Crash Bandicoot Still has the Magic
If you grew up in the 90s and love video games chances are that Crash Bandicoot holds a special place in your heart as one of the most charming characters ever developed. One of the PlayStation brand’s flagship characters through the late 90s the last installment, Crash Team Racing, was released a whopping 18 years ago. Many were worried that Sony had given up on the loveable Bandicoot as he was left to fade away into history but a very vocal fanbase made sure that never happened. They yelled, they stomped their feet and they made enough noise that Sony finally listened which brings us to the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy coming out in just a few short weeks on June 30, 2017.
A full remaster of the first three Crash games (Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Crash Bandicoot: Warped), we were able to get a behind the scenes look at what you’ll be playing. Now, we know that remaster is often thought of as a four-letter word, but it doesn’t have to be and that’s exactly what developer Vicarious Visions had in mind when starting in on this project. Speaking with the dev team they stated explicitly that they wanted to show full respect to the original titles while bringing them a fresh new coat of paint and a handful of modern conveniences.
One of the biggest additions to the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is the fact that Crash’s sassy little sister, Coco Bandicoot is fully playable in all three new versions of the trilogy. Respecting the fact that purists may not care to indulge in this it is possible to completely turn that option off. Making sure that Coco fits in naturally was important so a simple video game trick of time travel sees her fitting into the narrative without being forced in.
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“Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy might make you steam up those nostalgia goggles with your own salty tears of joy as every respect was paid to the original beloved games.”
We got a great look a Coco in action too. Her quirky animations are fun to watch and she was, in turn, just as fun to play. Standing idly for too long saw Coco pulling out her mobile to snap selfies, coming back from an on-course death saw her shaking her head in disapproval… she doesn’t like to lose. Coco is clearly not just a reskin but a fully developed and uniquely animated character. It’s this attention to the smallest details that will see the fans coming back by the bunch to relive something they’ve held special to them for so long.
One of the questions brought up in our meeting with the devs was from someone heavily involved with the speed running community and whether or not all the little tricks and glitches were still present in these modern versions. Another assurance came quickly that everything from the Glitch Jump to the Slide Jump were all still there to help the hardcore shave fractions of a second off their times in over 80 world leaderboards that will be in the final game.
I often refer to nostalgia as one of the most powerful drugs known to humankind. It’s easy to slip on a pair of nostalgia glasses and fall in love with something if it reminds you of fond days from long ago. Just as often, however, you’re left disappointed that this ‘new’ version just doesn’t hold the same charm to you as the original did. Luckily, in the case of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, it looks like you might steam up those nostalgia goggles with your own salty tears of joy as every respect was paid to those original beloved games. If you’ve never played a Crash game then this is the time to jump in too. Introduce it to your own kids perhaps?
Now, if only this could lead to a brand new Crash Bandicoot game…
