coco, Aku Aku, Tawna, Dingo Dile, and the recently-converted Dr. Neo Cortex celebrate in a city in the far future. Cortex then realizes he can use the time-traveling Quantum Mask Kupana-Wa to go back in time and stop Crash from ever being created, and promptly betrays the group.
With the Kupana-Wa Quantum Mask in tow, Cortex travels back to 1996, right before the creation of Crash Bandicoot himself. Crash and company manage to follow Cortex to the past, and Crash actually plays a role in interrupting his own creation; as it turns out, that interruption is what causes Crash to be who he is, and explains why he is more dim-witted when compared to his sister or the other anthropomorphic characters in the franchise.
After a tough fight, Crash and Coco manage to defeat Cortex and restore peace to the different dimensions. They then return to N. Sanity Island to play video games with their friends, while Cortex ends up transported to a mysterious beach in a dimension by himself. Cortex isn't upset by this development, however, and decides to take the opportunity to relax.
Bonus Ending #1
By getting 100% completion, Crash Bandicoot 4 players will unlock the first Bonus Ending. This ending serves as an epilogue narrated by Crash (who shockingly has a Morgan Freeman-esque voice), where he explains where all of the characters ended up. Some of the more notable revelations are that Dr. N. Brio ends up in a museum run by Ripper Roo, and that Coco becomes an esports champion with a rival that looks to be the female-equivalent of Cortex. It's also revealed that Tawna had a relationship with someone whose name is a clear riff on "Nathan Drake," the star of Naughty Dog's Uncharted series.
Bonus Ending #2
After getting 100% completion in Crash Bandicoot 4, the next step for players is to get 106% completion, which is an extremely challenging endeavor and it's unlikely that most players will manage to do it. However, those that do manage to go that extra mile and fully complete Crash Bandicoot 4 will be treated to a second bonus ending that has huge implications for the franchise's future.
In the second ending, players get an update on Cortex. As it turns out, he doesn't get to relax on the beach for long, as Uka Uka finds him, implying that the evil mask will be forcing him into another conflict with Crash and company. Uka Uka was abandoned by Cortex and N. Tropy at the beginning of the game, having exerted all his energy to open the dimensional rifts in the first place, and so it will be interesting to see what happens next, and how he might punish Cortex in a potential sequel.
Speaking of N. Tropy, it is implied in the first bonus ending that he and his female counterpart will be returning in some capacity in the future as well. And with Crash Bandicoot 4 enjoying strong sales and high marks from critics, chances seem good that Activision will move forward with a sequel that lets fans see if these loose threads are followed up on. Let's just hope that there isn't a 22 year wait between entries this time around.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is out now for PS4 and Xbox One.