A way to go out with a bang for these gaming critiques is none other than Crash Bandicoot — the marsupial himself is a legend to discuss. Crash was a mascot for the PlayStation back in the day. He was made to compete against both Mario and Sonic. 

The franchise itself has quite the history to talk about. He has been a gaming phenomenon over the years since he was a PlayStation exclusive. By the time he went multi-platform, he started to become more well-known to the world. 

Even in the early days, Japan really embraced the character so much that they have an exclusive song for him. But as the early 2010s approached, Crash Bandicoot had a hiatus.

He had a lack of games for some years like the other franchises like Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, and Jak and Daxter. It seemed like he wouldn’t come back. And the number of fake leaks and signs that occurred in those years were not helping either. 

But on Crash’s 20th anniversary, it was revealed that he would be making a comeback. He had his original trilogy remade for all platforms, expanded his racing game that ended up being the victory for Best Racing Game at the Game Awards, and even created new games for these recent years.

Regardless, this critique will focus on the game that started it all. The first game of the series for PS1 is a certified classic. The plot is short compared to the ones in the sequels. 

In a lab, Dr. Neo Cortex and N. Brio are experimenting with their machine to evolve animals to be their new army. Crash manages to escape when the machine fails. However, Cortex didn’t give up easily as he sent his minions to try to take him down. 

To make matters worse, his girlfriend Tawna has been held captive and is next to be tested on the Evolve-O-Ray. Crash has to travel through various islands to stop the mad doctor from ruling the world. 

The gameplay is a standard 3D platformer scheme. Crash can jump and spin, which is very less moves compared to the sequels. Aside from reaching the goal of each level, the bandicoot is tasked with breaking crates. 

Gems are what he collects in his journey for progression. He is aided by the witch doctor Aku Aku, who is a flying tiki mask. 

The game can look simple at times, but the truth is that it is very difficult, especially in the original release. 

To get the gems, one must complete the level with all boxes broken without dying a single time. Thankfully, the remake managed to tone down the difficulty to match it to its sequels. 

If I had to recommend which version of the game to play, I would say to get the N Sane Trilogy. It’s packed with the first three games of the series completely remade from the ground up. 

To sum the whole game up, prepare for some insanity and some difficulty that will arrive.

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