A new, fresh, and original Crash Bandicoot entry if finally here. And it was a long time coming to say the least. Crash Bandicoot has not only been one of them most recognizable mascots in gaming, the franchise is one of the most beloved. It's almost criminal that fans had to wait this long to take Crash on a new adventure full of platforming, spinning, fighting, and all sorts of other antics.
Fans are excited to say the least, if not a bit overwhelmed. Being lost in the confusion of the new gameplay and excitement, some truly surprising details about this new entry into the franchise have managed to fly under the radar.
10 Tongue-In-Cheek Naming
The most immediately noticeable aspect of pretty much any game is it's title. Sometimes titles are just meant to sound cool or somehow coincide with the story and be marketable, but other times titles can represent much more. In Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time the reference is immediately visible.
Fans had to wait for what felt like an eternity for a quality original Crash Bandicoot title, and to say the very least, they were getting impatient. It's good to see that Toys For Bob and Activision both have a sense of humor to reference such a long and desperate wait in a humorous way.
9 The Addition Of Power Ups
Power ups are a common trope in the platforming genre. They are not a common trope in the Crash Bandicoot series however, especially in the form of outright super powers.
This new gameplay dynamic is strange yet welcome, but still certainly unexpected. Powers are granted to the player via masks, and these powers can provide players with a wide range of power ups, or in some cases even alter the physical playing field. This provides players with much more freedom of choice and diversity in their playthroughs.
8 Different Game Modes
The Crash Bandicoot franchise may at first glance appear that their main demographic is younger audiences, such as children, and well, it is. Despite this, the game are notorious for their extreme difficulty. Typically players have a limited amount of lives and attempts to pass a very challenging level, and if they run out, it's all the way back to the beginning.
Thankfully Toys For Bob added a modern mode to it's latest installment, allowing players to play with infinite lives and progress through a more current checkpoint system. These two modes offer players different levels of difficulty, and the possibility of multiple replays.
7 Multiple Playable Characters
This was truly a major gameplay surprise, and a positive one at that. The game offers five different playable characters, the majority of which have their own different gameplay mechanics and levels.
Interestingly enough, players are able to play as Neo Cortex, this time without using third party mods. This addition showed that CB4 was dedicated to nostalgia and old school gaming while simultaneously being prepared to give fans something new and fresh.
6 Immediate Xbox Release
Crash Bandicoot, the franchises main character, has been touted as a PlayStation mascot of sorts. When The N. Sane trilogy remakes were released, they were exclusive to the Sony console. Xbox players would eventually see the trilogy remake released on their console, but almost a year down the road.
This was not the case with CB4, releasing on both major consoles on the same day. It seems that either Sony is losing their grip on third party console exclusives, or they are willing to play nice with Microsoft following the companies acquisition of Bethesda.
5 Multiverse Timeline Shenanigans
Toys For Bob has stated that some of the less positively received games in the Crash Bandicoot series, namely 2001's less than popular Wrath of Cortex, are part of the canon while also not being part of the canon. Confusing? The explanation used has been the games taking place in a different timeline and dimensional universe.
This plot device has been all the rage since the advent of Rick and Morty, simply because it gives writers a lot of freedom, and quite frankly, endless excuses. It was surprising to see CB4 take this theme and run with it, a courageous and risky move, but one that certainly paid off.
4 Meteoric Success
No one expects a Crash Bandicoot title to completely fail. Even titles which are less than stellar find a solid fan base.
However no one could have foreseen the absolute massive success that CB4 has been. The entry has received mostly remarkable reviews (albeit with a few detractors), and the sales have been absolutely astounding, even surpassing Star Wars Squadrons. This bodes well for a sequel, and a general franchise reboot.
3 Dedication To Mel Winkler
This surprise is more somber and sad than anything. In the fanfare and fun, many fans may not have noticed that the game is dedicated to Mel Winkler, the original voice actor for Aku Aku. Winkler sadly passed away at the beginning of this year.
Though he may be gone, his work and influence will not be forgotten. It was very kind of Toys For Bob to dedicate the entire title to his memory.
2 Old School Gameplay
Something that positively shocked players, is that how despite all the added mechanics, CB4 plays like the originals.
The general mechanical direction and design mentality is still there, and despite all the pomp and flair, this is, in it's heart of hearts, a classic Crash Bandicoot title. It is immensely difficult to pull off a successful old school style game while still adding enough to be considered modern and relevant.
1 The Same Old Villains
This may either be a positive or negative depending on how a particular fan feels. Throughout the entire game, only one new and original boss villain is introduced, Louise the fish, and it's debatable if she is even fully sentient.
While it was nice to see the series give players a nod and reintroduce all the classic baddies, maybe adding some new antagonists would have been nice, at least for the sake of creativity. Hopefully this addition will be considered for a potential sequel.