Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is highly anticipated and many are hoping that a new iteration of the series can build on the successful remastered trilogy. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy was critically acclaimed and many enjoyed the gameplay as well as the graphics. The new title looks set to keep the aesthetically pleasing graphics but will also add in new gameplay features and some of them come in the form of playable characters. Tawna has now been announced as a character who can be played in the game, and there has been plenty of changes to the character.
Tawna was originally featured in the first Crash Bandicoot game in 1996 but then disappeared from the main series. The character is now back in an alternate dimension and is set to give players a different experience as they traverse the many levels in the game. This news comes after Dingo Dile and Cortex were made playable in Crash Bandicoot 4 and it will be interesting to see if any other characters are introduced on the back of this news.
In a video with PlayStation Underground, a cinematic cut-scene and gameplay that featured Tawna was discussed by members of the Toys For Bob development studio. It was quickly evident that Tawna has a different look and in the video; it was noted that the character looked like an "80s action hero" and it seems that the cargo pants, shorter-haired Tawna was part of a deliberate reboot of the character. The developers explained that in many ways it was like starting from "scratch" with the character and they enjoyed the freedom to make the character three dimensional in Crash Bandicoot 4. Interestingly the character offers unique gameplay as well.
Tawna can use a hook-shot to reach faraway objects and can also wall bounce to get to heights quickly. Tawna can also use typical attacks like slamming but they do it with more care and with their style. The overall character has been a source of pride for Toys For Bob and the Art Director, Josh Nadelberg explained, "Tawna is a complex and aspirational hero that all players will fall in love with." With these mechanics and sentiments in mind, many will expect Crash Bandicoot 4 to improve on previous iterations.
Crash Bandicoot 4 is one of the most anticipated games of the year and it will be a difficult task to meet expectations. It seems that introducing new playable characters is a strategy to keep players engaged and many will now be interested in seeing how the different characters play and what they add to the game.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time releases October 2 on PS4 and Xbox One.
Source: PlayStation Blog