Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
Current goal: Make it to the next “island”
Everyone’s favorite orange marsupial recently had a big sale on Steam. Having already played the very good, and very authentic, N. Sane Trilogy a few years ago, I knew I had to snag a copy to play on my Steam Deck to revisit ‘em and determine which of the original three games really is my favorite (it’s Crash 2, FYI). And, as it happened, 2020’s Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time from developer Toys For Bob was also on sale.
I had been curious about this entry since it released. While, I’m shocked we’re just totally overlooking the PS2-era Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex as the actual fourth title (which played it perhaps a little too safe, but otherwise delivered a solid Crash experience), I was open to spending some more time with my orange buddy, this time with new devs at the helm.
And folks, I am very not disappointed. While Crash 4 has had to compete with a few other games I’m juggling right now, every moment I spend with it is delightful. Yes, it’s friggin’ hard, even compared to the old-school Crash games. But thus far, it’s feeling more in tune with the core of what makes Crash Crash than even Crash Bandicoot 3 did!
The jumping feels good (yeah, yeah, the double jump is kind of a get-out-of-death-free card) and all my old muscle memory tricks remain. And the rail grinding is nowhere near as gimmicky as I’d feared. I also appreciate the harder difficulty. As an old-school Crash fan, I’m glad to take on a new challenge.
This weekend I’ll definitely be taking some time to jump back in and smash some boxes…as I realize that a youth spent with Crash Bandicoot probably had something to do with my destructive tendencies as a kid. — Claire Jackson
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